Moed Katan 28b — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

A.

Women during the Festival—

lament,

as the Mishna will explain below,

but they do not beat their hands

on their bodies in the manner that they do on an ordinary weekday .

Rabbi Ishmael says:

Women

who are close to the bier—

beat their hands.

B.

On the New Moons, on Hanukkah, and on Purim—

they lament and beat their hands.

However,

in both this and that,

on the New Moons and on Hanukkah and Purim—

they do not chant dirges.

And from the time that

the deceased has been buried—

they neither lament nor beat their hands.

And the Mishna explains the meaning of “lamenting” and “chanting dirges”:

What is “

lamenting”?—

That all of them respond together.

What is a dirge?—

That one speaks, and all of them respond after her.

As it is stated

Jeremiah 9]: “

And teach your daughters lamentation

that all of them should respond together].

And each woman her companion a dirge

that one says a dirge and her companions respond after her]”.

And the Mishna concludes with words of consolation:

But in the future to come, it says

Isaiah 25]: “

He will swallow death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away the tear from every face.”

And so on .

Gemara:

And the Gemara explains what they say in lamenting and in the dirge:

What do they say,

what do the lamenting women and those chanting dirges say?

Rav said: Woe to the one who goes,

to the one who now goes to his eternal home, a departure from which there is no return,

woe to the bundle,

to the dead person who is now carried like a bundle.

Rava said: The women of Shekhantziv,

who were wise,

said thus,

the formula that Rav said:

Woe to the one who goes, woe to the bundle.

And Rava said: The women of Shekhantziv said: Tear away,

fell,

the bone,

the bone,

from the teeth,

from the cheeks.

And may water rise to the palate.

And may the water rise upward. [See the commentators in Ein Yaakov].

And Rava said: The women of Shekhantziv said: Wrap yourselves and cover yourselves,

wrap yourselves and cover yourselves,

mountains,

the mountains, since

a man,

of the exalted,

son of the exalted,

and son of the great,

and son of the distinguished,

he is

the deceased who is coming to be buried among you.

And Rava said: The women of Shekhantziv said: Lower,

the covering stone is the

silken garment

the silk garment for the deceased!

And about whom would they say this?

About a freeborn man whose provisions have been exhausted.

About one who had declined from his possessions and had nothing with which to bury him; thus they would arouse the public to assist with his burial.

And Rava said: The women of Shekhantziv said

about one who had nothing for his burial needs:

He runs and falls at the crossing,

he was a merchant all his life, and now, when he comes to cross from here to the World to Come, he has fallen empty-handed, without money.

And he must borrow.

And he now requires a loan for his burial needs.

And Rava said: The women of Shekhantziv said

about such a poor man:

Our brothers, merchants,

our brothers, the merchants,

At your end, you may be tested like this.

At your end, it is possible that you will appear like him!

And Rava said: The women of Shekhantziv said: Death is like death,

he dies as everyone dies,

but

however

the illnesses,

his illnesses before his death—

were injurious.

They were severe and wounded him .

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Meir would say:

this is what Ecclesiastes said [chapter 7]: “

It is better to go to the house of mourning,”

and he continues and says

until “

and the living will take it to heart,”

and his intention is to say that the living should take to heart—

matters of death.

That he should take to heart and know that a person’s merit for honor after his death is according to the honor that he apportioned to others:

If he eulogizes

others—

they will eulogize him,

they will eulogize him.

If he is buried—

they will bury him.

If he carries

the bier on his shoulder—

they will carry him.

If he raises himself,

one who raises his voice during the eulogy of another person—

they will raise him. And some say: If he does not raise himself—

they will raise him,

one who does not raise himself, who does not act arrogantly, others will raise him.

As it is written

Proverbs 25]: “

For it is better that it be said to you, ‘Come up here’.”

And so on

.

The Sages taught: When the sons of Rabbi Ishmael died, four elders entered to console him: Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Yose the Galilean, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, and Rabbi Akiva.

Rabbi Tarfon said to them: Know that he is a great sage,

Rabbi Ishmael,

and he is also expert

also

in aggadot,

and therefore,

let none of you interrupt the words of his fellow.

Rabbi Akiva said: And I

will speak

last.

Rabbi Ishmael began

as mourners do, for they must begin speaking,

and said

about himself:

His sins have increased; his bereavements have come upon him in succession; he has troubled his masters a first and a second time

to come and console him.

Rabbi Tarfon responded and said:

Leviticus 10] “

And your brothers, the entire House of Israel, shall mourn the burning.”

Is this not a matter of a kal va-chomer: If Nadav and Avihu, who performed only one mitzva, as it is written

Leviticus 9] “

And the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him,”

thus,

for they merited great honor, as the entire House of Israel mourned them.

The sons of Rabbi Ishmael,

who performed many mitzvot—

all the more so

is it fitting that all Israel should mourn them!

Rabbi Yose the Galilean responded and said:

It is stated concerning the death of Abijah, son of Jeroboam, for whom they performed great honor [I Kings 14]:

And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him.

Is this not a matter of a kal va-chomer: If Abijah son of Jeroboam, who did only one good thing, as it is written concerning him

I Kings 14] “

Because a good thing was found in him”—

thus.

The sons of Rabbi Ishmael—

all the more so

must all Israel mourn them.

What,

what is the

thing

the

good

that Abijah son of Jeroboam did?

They disagreed about this,

Rabbi Zeira and Rabbi Ḥinnana bar Pappa:

One said: He abolished his father’s watch,

the practice of his father Jeroboam not to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem,

and he made pilgrimage,

to Jerusalem.

And one said: He abolished the guards,

the guards

whom his father Jeroboam stationed on the roads

in order

that Israel should not make pilgrimage.

Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah responded and said:

It is stated concerning King Zedekiah [Jeremiah 34]

“You shall die in peace.

And with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so shall they burn for you.

Woe, master, they shall mourn for you.”

Is this not a matter of a kal va-chomer: If Zedekiah, king of Judah, who performed only one mitzva, for he lifted Jeremiah from the mud—

he merited

thus .

The sons of Rabbi Ishmael—

all the more so.

Rabbi Akiva responded and said:

Zechariah 12] “

On that day the mourning in Jerusalem shall be great, like the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo.”

And Rav Yosef said: Were it not for the translation of this verse—

I would not know what it says.

But according to its translation, this is its explanation:

At that time,

at that time,

the mourning shall increase,

the mourning shall increase,

in Jerusalem, like the mourning for Ahab son of Omri, whom

he killed

Hadad-rimmon son of Tabrimmon.

And like the mourning for Josiah son of Amon, whom Pharaoh the lame killed in the valley of Megiddo.

Is this not a matter of a kal va-chomer: If Ahab, king of Israel, who did only one good thing,

as it is written

I Kings 22] “

And the king was standing in the chariot facing Aram,”

for he held himself upright in the chariot even after he was wounded in battle, so that the warriors would not see his fall and flee from the battlefield—

thus,

for he merited a great mourning.

The sons of Rabbi Ishmael—

all the more so.

Rava said to Rabbah bar Mari: It is written concerning Zedekiah “

You shall die in peace,”

and it is written

Jeremiah 39] “

And he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah”!?

How is this so!?

He said to him: Rabbi Yohanan said thus:

the promise “You shall die in peace” was indeed fulfilled, in that

Nebuchadnezzar died during his lifetime

of Zedekiah .

And Rava said to Rabbah bar Mari: It is written concerning Josiah

II Kings 20] “

Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your graves in peace.”

And it is written

II Chronicles 35] “

And the archers shot at King Josiah

and

at King Josiah.”

And Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: They made him like a sieve!

He said to him: Rabbi Yohanan said thus:

that which the verse said, that Josiah would be gathered in peace, was fulfilled in that

the Temple was not destroyed in his days.

Rabbi Yohanan said: The consolers are not

the

permitted to say anything until

the

mourner

in words

. As it is stated

Job 3] “

After this Job opened his mouth,”

and afterward—“

Eliphaz the Temanite answered” .

Rabbi Abbahu said: From where is it established that a mourner reclines at the head?

As it is stated

Job 29] “

I chose their way and sat at the head, and I dwelt like a king among troops—

like one who consoles mourners” .

And we object: But

“he will console”—

consolation by

others is implied!?

For it implies that the others console, and not the mourner!

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: It is written yenaḥem, “he will console.”

Mar Zutra said: From here:

Amos 6] “

And the revelry of those who recline shall cease.”

“Revelry”—

he becomes a prince for those who recline.

Rabbi Hama bar Hanina said: From where is it established that a groom reclines at the head?

As it is stated

Isaiah 61] “

Like a groom who serves as a priest with splendor.”

Just as a koen

reclines

at the head—

so too a groom

reclines

at the head.

And we inquire about this:

And the koen himself, from where do we know

that he reclines at the head?

And we answer: From this,

that the school of Rabbi Ishmael taught:

Leviticus 21] It is stated concerning a koen: “

And you shall sanctify him,”

to treat him with honor, so that the koen is first

for every matter of sanctity: to open first, to bless first, and to take a fine portion first.