Shabbat 151b (קנא:) — the Talmud in English

And likewise,

they remove the pillow from beneath him and place it on the sand, so that

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he will wait

[so that he will remain in his state] and not decompose due to the heat of the sheet and pillows. By pulling the pillow out from beneath him, he is automatically placed on the sand; but moving it from its place and placing it on the ground is prohibited. For it is prohibited to move a corpse.

And likewise,

they tie the jaw

of the corpse, so that his mouth will not open.

And

they do not

do this in order

that it will rise

and close the opening that has already opened in his mouth,

but

only in order

that it will not continue

to open further.

And likewise, when a beam breaks, they support it

on Shabbat

with a bench or with the legs of a bed

. For they have the status of utensils and may be moved.

And

they do not

do this in order

that the beam will rise

and the broken place in it will become joined, since this is prohibited as building.

Rather,

they support it only so

that it will not continue

to break further.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: One may wash and anoint it.

And we raise an objection:

But didn’t Rav Yehuda say that Shmuel said: There was an incident involving a student of Rabbi Meir who entered the bathhouse after him. The student wished

to

to wash

the

ground

with water.

Rabbi Meir said to him

:

One may not wash

the ground on Shabbat.

The student wished

to

to anoint

the ground.

Rabbi Meir said to him

: Even

one may not anoint

it.

And we might have understood that because it is prohibited to move the ground, it is likewise prohibited even to wash it or anoint it. Evidently, anything that is prohibited to move is prohibited to anoint or wash, even without moving it. This is difficult: Why, then, may one anoint and wash the corpse? It is prohibited to move.

And we answer: Rabbi Meir did not prohibit anointing and washing the ground because of the prohibition against moving it, but because of the prohibition against leveling depressions, which is a subcategory of plowing.

And although this prohibition applies only to an earthen floor, whereas in the bathhouse, whose floor is made of stones, there is no concern for this, the Sages decreed that it applies there as well, due to the earthen floor, because

one type of ground is confused with another

. But no such decree was made with regard to a corpse, for

a corpse is not confused with ground.

We learned in the Mishna: One may perform all the needs of the corpse.

And we considered this:

What does “all” come to include?

And we answer:

It comes to include that which the Sages taught in a beraita: One brings cooling vessels

[vessels that bring coolness, such as glass vessels]

and metal vessels, and places them on his abdomen

of the dead person,

so that it will not become swollen

[so that it will not inflate].

And one stops up his orifices so that air will not enter them

, causing him to swell.

And King Solomon likewise said in his wisdom

, that the abdomen of the corpse swells and bursts.

As it is written: “Before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel is smashed into the pit.”

And this is its interpretation:

“Before the silver cord is snapped”

—this is the spinal cord

. It resembles a cord, and it is white like silver.

“And the golden bowl is shattered”—

this is the thigh

. For a gula is a spring of water, and the thigh is likewise the spring from which a person’s offspring emerge.

“And the pitcher is broken at the fountain”—

this is the abdomen

, which bursts after death.

“And the wheel is smashed into the pit”—

this is excrement

. For galgal is an expression denoting excrement, and “pit” refers to the mouth: the excrement falls into the mouth of the corpse.

And likewise it says: “And I will spread dung upon your faces, the dung of your festivals”

. This verse is referring to what happens after death.

What is meant by “the dung of your festivals”?

Rav Haga said: These are people who abandon words of Torah and spend all their days

in pleasures,

like festivals.

Rabbi Levi said that Rav Pappi said that Rabbi Yehoshua said: After three days

of death,

the abdomen

of the corpse

bursts, falls upon his face, and says to him: Take what you placed within me

. That is, take back the excrement of the foods that you put into me.

Mishna:

One may not close the

eyes of

the corpse on Shabbat

, because it is prohibited to move one of his limbs.

And one may not close them on a weekday

while he is dying,

at the moment of the departure of the soul

. For as long as he has not yet died, if one moves one of his limbs, he thereby hastens his death. Rather, one closes his eyes after the departure of his soul.

And one who closes

the eyes of a person who is dying

at the moment of the departure of the soul

, before he dies,

has shed blood.

Gemara:

The Sages taught in a beraita: One who closes the eyes of a dying person at the moment of the departure of the soul

, before he dies,

has shed blood.

To what may this be compared

?

To a lamp that is going out

. If

a person places his finger upon it, it is immediately extinguished

. Once it is about to go out, even a slight disturbance extinguishes it. And so too with the human soul.

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: One who wishes that the eyes of a corpse should close

on Shabbat must not do so with his hands, since it is prohibited to move the corpse. Rather,

he blows wine into his nostrils, places oil between his eyelashes, and holds both of his big toes

, and the eyes

close on their own.

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: For a living infant who is one day old, one desecrates Shabbat

for the sake of saving a life. But not for a corpse. Even if he is as great as

David, king of Israel

, once he

has died, one does not desecrate Shabbat for him.

For a living infant who is one day old, one desecrates Shabbat

because

the Torah said: Desecrate one Shabbat for his sake, so that he may

live and

observe many Shabbatot.

But

David, king of Israel

, if he

has died, one does not desecrate Shabbat for him.

For

once a person has died,

he is

free of the mitzvot.

And this is what Rabbi Yohanan said

: It is written,

“Free among the dead.”

And we interpret it:

Once a person has died, he becomes free of the mitzvot.

And it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: A living infant who is one day old need not be guarded from the weasel and the mice

so that they will not eat him. But even

Og, king of Bashan

, once he

has died, must be guarded from the weasel and the mice

so that they will not eat him.

As it is stated

to Noah and his sons:

“And your fear and dread shall be

upon every beast of the earth.”

The word “dread” is an expression of vitality. This teaches that

as long as a person is alive, his fear lies upon all creatures; once he has died, his fear is gone.

Rav Pappa said: We have it as a tradition

[it is accepted by us]:

A lion will not attack two

people together; it

will not pounce

upon them to kill them. For it is written, “your fear,” in the plural, indicating that the beasts of the earth fear any two of you.

And we question this:

But we see that a lion does attack

two people together.

And we answer:

That

case in which we see that it attacks occurs

when

it is

Rami bar Abba

.

For Rami bar Abba said: No animal rules over a person until he becomes comparable to it

,

like an animal. As it is stated: “A person who is honored but does not abide overnight is compared to the animals that are silenced.”

If an animal rules over a person and subdues him, it is evident that he has become like an animal.

Rabbi Hanina said: It is prohibited to sleep in a house alone. And anyone who sleeps in a house alone is seized by Lilith.

And it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: Give

charity

until

[as long as]

you find

poor people with whom to perform acts of charity,

and

as long as

you have

money to give them,

and

as long as

you are still in a position

to perform charity—that is, before you die.

And Solomon likewise said in his wisdom: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come

, and the years arrive when you will say: I have no desire in them.” “

The evil days”

—

these are the days of old age.

“And the years arrive when you will say: I have no desire in them”—these are the days of the Messiah, when there will be neither merit nor liability

. For it will not be possible to earn merit through the mitzva of charity, nor will it be possible then to violate the prohibition, “Do not harden your heart or close your hand to your poor brother,” since everyone will be wealthy at that time.

And this is what Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar is saying: Perform acts of charity as long as you are in a position to do so.

And this disagrees

with the opinion

of Shmuel, who said: The only difference between this world and the days of the Messiah is subjugation to foreign kingdoms

. For in the days of the Messiah we will be redeemed from the subjugation of the nations, but everyone will not be wealthy.

For

it is

stated: “For the poor will never cease from within the land.”

It follows that even in the days of the Messiah the mitzva of charity will continue to exist, contrary to the beraita cited above.

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Elazar HaKappar says: A person should always pray for mercy concerning this trait

of poverty, that it should not befall him, since it is something destined always to come.

For if he does not come

to poverty,

it comes

upon

his son. And if his son does not come

to poverty,

his grandson comes

upon it.

As it is stated

concerning the mitzva of charity to the poor:

“Because of this matter

the Lord your God will bless you in all your deeds and in all your undertakings.”

And the tanna of the school of Rabbi Yishmael

said: “Because of” is an expression of “wheel”, for the wheel is that which turns in the world

. A person who is wealthy today, or his descendants, may become poor later.

Someone who is wealthy today, or his descendants, may become poor later.

Rav Yosef said: We have it as a tradition: This Torah scholar will not become poor

[will not become impoverished].

And we question this:

But we see that

even a Torah scholar

does become poor.

And we explain: This is what Rabbi Yosef is saying:

Even if it is the case that

a Torah scholar

becomes poor,

nevertheless,

as for going around to doorways

and soliciting from door to door, he

does not go around

. Rather, he makes do with little and does not demean himself by soliciting from door to door.

Alternatively, he has many compassionate people who give to him, and he does not need to go around to doorways. Maharsha.

Rav Hiyya said to his wife: When a poor person comes, give him bread promptly, so that they will give bread promptly to your children

if they become poor.

His wife said to him

: Why,

are you cursing

blessing]

them by cursing them

to become poor?

He said to her

:

A verse is written

concerning charity:

“Because of this matter

the tanna

of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught

about it: The wheel is that which turns in the world.

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Gamliel, son of Rabbi, says

: It is written,

“And He will grant you mercy and have mercy upon you and multiply you.”

The meaning of “And He will grant you mercy” is that you will be merciful. From here it follows that

whoever has mercy upon created beings receives mercy from Heaven

, as it is written, “and have mercy upon you.”

And whoever does not have mercy upon created beings receives no mercy from Heaven.

And now he interprets the verses in Ecclesiastes that are stated concerning “the evil days,” namely, the days of old age.

It is written there: “Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain.”

“Before the sun and the light are darkened”—

this is the forehead

[brow]

and the nose

. The forehead is smoother and more radiant than any part of a person’s face, and the nose gives form to a person’s face. In old age they develop wrinkles and no longer shine.

“And the moon”—

this is the soul

, as it is written: “The soul of man is the lamp of God.”

“And the stars”—

these are the jaws

[cheeks].

“And the clouds return after the rain”—

this is the light of a person’s eyes, which departs after weeping

. In old age the light of the eyes grows dark like the darkness of clouds because of weeping, since at that time he weeps frequently due to the weakening of his strength and the troubles that multiply and come upon him.

Shmuel said: With regard to this tearfulness, until the age of forty, the eyesight returns

and heals from the damage caused to it by the tears

. From then onward, it does not return.

And Rav Naḥman said: With regard to this eye salve

[the kohl applied to the eyes for healing], for a person who is

up to

the age of

forty

, it

expands

[widens] the light of his eyes.

From then onward

[after he has reached the age of forty],

even

if one

fills

his eyes with kohl using a large brush

as large as a weaver’s heavy weight

[like a heavy weight used by weavers],

it merely maintains

its condition, so that the light of his eyes will not grow darker. But

it does not expand

it, so as to improve his vision.

And we consider this:

What does Rav Naḥman teach us

by saying, “Even if one fills them as with a weaver’s weight”?

And we answer: He teaches us

that the more substantial

[thicker]

the kohl

[the brush] is,

the more

it is

beneficial

for healing the eye.

Rabbi Ḥanina’s

daughter

died, and he did not cry over her.

His wife said to him

: Why do you not cry over her? After all,

a hen has left your house.

Rabbi Ḥanina said to her

: If I cry,

two

evils will befall me: both

bereavement

[the death of children]

and

also

blindness

[for weeping darkens the light of the eyes].

Rabbi Ḥanina held

in accordance with

that which Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Ketzarta: There are six

kinds of

tears. Three

of them are

beneficial

to the eyes, and

three

of them are

harmful

to the eyes.