Engraved spade and tools of the burial confraternity

These instruments were used by the Hevra Kaddisha, the burial confraternity that took charge of the ritual washing of the dead (taharah) and the digging of graves according to the prescriptions of halakha. Spades, boards and various implements made up the equipment necessary for the accomplishment of these pious acts, considered the purest form of charity because they can never be repaid. In Central Europe, handles and blades were sometimes engraved with the name of the confraternity and a pious inscription recalling the sacred function of the object. These tools bear witness to the communal organization of care for the deceased and the dignity accorded to burial.