Weekly Chasidic Story #1421 (5785-23) 3 Adar 5785 (March 3, 2025)

"Mistaken Burial"

The Chevra Kaddisha/'Jewish Burial Society' had very little time to decide what to do. The law required plague victims to be buried within the hour.

Why This Week? This Friday is the 7th day of the Jewish month of Adar, which is also the date of Moshe's death, 40 years after the exodus from Egypt. It states that he was buried but no man knows where (Deut. 34: 5-6), from which we deduce that no man was involved in his burial (either he buried himself or G-d arranged it). Therefore, Adar 7 is a day of no work for the chevrah kaddishah! Some of the members fast, many join discussions about how to improve their holy work.

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Mistaken Burial

An epidemic struck the town Lodz, taking many lives. The municipal health authorities determined that the crowded living conditions in town were largely responsible, so they passed edicts limiting migration into the city as a preventive measure. Couples with children were among those forbidden to take up residence there.

It happened that a family was forced by economic necessity to move specifically to Lodz and to circumvent the law, They filed a form with the city describing themselves as a single mother with her brother, rather than a couple with children. Unfortunately, the wife was stricken with the plague and soon succumbed.

When the women from the Chevra Kadisha (burial society) came to the house to do the tahara (ritual purification) they were shocked to discover the bereaved children running to their supposed uncle with cries of "Tatty, Tatty!" (Daddy, Daddy). Not knowing what to think, they reported the situation to the chevra kaddisha.

Those in charge had very little time to decide what to do. The law required plague victims to be buried within the hour. Under pressure, with no time to investigate, they concluded that the couple must have been brother and sister who had married, chas veshalom (Heaven forbid) and thus they decided to bury the wife outside the cemetery, in the area reserved for apostates and the like.

The following night the woman came to her husband in a dream crying, screaming and wailing about what had been done to her, for she was being tormented in the next world as a result. The husband did not wish to take such a dream seriously, but the following night his wife returned, and again every night subsequently.

Besides describing her intense suffering, she mentioned that she had passed every judgment in the World to Come and was being punished exclusively as a result of her grave having been misplaced.

After the shiva (the week of mourning), the widower went to the chevra kaddisha to ask them to rectify the mistake. The stood by their decision, however, claiming that they could only work according to the official documents. The widower threatened to take them to a din Torah (trial according to Jewish law), which they agreed to quite willingly, and so Rabbi Eliyahu-Chaim Meisel entered the picture.

The Rav heard out both sides and decided immediately in favor of the husband, whose honesty was patently obvious to him. The chevra Kaddisha had a problem with this decision, though. As much as they were happy to assign a new, worthy spot for the body of the deceased, especially since she had now been discovered to have been a righteous person, having passed through the beit din shel mala (Heavenly court) without harm, disinterring her body was impossible. Touching the bodies of the plague victims more that absolutely necessary to bury them, was against the law.

If the widower was willing to take the risk, though, and transfer the body himself, they were more than ready to accommodate him.

Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim thought the matter over and decided that the husband must do no such thing. The risk to his health and liberty were too great, and the woman would have to remain where she was.

Still, something would have to be done for her suffering soul and Rav Meisel undertook to recite mishnayot for her neshama (soul) himself. What good this would do, the widower was not equipped to understand, unfortunately, and he left the beis din bitterly disappointed.

A few days later, though, the husband was seen glowing with joy, which he took great pleasure to explain. His wife had come to him once more in a dream and had reported the wonderful result of Reb Chaim's efforts. "You have no idea what kind of Rav you have!" she told him, "Ever since he started to learn mishnayot, it is as if an iron fence has come down and separated me from the other graves outside the cemetery. Ever since, I have had peace."

With that, she took her leave from her husband, explaining that she would no longer be permitted to visit him, since such visitations were allowed only for reasons of extreme urgency.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from a recorded telling by Rabbi Yisrael Grossman, Rosh Yeshivat Pinsk-Karlin, which he heard from Rav NachumYosef Wilhelm z"l, who was eyewitness to the entire incident.

Why this week?
This Friday is the 7th day of the Jewish month of Adar, which is also the date of Moshe's death, 40 years after the exodus from Egypt. It states that he was buried but no man knows where (Deut. 34: 5-6), from which we deduce that no man was involved in his burial (either he buried himself or G-d arranged it). Therefore, Adar 7 is a day of no work for the chevrah kaddishah! Some of the members fast, many join discussions about how to improve their holy work.

Biographic note:
Rabbi Eliyahu-Chaim Meisel (1821-1912) served as the Rabbi of Horodok, where he was born, at a young age, from 1840 to 1843. From 1873 he was the Chief Rabbi of Lodz until his death at age 91. He was known for his great concern and care for the social- economical predicament of his people. Stories abound spotlighting his exceptional cleverness in problem-solving.[for example] A Yiddish book was written about him in 1925.

Yerachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.

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