
In Jewish practice, the traditional statement upon learning of a death is:
ברוך דיין האמת
Baruch dayan ha emet
Blessed is the true judge
Tradition teaches that this statement, “Blessed is the True Judge,” acknowledges death is beyond our understanding. Why there is death, who dies, we cannot grasp. God’s ways are a mystery to us. We resign ourselves to the judgment of the Holy One.
As a person who has lost all my grandparents, both my parents and also, a sister, I can strongly state that this is not a statement of surrender. The grief can raise anger of despair and rage. But since there is nothing we can do to change the circumstances, we attain some measure of peace when we can accept our loss.