The deceased are buried as soon as possible out of respect for the dead. The biers of women are not set down but rather proceed directly to the grave. The source for this law is the phrase. "Miriam died there and was buried there" - That is, right away.Why is Miriam's death mentioned next to the story of the red heifer? Compare the two: just as red heifer provides atonement, so the end of the righteous provides atonement. Similarly, the death of Aharon is mentioned next to the priestly garments. These garments also provided atonement – each for a specific wrongdoing.
Rav said: "The length of one's life, his material success and the number of his children does not depend on his merit, but rather on luck." Others say that prayer and good deeds can change one's luck for the better.
The Talmud then recounts the stories of various Sages meeting the Angel of Death. For some, it was as easy as a puncture of the skin. For others – like a hair drawn from milk. How do we know? Dead don't come back to life! These particular Sages made a pact to communicate this back to their living friends. The one who died like "hair from milk" added that if God told him to go back to life, he would still refuse because of the fear of the Angel of Death.
Art: The Burial by William De Hartburn Washington
No comments:
Post a Comment