The Meanings of Death in Rabbinic Judaism is the first study of death and the mourning practices of Judaism's founders-the Rabbis of late antiquity. David Kraemer examines the earliest canonical texts-the Mishnah, the Tosefta, the Midrashim, and the Talmud-to decipher what ancient Jewish death rituals were. Through his examination of these vital Jewish texts, he is able to discover the unexpected irrational foundations of these beliefs. He also includes a discussion of evidence from the largest Jewish burial complex in antiquity, Beth Shearim, and an interpretation of the death rituals recorded in the Babylonian Talmud.