Questions tagged [death]
Questions relating to the nature, function, or process of Death in Jewish thought.
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Is suicide okay if someone is (being) captured by barbarians?
The barbarians in question have a history of sometimes freeing their captives but also have a history of torturing their captives to death.
And what if it is becoming clear that no one will negotiate ...
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Why did people in biblical times live for so long?
The Tanakh records many instances in which people lived exceptionally long lifespans, some even nearing 1,000 years old.
There tends to be a trend in the recorded ages, in that the earlier generations ...
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Story with the maharam schick
I'm looking for where a certain story with the maharam Schick is printed.
It goes as follows : the ruler of the maharam Schicks area wished to see a Jewish wedding and ordered that one take place in ...
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Is the marriage contract valid upon the death or the divorce of the spouse?
I had a specific question related to the Kiddushin and death contract.
In the schools of Halakha, is the marriage contract considered "void" or "cancelled" or "paused" at ...
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Does כבוד המת apply to gentiles? What about during war?
Kavod HaMet is a halachic rubric which includes sensitive and dignified treatment of a corpse. I would like to know if this principle includes the prohibition for Jews to treat the corpses of gentiles ...
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What both Hashem and the snake said about death after eating the fruit doesn't seem to match what ended up happening?
Hashem says:
וּמֵעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ כִּי בְּיוֹם אֲכׇלְךָ
מִמֶּנּוּ מוֹת תָּמוּת׃
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat
of it: for on the day ...
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Change wording rather than pray for a medical miracle? [duplicate]
For example, if someone is close to death from a progressive disease, should we change the wording of the private misheberach to leave out the word "body" from the phrase "soul and body&...
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Beracha of משנה הבריות for a dead animal?
Other questions, here and here, discuss saying the beracha of משנה הבריות when seeing various animals.
Does the same apply if the animal is dead?*, **
Some examples where this can happen: 1) Seeing a ...
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What to do with detached/seperated hair of the deceased?
In Western culture, giving a lock of hair to a loved one used to be a common practice. According to halakhah, may the recipient of a lock of hair continue to posses it after the death of the giver?
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Soul mates, death and remarriage - who will we spend eternity with?
Introduction
In the general concept of kabbalistic soul mates, we marry the other half of our soul (may we all be zoche to find our true zivug and have a bayit ne'eman b'yisrael). Our goal is to ...
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Ask about kabbalah and reincarnation [duplicate]
I confused about reincarnation and many people from other religions have the stigma that the concept of Jewish reincarnation is only made up by rabbi issac luria and it is just an ordinary human ...
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Is R. Yehoshua ben Levi ever identified with a particular angel?
Related to this question:
Did Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi learn the Angel of Death's personal name?
We learn that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi entered the Garden of Eden alive without dying.
This is ...
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Source for the four questions you're asked at the gates
I've seen references to the "four questions you're asked at the gates (after death)" --
Were you honest in your business dealings?
Did you set aside regular time for Torah study?
Did you ...
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Saying a bracha right before one is niftar - is it significant?
I have heard many times that it is a big zechus or one to say a bracha, specifically Shehakol, as their last words here on earth before they pass away.
I am looking for a source for this. Any ...
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Praying near a dead body
Is there any prohibition against praying under the same roof as a dead body? If I work in a funeral home, and the time for prayer arrives, may I pray in a separate room or should I leave the building ...
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According to Rambam, where do the souls of the righteous dwell in the period between the death of their bodies and the resurrection?
I am an Italian Noahide.
If I have understood correctly, Rambam affirms that the resurrection of the dead is reserved only for the righteous, who, after being resurrected, will live a long and joyful ...
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Donating body parts of a corpse
Is a family member or oneself allowed to donate body parts in case of someone's death?
Is this comparable to the donations of kidneys of healthy people, which seems to be allowed?
What if the body ...
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Why is Music not allowed at Jewish Funerals?
When my mother died several decades ago, a childhood friend and I performed her favorite Yiddish song, "Dona Dona," at her funeral. Being raised in non-observant families we were surprised ...
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If a person stepped over a dead body (in a graveyard) unaware that there was a dead body there. What does one do?
I read somewhere that you can’t do this. Is there anything a person can do to purify themself.
Please provide sources.
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Does coming to God near death count less than coming to God when times are good?
Growing old and dying are a normal part of life.
For some people though, the realization time is running out can result in them pursuing God in a last minute act of desperation.
Hypothetically ...
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Book about death for goyim
Does anyone have a recommendation for a book about losing a loved one which is for Goyim but from a Jewish perspective?
Back story; when my father sat shiva, a family friend gifted him 'The Jewish Way ...
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Why did not Balaam's ass live to embarrass that evil man?
In Bamidbar 22 (33) Rashi explains that Hashem killed Balaam's ass
in order that people should not be able to say: This is the animal
that silenced Balaam by its rebuke, so that he could not reply. ...
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What prayers and psalms are read during shmira near the body of the deceased?
Of particular interest are the prayers and the order of reading the psalms in Nusach Ashkenaz.
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At what point does a corpse become so decomposed as to no longer defile?
As we all know, contact with a dead animal or person brings ritual impurity. But we also know that "dust we are and to dust we shall return." Most of the soil around us is organic matter ...
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If man has been created for olam haba, why shouldn’t man desire death?
If man’s existence in olam haba is man’s goal, shouldn’t he wish to die? If you say that olam hatze is a preparation for olam haba, and that dying would prevent him from preparing himself, then ...
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Death on the battlefield
Last Shabbat, I was reading a book called היהודים בערב (The Jews in Arabia) by Dr. Yisrael Ben Ze'ev. In the book, a section was dedicated to a pre-Islamic Arabian Jewish poet named Shmuel ben Adiyah. ...
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According to 1st century Jewish interpretations of Ecclesiastes, what part of man goes to Sheol?
Note: this is an adaptation of the question According to Ecclesiastes, what part of man goes to Sheol? which I previously asked on Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange. On that site the question ...
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How would Pharisees of the 1st century AD have interpreted Ecclesiastes 9:5-10?
Ecclesiastes 9:5-10 (ESV):
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and ...
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Is it appropriate to say Baruch Dayan Ha'emes for someone who commits suicide?
Baruch Dayan Ha'emes is the brachah associated with bad news. More specifically, it has become known as the brachah to say when hearing of the news of someone's passing.
Is it appropriate to say ...
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What's the story behind the Sages killing Rav Acha Bar Yaakov?
Bava Kamma 40a:
Rav Acha Bar Yaakov is a great man.
Bava Basra 14a:
"רַב הוּנָא כְּתַב שִׁבְעִין סִפְרֵי דְּאוֹרָיְיתָא וְלָא אִיתְרְמִי לֵיהּ אֶלָּא חַד
רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב כְּתַב חַד ...
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Acceptable Burial places
Hope you all are doing well!
Does anyone know of a source that says that a dead body needs to be buried in the ground on this planet only and burying it on another planet or stellar body like the moon ...
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Torah verse on headstone?
Is there any prohibition or reason not to include a Torah verse on a headstone in a Jewish cemetery. I was told its better not to include the whole psuk but just part of it but even that person that ...
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Posthumous sacrifices in Maccabees II
In Maccabees 2:12:39-45 (Sefaria Hebrew source. NRSV - if anyone is aware of a better, more Jewishy English translation, please edit it in) it says:
"On the next day, as had now become necessary,...
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Why lying with fathers means death (not burial)?
וְשָׁכַבְתִּי עִם־אֲבֹתַי וּנְשָׂאתַנִי מִמִּצְרַיִם וּקְבַרְתַּנִי בִּקְבֻרָתָם...׃
When I lie down with my fathers, take me up from Egypt and bury me in their burial-place.” Gen.47.30 (also in ...
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Is there a prayer "for an easy death"?
When someone is sick, we say a mi'she'beirach for healing and we add a personal request in the refa'einu part of the amidah. After a person passes, we say the Tziduk hadin and then prayers for the ...
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What's the point of visiting one's parents gravesite
I am looking for Torah sources on the benefits of visiting parents' gravesite for the deceased or for the visitors.
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Where do I find compassionate references to the Angel of Death
The references that I find to the malach hamoves, Angel of Death, in our folklore and tale are largely filled with images of fear and trepidation . Where do I find stories depicting compassion?
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Question on Moshiach times
When Moshiach comes (may it be speedily in our days) the posuk says: there will be no more death, does that mean that people are not going to die?
Meaning everyone is going to live forever?
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After death, does one experience the company of his loved ones in heaven?
Please provide sources, preferably kabbalistic.
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Would cryogenic freezing while still alive be permissible?
As answered here and here, halachic death is defined as an irreversible heart [and/or respiration, and/or brain] cessation.
If so, would cryogenically freezing someone while they're still alive1 be ...
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How can a person promise to be מליץ יושר for a person after their death?
I have seen several references where certain gedolei yisroel of yesteryear, promise that if a person learns their works, these Rabbonim will be מליץ יושר (advocate) for them in the olam haemes.
...
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What is the mechanism of death by poisoning?
The four deaths mentioned in the Jewish law have a very straightforward physical impact on the body. All of them cause inability to breathe which is linked to "maintenance" of the soul, and ...
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Good qualities of deceased now available for others to practise. Is there a source?
I have heard several times at Hespedim (funeral orations) that the good qualities of the person who passed away are now available to be picked up by those of us still alive.
In the sense that the dead ...
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Do we circumcise a corpse?
We circumcise stillborn babies for many reasons (see e.g., here). Would the same apply for one who it was unhealthy for him to receive a brit milah?
For example, let's say person A's two brothers both ...
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When one is diagnosed with a terminal disease, is refusing treatment a form of suicide or acceptable considering the circumstances?
People are diagnosed with terminal illnesses on a regular basis. Many times a person refuses to undergo treatment because they don't wish to experience the pain and exhaustion that would entail.
While ...
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Jerusalem Sand at a Burial
I just observed an on-line remote funeral service for my cousin. As part of the service, the Rabbi took out a bag of sand which he said was specially flown in from Jerusalem. He spread the sand in the ...
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An uncertain end for an uncircumcised baby?
According to this article, a circumcised person cannot enter Gehinnom. It is for this reason that a stillborn baby is circumcised.
So what happens to a stillborn baby that is buried without ...
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Were the Talmudic Sages fools according to R. Saadia Gaon?
In Emunot V’Deiot (7:5) R. Saadia Gaon writes the following, with regard to some verses in Chapter Nine of Ecclesiastes:
[An example,] again, of the third type [of verses presenting difficulty so far ...
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Why did the 10 Brothers tell Yaakov that Yosef had died if doing so would cause him such intense pain & grief?
Is there any Torah commentary that addresses how Yaakov’s ten sons could have been so cold, heartless and cruel, to cause Yaakov’s intense, 22-year, unconsolable grief over Yosef’s death? What child ...
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When (day, month, year) did Avshalom son of king David die?
When (day, month, year) did Avshalom son of king David die?
Please cite a source as to exactly when this happened.
II Samuel 18:15 And there circled about ten young men who were Joab's
armor bearers, ...
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