Hesed ve-Emet societies are benevolent societies, performing a host of charitable activities beneficial to the community. Today, however, they are most often known as. hevra kaddisha (holy brotherhood), dealing with the bural of the dead. Hevra kaddisha is a term that also originally applied to a mutual benefit society whose services were restricted to its members, irrespective of the social, religious, or charitable purpose for which it was established (cf. Rashi to MK 27b and Tos. Ket. 17a bot.). In the Yekum Purkan prayer the phrase is used in the plural to apply either to the whole Jewish community, or to the rabbis as a whole. In a responsum Asher b. Jehiel refers to a hevra kaddisha that formed an association for gemilut hasadim, encompassing all charitable activities (13:12). Its regulations specified that a son could inherit the rights and privileges of his father in the hevra as soon as he reached his religious majority, and if the deceased member left no son the privileges devolved upon the heir, but he must be "the one who is regarded as most suitable in the eyes of the members." The responsum which follows deals with a member of a hevra who married the daughter of another member and they had two sons. Both members died and the two sons both claimed membership, one on the basis of his father's right and the other on that of his grandfather. Nowhere, however, is the purpose and aim of this hevra mentioned. As late as the 19th century the heads of the Lubavich (Habad) hasidic dynasty referred to their various groups of followers as hevra kaddisha.

The origin of this restricted use of the term can be found in a passage of the Talmud. The duty of arranging for the disposal of the dead devolved upon the entire community and when a person died the whole population had to abstain from work in order to pay their respects (cf. Jos. Apion 2.27: "All who pass by when one is buried must accompany the funeral"). On one occasion, R. Hamnuna (d. 320) came to a certain place and heard the sound of a funerary bugle. When he saw that the members of the community continued with their avocations he said, "Let them be placed under a ban." They informed him, however, that there was a havurah which occupied itself with this duty, and he permitted the others to continue their work (MK 27b). Another interesting but less certain reference is found in the minor tractate Semahot (chap. 12): "Thus used the havurot to conduct themselves in Jerusalem. Some used to go to the house of mourning, and others to banqueting houses; some to the shevu'a ha-ben (see Circumcision, Folklore), and others to gather up human bones.... the early Hasidim gave preference to the house of mourning over the banqueting houses."