During which Jewish mourning practice do family members sit and receive visitors?

Shiva is the correct term for the Jewish mourning practice during which family members gather to sit and receive visitors. This practice takes place for seven days following the burial of a loved one and serves as a period of intensive mourning and reflection. During shiva, mourners may stay in one location, usually their home, and visitors come to pay their respects, offering comfort and support.

This period is significant not only for the mourners, who are permitted time to grieve in a communal setting, but also for the visitors, who participate in this shared experience of mourning. The act of receiving visitors during shiva creates a supportive environment where stories and memories of the deceased can be shared, which is an integral part of the mourning process in Jewish tradition.

In contrast, Kaddish refers to the prayer recited by mourners, often during shiva, but does not represent the gathering itself. Taharah is the ritual washing of the body before burial, and Yahrzeit is the anniversary of a death, commemorated each year, but again, these do not involve the same practices of receiving visitors.