In an article about the aftermath of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the Associated Press wrote that Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel had described visiting the families of the victims. “I’ve been to their homes where they sit and shiver,” the AP quoted him as saying.
But what Israel actually said was “I’ve been to their homes where they’re sitting shiva.”
It’s 80+ degrees in Broward County, there is no shivering in Southern Florida.
Sitting Shiva is a term used to describe Jewish mourners participating in the traditional seven day mourning period. During the period of Shiva, mourners sit on low stools or boxes as they receive condolence calls and tell stories of the deceased. This is where the phrase sitting shiva comes from, and it is a practice that symbolizes the mourner being “brought low” following the loss of a loved one.
From a practical standpoint, the shiva process
