Jewish Casket Requirements

The Halakhic Standard: Simple Wood, No Metal

A traditional Jewish casket — called an aron in Hebrew — must be made entirely of wood. Pine is the most common material. The casket must contain no metal components at all: no nails, no screws, no hinges, no handles, no decorative hardware. Joints are held together with wooden dowels and organic glue.

This is not a cost-saving measure. The requirement comes from the halakhic principle that the body must return to the earth as directly and naturally as possible, fulfilling the verse from Genesis: "For dust you are, and to dust you shall return." Metal does not decompose. Wood does.

Holes are intentionally drilled into the bottom of the casket to allow soil contact and accelerate the natural process of decomposition. Some caskets also have holes in the sides.

What Is Not Permitted

The following casket features violate Orthodox requirements:

• Metal caskets (bronze, steel, copper) — prohibited entirely
• Metal hardware on a wooden casket (brass handles, decorative plates, metal hinges)
• Upholstered or padded interiors — satin linings, pillows, and cushioning are unnecessary and contrary to the principle of simplicity
• Lacquer, varnish, or sealant on the wood — finishes that slow decomposition defeat the purpose
• Elaborate carvings or ornamentation — the casket should be simple and unadorned

These features are standard in secular and Christian funeral traditions, which is why funeral directors who serve a mixed clientele may present them as default options or upgrades.

The Funeral Home Upsell Problem

The FTC's Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to provide a General Price List and prohibits them from claiming that a casket or embalming is legally required when it is not. State law and circumstances can create exceptions, so ask the funeral home to identify the applicable requirement.

Despite this, families shopping for caskets under acute emotional pressure routinely face upsell tactics. A funeral director may present an ornate wooden casket with brass fittings as "more respectful" or "what most families choose." For an Orthodox funeral, these options are not just unnecessary — they actively violate Jewish law.

Know what you need before you walk in:

• A plain, unfinished pine box with wooden dowels — this is sometimes called a "kosher casket" or "traditional Jewish casket" in funeral home catalogs
• No metal of any kind
• Holes drilled in the bottom (request this specifically if not standard)
• No interior lining beyond a simple white cotton sheet

The Chevra Kadisha (burial society) may have a preferred supplier or may construct the casket themselves. Ask your rabbi or the Chevra Kadisha before engaging the funeral home's casket selection process.

Cost

A plain pine casket for an Orthodox funeral typically costs between $800 and $2,000. This is significantly less than the average American casket, which runs $2,500 to $5,000 or more.

The low cost is not a compromise — it is the point. The Talmud records that Rabbi Gamliel, one of the wealthiest sages of his era, specifically requested burial in simple linen shrouds rather than elaborate garments. His decision became the standard precisely because wealth and status should not distinguish the dead from one another.

Burial Shrouds Complete the Picture

The casket works in conjunction with tachrichim — simple white burial shrouds made of linen or cotton, with no pockets, buttons, or fasteners. The absence of pockets carries symbolic weight: we leave this world without our material possessions.

A male deceased is also wrapped in his personal tallit (prayer shawl), with one of the corner fringes (tzitzit) intentionally cut to signal that the deceased is now free from the obligations of the commandments.

The body, dressed in tachrichim and tallit, is placed inside the plain wooden casket. A small amount of soil from the Land of Israel is sprinkled inside. The casket is closed and never reopened — viewing the body is strictly prohibited in Orthodox practice.

The Jewish Orthodox Funeral & Shiva Guide includes a complete checklist for funeral arrangements — casket specifications, Chevra Kadisha coordination, and a question list for funeral directors — so families can navigate the process confidently and avoid purchases that conflict with halakha.