Just as tzara'at impacts a person's ability truly to rejoice on the holiday, the death of a loved one also reduces the person's ability to rejoice. To appreciate the discussions on today's daf TB Moed Katan 8, we have to know Second Temple burial customs and understand that there are two facets to death and mourning. There are those things that we do for the sake and for the honor of the deceased. Today's daf deals with some of these issues. Then there are things that we do for the sake of the living survivors. We shall learn about them when we reach the third chapter of our massekhet.
According to Jewish law the deceased body must be buried in the ground. Israel is a small country. Open land is at a premium. The goal was to maximize the number of people buried in the minimum amount of space. Caves were wonderful source for family plots. Entering the cave, one naturally went underground. In the cave there would be a spot where the body was laid out. After it had decomposed, the family would gather the bones and place them in a small niche (khukh-כּוּךְ) carved out in the wall of the cave. Archaeologist calls this process secondary burial.
Our daf delineates what were allowed to do for the deceased during hol hamoed.
“MISHNA: Rabbi Meir also stated another leniency concerning the halakhot of the intermediate days of a Festival: A person may gather the bones of his father and mother from their temporary graves on the intermediate days of a Festival. In ancient times, it was customary to first bury a corpse in a temporary grave. After the flesh had decomposed, the bones would be collected, placed in a coffin, and buried in a vault together with the bones of the deceased individual’s ancestors. This is permitted on the intermediate days of a Festival because the fact that one merited to bring the bones of his deceased parents to the graves of their ancestors is a source of joy for him.
"Rabbi Yosei says: One does not gather these bones on the intermediate days of a Festival, because it is a source of mourning for him. Even though he is happy to be able to bury his parents’ bones in their ancestral graves, he is still pained by the memory of their death.
“And all agree that a person may not arouse [ye’orer] lamentation for his deceased relative, and he may not eulogize him during the thirty days before a pilgrimage Festival.” (Sefaria,org translation)We do not have the to gather custom to gather the bones of our deceased loved ones. Nevertheless, we should know that the halakha follows Rabbi Yosei. (Shulkan Arukh, Yoreh Dea'ah, 403:4)
“It is taught in the mishna: One may not arouse lamentation for his deceased relative during the thirty days before a Festival. The Gemara asks: What is meant by: One may not arouse lamentation for his deceased relative? Rav said: In the West, Eretz Yisrael, whenever a professional eulogizer would circulate and ply his trade, they would say: Let all those of bitter heart weep with him. When they would say this, all those who had recently suffered losses would recall their pain and lament their losses.” (Sefaria.org translation)
In reality I can't believe that there is not a Rabbi who will not say a few words of eulogy even during hol hamoed, let alone 30 days before the holiday. I learned that there two parts to every eulogy. The first part of eulogy is memorializing the deceased by recounting all of his or her outstanding qualities and good deeds
(שֶׁבָח). This part of eulogy honors the deceased and is permitted. The second part is the lamenting and crying that such a person died (בֶּכִיי). The second part is not in the spirit of the holiday; consequently, it is forbidden.
No comments:
Post a Comment