Rite to Eternal Rest

Without question, our prize possessions are the children we raise, and it is they who remain our legacy after we depart from the world.
Traditionally, children pledge funds to tzedakah and perform other good deeds in the merit of their deceased parents and loved ones.
What are the legal and philosophical arguments in defense of the idea that the deceased may enjoy the merits accrued by the good deeds of others? What if the individual was less-than righteous? Can the tzedakah by community members benefit their soul as well? What makes Yom Kippur a most propitious day to pledge tzedakah for the deceased?

Emulating G-d’s example, we are encouraged to visit and tend to the sick. Our presence is assured by the Talmud as having the power to heal a portion of the patient’s suffering. Does Halacha provide guidelines for the visitor in the performance of this mitzva?

Prayer, too, is an integral part of this mitzvah. What particular prayers should be said for their recovery? What about assisting the individual in the recitation of prayers during their final moments?

This paper examines the elaborate rituals of taharas hameis. Why is the body laid on the floor during the process? Why are earthenware shards placed on the eyes of the deceased? Why is earth from the land of Israel scattered over the body?