Eulogy builder

A few questions about the person who died, and a few stories of your own, and you get a tidy draft you can edit, print and read aloud. Choose an opening, a closing, verses, Torah thoughts and lines of poetry.

1 · Who died

Name of the deceased *

What they were to you – without "my"

Years or age – optional

The deceased

He She

The speaker

Man Woman

Style

Speaking about them Addressing them directly

Tone

Traditional-religious Mixed Secular

2 · How would you describe them

Work, hobbies, what they did

3 · Your stories

The heart of the eulogy. One precise, detailed moment is worth more than ten adjectives. Write it the way you would tell a friend.

First story

Second story – optional

Third story – optional

What they taught you

Who they leave behind

What you will miss most

Anything else you want to say – optional

4 · Opening and closing

The difficulty of speaking in the past tenseIt is hard to stand here and speak about Name in the past tense. Until a few days ago he was here, and everything we know about him is still written in the present.The room is full because of themLook around you. All of you came here because of Name, and each of you carries a different story about him. If Name had to be described in one sentence, this room would be the answer.One word that sums it upI was asked to say who Name was. I tried to find one word, and there is none. So I will tell a few moments, and from them each of you will find the word yourselves.The last conversationMy last conversation with Name was completely ordinary. I did not know it was the last one. Today I want to say what I did not get to say.What they taught without wordsName never gave lectures on how to live. He simply lived that way, and we learned by watching.Opening with a verse"A good name is better than fine oil," wrote Ecclesiastes. Nobody here needs the good name of Name explained. We all knew it up close.Thank you instead of goodbyeSaying goodbye to Name is hard, so I will start with what is easier: thank you.The meaning of the nameThe name Name has been with us all our lives, and only now do I understand how well it fitted him.

A promise to carry onWe promise Name: what he started, we will continue. What he taught, we will teach the children. And every time we do something good, it will be his too.RestName worked hard all his life for us. Now he will rest, and we will carry on from here.The light that remainsA candle that lights another candle loses none of its own light. Name lit many candles, and all of them are burning here today.LongingWe will miss Name every day, most of all in the small moments: at the Shabbat table, in the phone that will not ring. But we will know he was here, and that is what we will hold on to.A simple goodbyeI have no more words. Only this: we love Name, always.The name goes onThe name of Name does not end today. It goes on in the children, in the friends, and in everyone he touched.

5 · Verses, Torah thoughts, poems and lines to add Add a short explanation (a Torah thought) to each verse

Verses and sayings of the sages – up to 4

Lines of poetry (public domain)

After my deathאַחֲרֵי מוֹתִי סִפְדוּ כָּכָה לִי: "הָיָה אִישׁ – וּרְאוּ: אֵינֶנּוּ עוֹד; קֹדֶם זְמַנּוֹ מֵת הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה, וְשִׁירַת חַיָּיו בָּאֶמְצַע נִפְסְקָה"After my death, mourn me this way: "There was a man, and see: he is no more; before his time this man died, and the song of his life broke off in the middle."Hayim Nahman Bialik (public domain)Walking to Caesarea (Eli, Eli)אֵלִי, אֵלִי, שֶׁלֹּא יִגָּמֵר לְעוֹלָם: הַחוֹל וְהַיָּם, רִשְׁרוּשׁ שֶׁל הַמַּיִם, בְּרַק הַשָּׁמַיִם, תְּפִלַּת הָאָדָם.My God, my God, may these never end: the sand and the sea, the rustle of the water, the lightning of the sky, the prayer of a person.Hannah Szenes (public domain)A sad songהֲתִשְׁמַע קוֹלִי, רְחוֹקִי שֶׁלִּי, הֲתִשְׁמַע קוֹלִי, בַּאֲשֶׁר הִנְּךָ –Will you hear my voice, my distant one, will you hear my voice, wherever you are –Rachel the poetess (public domain)A very narrow bridgeכָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ גֶּשֶׁר צַר מְאֹד, וְהָעִקָּר – לֹא לְפַחֵד כְּלָל.The whole world is a very narrow bridge, and the main thing is not to be afraid at all.traditional wording, after Likutei Moharan of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

Lines to add – short sentences

A person is not measured by the number of years he lived, but by what he put into them.Some people fill a room when they walk in. Name filled whole lives.The greatest honour we can give Name is not what we say today, but what we do tomorrow.Love does not end with death. It only changes its address.He did not collect things. He collected people.Our grief is exactly as big as the love. That is the price, and it was worth every moment.Name taught us that the small things are the big things.You cannot add days to a life, but you can add life to the days. And that is what happened.

Songs to play or mention

Lu Yehi (Let It Be) – Naomi Shemer
Eli, Eli (Walking to Caesarea) – words: Hannah Szenes, music: David Zehavi
Acharei Moti (After My Death) – words: H. N. Bialik
Gesher Tzar Me'od (A Very Narrow Bridge) – music: Baruch Chait
Mizmor LeDavid – The Lord is my shepherd – Psalm 23
Shir HaMa'alot – I lift my eyes to the mountains – Psalm 121

Song lyrics are protected by copyright, so they do not appear here. You can play the song or mention it by name in the eulogy.

6 · Length

300 words (~2 min) 600 words (~5 min) 1000 words (~8 min) 1500 words (~12 min)

Tips for reading aloud

Print in large type and mark breaths between paragraphs.
Read it aloud once before the funeral. It shortens and sharpens the text.
If the emotion is too strong, it is fine to stop, drink some water and continue. You can also ask someone close to read in your place.

Questions about writing a eulogy

Does the builder invent details?

No. The eulogy is built only from your answers and the pieces you chose. In the AI-assisted draft the binding instruction is not to add facts, names or events that were not given.

How long does a 1,500-word eulogy take to read?

At a normal reading pace, about ten to twelve minutes. A eulogy of 500–700 words takes about four to five minutes.

Are the details stored?

With the template, everything stays on your device. With AI-assisted writing, your answers are sent to a model run by Anthropic (USA) and are not stored on the site; only the latest draft is kept with the order for up to 30 days, so you can recover it if the connection dropped.

Can song lyrics be quoted?

Song lyrics are protected by copyright, so only lines from poems in the public domain are shown here. Other songs can be played or mentioned by name.

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Openings, closings and lines to add were written for this site. Verses and sayings of the sages are given with their source; the English renderings are our own. Lines of poetry are from public-domain poems, in our own translation.

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Flowing text written with AI

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Tips for reading aloud

Questions about writing a eulogy

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