THERE SHALL NONE DEFILE HIMSELF FOR THE DEAD AMONG HIS PEOPLE. Observe that when a man is on his deathbed and on the point of departing for the other world, three messengers are sent to him, and he sees what other men cannot see in this world. That day is a day of heavenly judgement on which the King demands back his deposit. Happy the man who can restore the deposit just as it was lodged within him; for if it has been defiled with the impurity of the body, what will he say to the owner of the deposit?
He sees the angel of death standing before him with his sword drawn, and all his limbs are relaxed, nor is anything so hard for the soul as its separation from the body. Before a man dies he beholds the Divine Presence, towards which the soul goes out in great yearning; and after it has left the body what other soul will cleave to it? This we have discussed elsewhere.
After the soul has left the body and the body remains without breath, it is forbidden to keep it unburied.1v. T. B. Moed Katon, 28a; Baba Kama, 82b. For a dead body which is left unburied for twenty-four hours causes a weakness in the limbs of the Chariot and prevents God’s design from being fulfilled; for perhaps God decreed that he should undergo a transmigration at once on the day that he died, which would be better for him, but as long as the body is not buried the soul cannot go into the presence of the Holy One nor be transferred into another body. For a soul cannot enter a second body till the first is buried, just as it is not fitting for a man to take a second wife before the first is buried.
Another reason why the body should be buried on the same day is that when the soul departs from the body it cannot enter the other world until it is invested with another body formed of light. (So Elijah had two bodies, one in which he appeared on earth, and one in which he appeared among celestial angels.) So long as the body remains unburied the soul suffers pain and an unclean spirit rests upon the body,
and therefore the body should not be kept over night, because by night the unclean spirit spreads over the earth, seeking for a body without a soul to defile it further. Therefore the priest was warned “not to defile himself for the dead among his people”.’
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּבַר נָשׁ קָאִים לְמֵיהַךְ לְהַהוּא עָלְמָא, וְהוּא בְּבֵי מַרְעֵיהּ, אַתְיָין עָלֵיהּ ג' שְׁלוּחִין, וְחָמֵי תַּמָּן, מַה דְּלָא יָכִיל בַּר נָשׁ לְמֵחֱמֵי כַּד אִיהוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא. וְהַהוּא יוֹמָא, יוֹמָא דְּדִינָא עִלָּאָה הוּא, דְּמַלְכָּא בָּעֵי פִּקְדוֹנָא דִּילֵיהּ. זַכָּאָה הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, דְּפִקְדוֹנֵיהּ אָתִיב לְמַלְכָּא כְּמָה דְּאִתְיְיהִיב לֵיהּ בְּגַוִיהּ. אִי הַהוּא פִּקְדוֹנָא אִתְטְנָּף בְּטִנּוּפֵי גּוּפָא, מַה יֵימָּא לְמָארֵי פִּקְדוֹנָא.
THERE SHALL NONE DEFILE HIMSELF FOR THE DEAD AMONG HIS PEOPLE. Observe that when a man is on his deathbed and on the point of departing for the other world, three messengers are sent to him, and he sees what other men cannot see in this world. That day is a day of heavenly judgement on which the King demands back his deposit. Happy the man who can restore the deposit just as it was lodged within him; for if it has been defiled with the impurity of the body, what will he say to the owner of the deposit?
זָקַף עֵינוֹי, וְחָמֵי לְמַלְאַךְ הַמָּוְת קָאִים קַמֵּיהּ, וְסַיְיפֵיהּ שְׁלִיפָא בִּידֵיהּ, קַסְטַּר בְּקַטְרִין, בְּקוּטְמָא דְּהַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ. וְלֵית לָהּ לְנַפְשָׁא קַשְׁיוּ בְּכֹלָּא, כִּפְרִישׁוּ דִּילָהּ מִן גּוּפָא. וּבַר נָשׁ לָא מִית, עַד דְּחָמֵי לִשְׁכִינְתָּא, וּמִגּוֹ סְגִיאוּת תִּיאוּבְתָּא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא, נַפְשָׁא נַפְקַת לְקַבְּלָא לִשְׁכִינְתָּא. בָּתַר דְּנָפְקָא, מַאן אִיהִי נַפְשָׁא דְּאִתְדַּבָּק בָּהּ (ס"א ותתקבל) וִיקַבְּל בְּגוּפָא (ס"א בגווה) וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ לְהָנֵי מִלֵי.
He sees the angel of death standing before him with his sword drawn, and all his limbs are relaxed, nor is anything so hard for the soul as its separation from the body. Before a man dies he beholds the Divine Presence, towards which the soul goes out in great yearning; and after it has left the body what other soul will cleave to it? This we have discussed elsewhere.
בָּתַר דְּנָפְקָא נַפְשָׁא מִן גּוּפָא, וְאִשְׁתְּאַר גּוּפָא בְּלָא רוּחָא, אָסִיר לְמִשְׁבַּק לֵיהּ בְּלָא קְבוּרָתָא, דִּכְתִּיב, (דברים כ״א:כ״ג) לֹא תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ עַל הָעֵץ כִּי קָבֹר תִּקְבְּרֶנוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא. בְּגִין דְּמֵיתָא דְּיִשְׁתָּהֵי כ"ד שָׁעוֹת, דְּאִינּוּן יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה, בְּלָא קְבוּרָתָא, יָהִיב חַלִישׁוּתָא בְּשַׁיְיפוֹי דִּרְתִיכָא, וּמְעַכֵּב עַבִידְתָּא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִלְּמֶעְבַד דְּאֶפְשָׁר דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא גָּזַר עָלֵיהּ, בְּגִין לְמֵיתֵיהּ בְּגִלְגּוּלָא אָחֳרָא, מִיַּד בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא דְּאִתְפְּטָר, לְאוֹטָבָא לֵיהּ. וְכָל זִמְנָא דְּלָא אִתְקְבַר גּוּפָא, נִשְׁמְתָא לָאו עָאלַת קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְלָא יַכְלָא לְמֶהֱוִי בְּגוּפָא אָחֳרָא, בְּגִלְגּוּלָא תִּנְיָינָא, דְּלָא יָהֲבִין לְנִשְׁמְתָא גּוּפָא אָחֳרָא, עַד דְּיִתְקְבָר קַדְמָאָה. וְדָא דָּמֵי לְבַר נָשׁ דְּמֵיתַת אִתְּתֵיהּ, לָא אִתְחֲזֵי לֵיהּ, לְמֵיסַב אִתְּתָא אָחֳרָא, עַד דְּקָבִיר לְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וּבְגִין דָּא אָמְרָה אוֹרַיְיתָא, לֹא תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ עַל הָעֵץ.
After the soul has left the body and the body remains without breath, it is forbidden to keep it unburied.1v. T. B. Moed Katon, 28a; Baba Kama, 82b. For a dead body which is left unburied for twenty-four hours causes a weakness in the limbs of the Chariot and prevents God’s design from being fulfilled; for perhaps God decreed that he should undergo a transmigration at once on the day that he died, which would be better for him, but as long as the body is not buried the soul cannot go into the presence of the Holy One nor be transferred into another body. For a soul cannot enter a second body till the first is buried, just as it is not fitting for a man to take a second wife before the first is buried.
דָּבָר אַחֵר, כַּד אִתְפָּרְשָׁא נִשְׁמְתָא מִן גּוּפָא, וּבַעְיָא לְמֵיזָל לְהַהוּא עָלְמָא, לָא תֵּיעוּל לְהַהוּא עָלְמָא, עַד דְּיָהֲבִין לָהּ גּוּפָא אָחֳרָא מִנְּהוֹרָא, וּלְבָתַר יַכְלָא לְמֵיעַל. וּמֵאֵלִיָּהוּ תִּנְדַּע, דַּהֲווֹ לֵיהּ תְּרֵין גּוּפִין, חַד דְּבֵיהּ אִתְחֲזֵי לְתַתָּא לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא, וְחַד דְּבֵיהּ אִתְחֲזֵי לְעֵילָּא, בֵּין מַלְאֲכִין עִלָּאִין קַדִישִׁין. וְכָל כַּמָּה דְּגוּפָא לָא אִתְקְבַר, צַעֲרָא הוּא לְנִשְׁמְתָא, וְרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא אִזְדְּמַן לְשַׁרְיָיא עֲלוֹי, וּלְסַאָבָא לְהַהוּא גּוּפָא.
Another reason why the body should be buried on the same day is that when the soul departs from the body it cannot enter the other world until it is invested with another body formed of light. (So Elijah had two bodies, one in which he appeared on earth, and one in which he appeared among celestial angels.) So long as the body remains unburied the soul suffers pain and an unclean spirit rests upon the body,
וּבְגִין דְּהַהוּא רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא, אִזְדְּמַן, לָא לִבְעֵי לֵיהּ לְאִינִישׁ, לְמֵיבַת הַהוּא גּוּפָא לֵילְיָא חַד, בְּגִין דְּרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בְּלֵילְיָא, וְאִשְׁתְּטַח בְּכָל אַרְעָא, לְאַשְׁכְּחָא גּוּפָא בְּלָא נַפְשָׁא, לְסָאֲבָא לֵיהּ, וְאִסְתְּאַב יַתִּיר, וְעַל דָּא אַזְהַר לְכַהֲנֵי וְאָמַר, לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו, בְּגִין דְּאִינּוּן קַדִּישִׁין לָא יִשְׁרֵי עָלַיְיהוּ רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא, וְלָא יִסְתַּאֲבוּן.
and therefore the body should not be kept over night, because by night the unclean spirit spreads over the earth, seeking for a body without a soul to defile it further. Therefore the priest was warned “not to defile himself for the dead among his people”.’