Aveilut, a Hebrew word meaning “bereavement,” refers to the traditional Jewish mourning period following interment. Aveilut encompasses the mourning customs of Shivah, Sheloshim, and, when a parent has died, the entire twelve-month mourning period.
According to Jewish tradition, I am no longer considered a “mourner” following my father’s death, yet still I mourn, and still I continue to write:
The skeptic's kaddish 