The Jewish funeral service consists of burial, also known as interment. Cremation is not considered a viable possibility and burial is considered to allow the body to decompose naturally. Burial is intended to take place in as short an interval of time after death as possible and Jewish law forbids embalming. Displaying of the body prior to burial does not take place and Flowers would not be found at a traditional funeral.

In Israel the Jewish funeral service will usually commence at the burial ground. In the United States and Canada, the funeral service will either commence at a funeral home or at the cemetery. Occasionally the service will commence at a synagogue. In the case of a very prominent individual the funeral service can begin at a synagogue or a yeshivah. If the funeral service begins at a point other than at the cemetery the entourage accompanies the body in a procession to the cemetery. The funeral itself, the procession, the burial, are referred to by the word levayah, meaning "accompanying."

Levayah means "accompaniment" because the funeral procession involves accompanying the body to the place of burial. Levayah is Hebrew and it also indicates "joining" and "bonding." This aspect of the meaning of the word levayah conveys the implication of a commonality between the "souls" of the living and the dead.

A hesped is a eulogy, and it is common that several people speak at the start of the ceremony at the funeral home, as well as prior to burial at the gravesite, though some people specify in their wills that nothing should be said about them. On certain days, such as on Chol HaMo'ed ("intermediate days" of Jewish holidays), eulogies are forbidden.