My grandfather, according to Jewish law, was not embalmed (and according to custom, the funeral was closed casket, which was just fine by all of us). However, we had to buy a sealed casket for him; he had prepaid for a mausoleum slot, and as the funeral director explained, the mausoleum slot is above ground, and it’s Florida, so there would be…“seepage and odor” if he had been interned in a plan pine box according to Jewish custom.
Sad. I’m sure if Grandpop had understood that, he would have gotten a cemetery plot rather than a mausoleum slot.
Because embalming makes scads of money for funeral homes. Embalming means public display which means fancier caskets, new clothes, a bit of cosmetic surgery, etc. That can quickly add up to a car payment on a new Mercedes.