Moed Katan 28b (כח:) — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

1.

During the intermediate days of the Festival,

women lament in unison,

as the Mishna will explain below,

but they do not beat their hands

against their bodies, as they do on an ordinary weekday.

Rabbi Yishmael says:

Women

who are seated near the bier

beat their hands.

2.

On New Moons, Hanukkah, and Purim,

they both lament in unison and beat their hands.

However,

in both cases,

on New Moons and on Hanukkah and Purim,

they do not recite dirges.

And once

the deceased has been buried,

they neither lament in unison nor beat their hands.

The Mishna explains the meanings of “lamenting in unison” and “reciting dirges”:

What is “

lamenting in unison”?

All of them respond together.

What is reciting a dirge?

One speaks, and all of them respond after her.

As it is stated [Jeremiah 9]: “

And teach your daughters wailing

that all of them should respond together,

and a woman her fellow a dirge

that one recites a dirge and her companions respond after her.”

[meaning that one says a lament and her companions respond after her].

The Mishna concludes with words of consolation:

But in the future, it says [Isaiah 25]: “

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

And so on

.

Gemara:

The Gemara explains what they say while lamenting in unison and reciting a dirge:

What do they say,

what do the women who lament in unison and recite dirges say?

Rav said: Woe to the one who goes,

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

woe to the bundle,

to the deceased who is now being carried like a bundle.

Rava said: The women of Shekhentziv,

who were clever,

said it this way,

the formula stated by Rav:

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

And Rava said: The women of Shekhentziv said: Draw out

the fallen

bone

the bone

from the cheek,

from the cheeks.

And let water reach the palate.

And let the water rise upward. [See the commentaries in Ein Yaakov].

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

wrap yourselves and cover yourselves,

mountains,

the mountains, since

a great one

and the son of great ones,

a son of great ones

and the son of distinguished men,

and the son of distinguished men,

he

the deceased who is coming to be buried among you.

And Rava said: The women of Shekhentziv said: Bring out

the burial cover, which is the

silk 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 lost his wealth and had nothing with which to bury himself; in this way they would rouse the public to assist with his burial.

And Rava said: The women of Shekhentziv said

about one who had nothing for his burial needs:

He ran and fell at the crossing,

he was a merchant all his life, and now, when he came to cross from this world to the World to Come, he fell empty-handed, without money.

And he borrows on credit.

And now he needs a loan for his burial expenses.

And Rava said: The women of Shekhentziv said

about such a poor man:

Our brothers, merchants,

our brother merchants,

you may be tested in the end.

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

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

he dies as everyone does,

but

however,

the illnesses,

his illnesses before his death,

were afflictions.

They were severe and destructive toward him.

It was taught: 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

up to

“

and the living will take it to heart,”

matters concerning death.

He should take to heart and know that a person’s merit for honor after his death corresponds to the honor he accorded others:

If he eulogized

others,

they will eulogize him

and eulogize him.

If he was buried,

they will bury him.

If he carried

the bier on his shoulder,

they will carry him.

If he raised himself,

one who raises his voice during another person’s eulogy,

they will raise him. And some say: If he did 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 he say to you, ‘Come up here’,”

and so on

said he

.

The Sages taught: When the sons of Rabbi Yishmael died, four elders entered to console him: Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Yosei HaGelili, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, and Rabbi Akiva.

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

Rabbi Yishmael,

and he is well versed

also

in aggadic teachings,

and therefore,

none of you should interrupt his fellow’s words.

Rabbi Akiva said: And I,

I will speak

last.

Rabbi Yishmael began

[as mourners do, since they must initiate the conversation],

and said

about himself:

His sins have multiplied; his bereavements have overtaken him; he has troubled his teachers a first and a second time

to come and console him.

Rabbi Tarfon responded and said:

[Leviticus 10] “

And all the house of Israel shall bewail the burning.”

Is this not 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,”

nevertheless,

they merited great honor, as all the house of Israel bewailed them;

the sons of Rabbi Yishmael,

who performed many mitzvot,

all the more so

it is fitting that all Israel should bewail them!

Rabbi Yosei HaGelili responded and said:

It is stated concerning the death of Aviyah, son of Jeroboam, that great honor was accorded him [I Kings 14]: “

And all Israel mourned for him and buried him.”

Is this not a kal va-chomer: If Aviyah, son of Jeroboam, who performed only one good deed, as it is written concerning him

[I Kings 14] “

Because there was found in him a good deed,”

nevertheless,

the sons of Rabbi Yishmael

all the more so

all Israel is obligated to bewail them.

What,

what was the

deed

the

good

deed performed by Aviyah, son of Jeroboam?

They disagreed about this,

Rabbi Zeira and Rabbi Ḥinnana bar Pappa:

One said: He abolished his father’s watch,

Jeroboam’s practice of not ascending on pilgrimage to Jerusalem,

and he ascended on pilgrimage

to Jerusalem.

And one said: He abolished the checkpoints,

the guards

that his father Jeroboam had stationed along the roads

in order

that Israel should not ascend on pilgrimage.

Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya responded and said:

It is stated concerning King Zedekiah [Jeremiah 34]:

“You shall die in peace.

And as they burned for 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 kal va-chomer: If Zedekiah, king of Judah, who performed only one mitzva, for he brought Jeremiah up from the mud,

merited

such honor.

The sons of Rabbi Yishmael

all the more so.

Rabbi Akiva responded and said:

[Zechariah 12] “

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

And Rav Yosef said: Had it not been for the translation of this verse,

I would not have known what it says.

But according to this translation, this is its explanation:

At that time,

at that time,

the mourning will be great

the mourning will be great

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 kal va-chomer: If Ahab, king of Israel, who performed only one good deed,

as it is written

[I Kings 22] “

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

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

nevertheless,

he merited great mourning.

The sons of Rabbi Yishmael

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 the eyes of Zedekiah he blinded”!?

How is this to be understood!?

He said to him: This is what Rabbi Yohanan said:

The promise “You shall die in peace” was fulfilled in that

Nebuchadnezzar died during his lifetime,

during Zedekiah’s lifetime.

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”

him

the king Josiah.

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

He said to him: This is what Rabbi Yohanan said:

The statement that Josiah would be gathered in peace was fulfilled in that

the Temple was not destroyed during his lifetime.

Rabbi Yohanan said: The consolers

are not

permitted to say anything until

the

mourner

speaks.

As it is stated

[Job 3]: “

After this Job opened his mouth,”

and afterward—“

And Eliphaz the Temanite answered.”

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

As it is stated

[Job 29]: “

I chose their way, and sat at their head, and dwelt as a king among his army—

as one who comforts mourners.”

The Gemara raises an objection: But

“he comforts”—

it implies the consolation of

others!?

For it is the others who comfort, and not the mourner!

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: It is written “he will be comforted.”

Mar Zutra said: From here:

[Amos 6] “

And the revelry of the prostrate shall depart.”

“Revelry”

means: He is made a leader over the prostrate.

Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: From where is it derived that a groom reclines at the head?

As it is stated

[Isaiah 61]: “

As a groom adorns himself with a priestly crown.”

Just as a priest

reclines

at the head,

so too a groom

reclines

at the head.

And we raised a question concerning this:

And as for the priest himself, from where do we know

that he reclines at the head?

And we answer: From this

that the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught:

[Leviticus 21] It is stated concerning a priest: “

And you shall sanctify him,”

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

for every matter of sanctity: to be called first, to recite the blessing first, and to take a fine portion first.