Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 8, scan section 88

robbery. 44 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. and make restitution, which he cannot do to the dead. The same may be said of him who honors his parents after they are dead : it is more praiseworthy than when he honors them when they are alive, as in that case it may be said that he does so because he fears them, or because he expects to inherit from them ; but when he honors them after they are dead, it is only for the sake of heaven. The rabbis taught : One who wears in the presence of a deceased person a garment which has been rent over another deceased, is imposing on both the deceased and the living. R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: "One who borrows a garment of another for the purpose .of visiting his sick father, and informing the borrower of the purpose for which the garment is to be used, does visit his father but finds him dead, he must rend, but may mend it and return it to the owner, paying him the differ- ence in value caused by the rending. But if he has not informed the owner of the purpose, he may not rend. F. If one has rent for one dead, and he be resuscitated, if he dies immediately after, this rent is sufficient ; but if he live some time, one must rend again. G. One who saves the garment which was upon the dead is robbing the dead : this is only with the garments which are with him in the coffin, but not those which are with him in bed; nevertheless, the heirs must be told not to save even the gar- ments which were with him in the bed.1 One who adds gar- ments to a corpse more than necessary, he transgresses the pre- cept, "Thou shalt not destroy" [Deut. xx. 19]. 2 So is the decree of R. Meir. R. Eliezer b. Zadok said : He makes the corpse homely.8 Rabban Gamaliel said : Also, they add vermin. H. Said R. Nathan : The garments in which the corpse is buried will be renewed with him in resurrection, as it is written [Job, xxxviii. 14] : " She is changed as the sealing-clay, and (all things) stand as though newly clad." G. ' It seems to us from Sanhedrin, 480, that the Talmud advises that all the garments which were with the dead in bed shall be used for the purpose of honoring the dead, as their custom was to pour wine before the dead. a All things which were fit for use for human beings, or for their benefit, the Talmud does not allow to destroy, without a purpose, and calls the one who does so " a transgressor " of the negative commandment cited in this passage. 3 It means, because when they are rotten it adds to the homeliness of the corpse. EBEL RABBATHI, OR SEMA'HOTH. 45 CHAPTER X. A. A mourner is exempt from reading Shema, from prayers, and all the precepts commanded in the Torah, during the time that the corpse is in his house. If one desires to be rigorous with himself, he shall not do so, for the honor of the dead. When the time for reading Shema approaches, all the people read ; he, however, must be silent. When they rise to pray, he shall acknowledge the justice, saying: " Lord of the universe! I have sinned against Thee; a little only of my indebtedness was called in, although I deserve much more. May it be Thy will to close up our breaches1 and condole us!" R. Simeon said: He also prays for the departed soul. B. The mourner must eat with his neighbors. If he has none, he shall eat in another room; if he has none, he shall make a partition of ten spans' distance; if he has nothing to make a partition with, he shall turn his face and eat. He must not lean1 and eat, neither must he eat meat nor drink wine; he must not pronounce the meal benediction, nor can he be in- cluded where three are required in pronouncing it, neither may others pronounce it singly or in three for him. All this is only on week-days ; on the Sabbath, however, he may eat and lean, and is allowed all the things mentioned above. As Rabban Gamaliel said : On the Sabbath a mourner is not considered as ft mourner at all. 2 R. Jehudah in the name of Rabh said : " A mourner on the first day must not eat of his own bread, for the Merciful One said [Ezek. xxiv. 22] : ' And the bread of other men shall ye not eat.' " Rabba and R. Joseph (when they were in mourning) used to exchange their meals between themselves. R. Jehudah in the name of Rabh said again: " When a case of death occurs in a town, all the inhabitants of the town are prohibited from doing any work." R. Hamnuna happened to be in Drumtha, CHAPTER X. A. ' According to the translation of Leeser, and meaning that the doors shall be closed for further bereavements. B. ' According to the custom in the Orient to eat leaning, and as we do at the Seder ceremony on the first eve of Passover. 2 Gemara from Moed Katan. 46 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. and he heard the horn announcing the occurrence of a death. When he subsequently noticed certain persons doing some work, he said to them: " Let these persons be under the ban, for is there not a death-case in town ? " They answered him : " There are special societies for burying the dead." And he thereupon said to them: " If such is the case, you are absolved." R. Jehudah in the name of Rabh said again: " One who laments excessively over a deceased may be sure to have to do so over another deceased." There lived a woman in the neighborhood of R. Huna who had seven sons. Once one of them died, and she was weeping very much. R. Huna sent her a message not to do so, but she paid no attention to it, and R. Huna sent her the following message: " If you listen to what I say, well and good ; if not, you may as well prepare a shroud for another of your sons." Subsequently another son died, and one by one all of them died. He then said to her: " Now prepare a shroud for yourself." And she also died. C. The corpse must not be carried out when near the time of reading Shema: it must be done an hour sooner or later. When the bearers of the hearse go out, those in front of it, as their services are required, are exempt from reading Shema, but are prohibited to wear their shoes; those who are behind it, however, as their services are not required, are obliged to read Shema and are allowed to wear their shoes. Both are exempt from prayer and phylacteries. If on their return from the burial there is yet time to begin and finish Shema before standing in line, they first read, and stand in line afterward; otherwise they stand in line first, and read and pray afterward. The inside row which sees the mourner is exempt from it ; the outside, how- ever, is not. R. Jehudah said : Even if there is but one row, if they stand for the sake of the mourner, they are exempt; but if they stand for the sake of their own honor, they are not. The people who come to console, if they see the mourner they are exempt, otherwise they are not.