Chapter 4: Minhagei Taharah
- Customs for Preparing the Deceased
- Close the eyes and tie the jaw if open.
- Wash the body, seal orifices, anoint with fragrances, trim hair, and dress in simple white linen shrouds.
- Shrouds should be inexpensive; Sages used a cloak worth a zuz to avoid embarrassing the poor.
- Cover the face to preserve dignity.
- Prohibition of Luxurious Burial
- Forbidden to bury even a nasi in silk or gold-embroidered garments.
- This avoids arrogance, waste of property, and imitation of gentile customs.
- The body is carried on shoulders to the cemetery.
- Pallbearers’ Restrictions
- Pallbearers may not wear sandals during the funeral.
- Reason: If a strap breaks, it could delay the mitzvah of burial.
- Burial Method and Grave Marking
- Burial in earth caves or wooden coffins, face upward, then covered with earth and stones.
- Graves are marked; tombstones placed—except for the righteous, whose words serve as memorials.
- Those accompanying the corpse say: “Go in peace” (Genesis 15:15).
- Status of a Person in Death Throes
- Considered fully alive; no interventions (closing eyes, washing, cooling, etc.) until death occurs.
- Touching or hastening death is like shedding blood—compared to extinguishing a flickering candle.
- No mourning rituals until death is certain.
- Conduct of the Mourner Before Burial
- Eats in another house or behind a partition; avoids reclining, meat, wine, and blessings.
- Exempt from mitzvot (Shema, prayer, tefillin) until burial.
- On Shabbat: Normal eating and blessings resume, except marital relations.
- After burial: May eat meat and drink a little wine, but not excessively.
- Hastening Burial
- Burial should not be delayed; hastening is praiseworthy.
- For parents, delaying slightly is respectful—except before Shabbat/festivals or in harsh weather.
- Permissible Delay and Negative Commandment
- Delaying overnight violates a negative commandment unless for the deceased’s honor (e.g., preparing needs).
- On Friday or before a festival, or in rain, it is permitted to hurry even a parent’s funeral.
- First Day of Mourning
- No tefillin, no eating own food, sits on overturned bed.
- Later days: May eat own food, sit on mats, and wear tefillin.
- Source: Ezekiel 24:17—mourner restrictions inferred from prophetic instructions.
