Let’s conclude our latest topic: the soul in life and in death. We have learned that the soul is a spiritual entity, and that when it leaves the body- in death- it creates a vacuum, a void, due to the sudden absence of holiness in the body, and this causes impure forces to rush to the dead body, thus creating impurity. We also know that according to one opinion of the Talmud an extremely righteous person (a tzaddik) who dies does not become impure, and so a person who comes into contact with the tzaddik’s corpse likewise does not become impure.
It’s important to note that this opinion is actually not followed in Halachah. A Kohen, who may not come into contact with a corpse, is not permitted to go to the grave of a righteous person. Still, we do find extraordinary cases recounted in the Talmud that deserve a broader discussion. Feel free to reach out for more details on the passing of Rabbi Akiva and of Rabbeinu Hakadosh. Even though Torah law does not generally recognize this opinion on a practical level, however, it is still very real. We should invoke here the Talmud’s famous words in a different context: “These and these are the living words of God.”
We have also seen that:
- Moshe, Aharon and Miriam all died in a unique way: through mitat neshikah, “Death by Kiss”.
- Moshe wanted mitat neshikahafter witnessing Aharon die in this way.
- Moshe’s soul did not want to leave his body despite promises of great spiritual reward- until it was taken by God through neshikah. The reason the soul gave for not leaving the body at first was that it would not decompose after death.
According to the Zohar, as well as the understanding of Ramban in Parashat Chukat, the reason a tzaddik’s body may not become impure in death is because… every tzaddik dies from mitat neshikah.
–Apparently, these two ideas are directly related: someone who dies a ‘regular’ death, through the Angel of Death, will have his/her body become impure after death. On the other hand, someone who dies through mitat neshika does not become impure in death. Let’s try to understand this connection in light of what we already know. (This approach will just be an educated guess at a deep idea, so I’m open to hearing other explanations.)
Maybe we can explain as follows: although death was introduced to the world as a way to purify the body and soul because of Adam’s sin, a tzaddik does not need this ‘corrective process’ and instead dies in such a way that he/she does not need to experience the pain of normal death, which includes a spiritual vacuum, bodily decomposition, and the pain these realities bring to the soul. Instead, the soul is returned directly to its ‘Source’- and a death in this manner is a proof that the person was a tzaddik– and that the body will not decompose.
According to this, when Moshe’s soul refused to leave his body because it would never decompose, the meaning is clear: the soul knew that Moshe would have no need for the process of normal death with the body decomposing, since he would not need to repair anything in his body and soul that had been ruined by Adam’s sin.
Therefore, it argued: “What is the purpose of my leaving the body altogether? I should rather live forever within this already- pure body!”
– And to that came Hashem’s response: Moshe still deserves tremendous reward in the World of the Souls until the Mashiach arrives! For that alone you should want to separate from the body! When Moshe’s soul could not understand this concept of reward that is really beyond human understanding, Hashem ‘was forced’, so to speak, to do the mitat neshika He had planned on doing all along to Moshe, but without further explanations. Now we also appreciate Moshe’s desire to die through neshika even more; in addition to the closeness with God he would feel in that moment, it would also be a sign that his life had been one of holiness and purity, thus not requiring an ordinary death process and rather allowing for the simplicity and holiness of this unique death.
(Of course, this is difficult to understand; the midrashim we have seen seem to show that only a handful of the greatest people ever merited neshika, not every righteous person of every generation. Maybe there are different levels of mitat neshika, even amongst the tzaddikim– and that of Aharon, Miriam and Moshe was a higher one, coming from a closer ‘connection’ to Hashem and from a stronger identification with the soul over the body, but all great tzaddikim still can receive some form of this unique death…)
We’ll end with a well- known and documented story about the Gaon of Vilna (Vilnius, Lithuania), Rabbi Eliyahu Kramer zt”l.
After World War II (in 1949) the Soviets needed to create housing for 10,000 people- and decided that the ancient Jewish cemetery in Shnipishok would be the perfect location upon which to build. Nothing the Jews said or did could change the Soviets’ plans, but they finally allowed the Jews to choose seven graves– of the hundreds there, including those of many great people, dating back to the Fifteenth Century- to be dug up so that the remains found there could be reburied in another location. After difficult and intense deliberations, the community decided on seven graves- and the Gaon of Vilna’s was one of those seven. Three members of the Burial Society (chevra kadisha) took it upon themselves to remove the remains of these great tzaddikim and to transfer them to a different cemetery several miles away. They all fasted and said tehilim beforehand, praying that they would not bring any disgrace to the holy people’s souls in the process. When the day arrived, they shook as they dug up the graves… and when they dug up the grave of the Gaon of Vilna, they were shocked at what they saw. His body was completely intact, more than 140 years after his death. Even the hair of his beard had retained its color all of these years…
May our conversation inspire each of us to focus on his or her true identity: a holy, unique soul here in this world on a special mission.
Have a great Shabbat!
Elli Schwarcz
Elli Schwarcz is an alumnus of the Toras Moshe, Ner Israel, and Carteret Yeshivos, and has been involved in Jewish outreach for almost 15 years. He is a Hebrew School and English Language Arts teacher, and has a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. Of all his pursuits, Elli most enjoys teaching high-level Jewish thought and Talmud to teenage boys, exposing them to the beauty and wisdom of their heritage while highlighting their own ability to engage in advanced Torah learning. Elli lives in Lakewood, New Jersey, with his wife and children.