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1. The chevrah kadishah is, literally translated, "holy society," that is, a group of volunteers who engage in the sacred duty of preparing the dead for burial. The ritual itself is called taharah ("purification") and involves washing the body, saying a few brachot and tehillim ("blessings" and "psalms"), dressing the deceased in the tachrichim ("burial garments") of white, and taking the other measures necessary to prepare the body of the deceased for proper burial. This is done because the body, while not holy in itself, was once the vessel for a living soul, and therefore is worthy of being shown respect.

2. From http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/282548/jewish/The-Basics.htm:

"The Jewish Way--Interment in the Earth. Jewish law is unequivocal in its insistence that the body, in its entirety, be returned to the earth, in a way that allows for the natural process of its decomposition and re-integration with its primordial source--the soil of which it was formed. It also insists that in the interim between death and interment, the integrity and dignity of the body be respected and preserved. Thus Torah law forbids embalming the body (which involves disposing much of the body's innards and "re-making" its hollowed-out shell), displaying it (a vulgar affront to its dignity and privacy) or cremating it (which prematurely and violently destroys it). Autopsies, which violate the body's integrity and almost always result in parts of it not achieving proper burial, are likewise forbidden, except in extreme circumstances (a qualified rabbi should be consulted in such cases)."

In addition to the halachic prohibition against cremation, I've always felt it very strange (which is my diplomatic way of saying I find it repugnant) that people whose parents and grandparents were once gassed and then burned in crematoria would ever tolerate having their own or their relatives' flesh destroyed in the same way voluntarily.

3. The body is not to be destroyed, nor humiliated, nor mutilated in any way. However, this does not apply to organ donation. Why? Because there is the principle called pikuach nefesh ("preservation of the soul [within the body]" -- please do click that link, because it's very interesting). This principle, derived from the Torah, simply means that a living person's need takes precedence over the dead person's need because the dead person should be respected, but is factually beyond help. When organs are donated, they are taken in order to save a life -- to preserve a soul within its body -- rather than for the purpose of corpse mutilation or destruction. Then the body is repaired neatly so as to look as normal as possible, the way it looked in life, and then washed and prepared for burial as noted above.

Leviticus (Sh'mot) 18:23
כג וּבְכָל-בְּהֵמָה לֹא-תִתֵּן שְׁכָבְתְּךָ, לְטָמְאָה-בָהּ; וְאִשָּׁה, לֹא-תַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי בְהֵמָה לְרִבְעָהּ--תֶּבֶל הוּא.
23 And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto; it is perversion.

You can love your spouse in one way, your parents in another way, your kids in another way, your pets in yet another way. You can even 'love' literature, sports, food, or fashion. There are a lot of types of love. It's fine to love your cat, but you shouldn't have romantic and/or sexual love for your cat.

I'd rather not elaborate, since "in love" isn't just a romantic attachment but also a sexual attraction, and I really get queasy when thinking about cross-species stuff of that nature. Plus, I'm pretty sure it's not suitable for our younger Gaians to read about. The commandment is "Don't do it," and I'm thinking that's pretty straightforward, no elaboration needed.

Thanks for making me feel ill. Lol.

On the subject of organ donation: Couldn't you argue that if someone's life can only be preserved via organ donation, then their bodies have failed and they were meant to die, and keeping them living is keeping their souls from Hashem?

I'm a Determinist, by the way.

I would say Behatz is off-topic, but the topic is queeries on Judaism and that is quit legitamite and actually directly related to my first question. I do worry about my friend, though...In Sex-Ed she asked what would happen if a human and a cat..Nevermind.

"But this body's just a loner!"-Lumanny