Think as a Ben Noah about: Mourning
(parshat Shmini)
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Rabbi Zvi Aviner
Noahidesevencommandments.com
Today is the Holocaust memorial day where the Jewish people mourn the murder of six million jews in WWII. As it happens, this week’s parsha, Shemini, is the source in the Torah from where we derive the laws of mourning.
The question is how much is that relates to Bnei Noah? Should BN practice mourning the way Christians do, which is the common way in our society, or should they practice it the Torah way, which is the exact opposite?
So, let’s first read Shemini while focusing on the issue of mourning. The Torah in her wisdom presents mourning through the story of Aaron and his sons. Aaron sank from the highest happiness to the abyss oof depression and mourning.
A Great, Happy day
“And it was on the eighth day” (9:1)
As you recall from the previous parsha, Moses and the Israelites erected and dissembled the tabernacle for seven days. Each day they hoped that the Shechinah would descend and dwell in it, and fire would come from Heavens to burn on the Altar. People of Israel gathered to watch, with high expectation, but nothing happened.
From here we learn to erect each day of the week a new Tabernacle in our heart where the Shechinah would dwell.
The Midrash says that people worried – was the sin of the Golden Calf forgiven? Perhaps the sin continued to prohibited the Shechinah from coming?
Then came the eighth day that brought with it a great happiness. Rashi quotes the Midrash saying that it was blessed by ten crowns:
It was the first of the month if Nisan
It was the first day of the week
It was the day that the Shechinah would come down
And so forth.
“And Moses said this is the thing that you should do
So that the Glory of Hashem would appear to you” (9” 10)
Indeed, Aaron and his sons performed all the things that Moses had told them to do, including the Blessing of the Priests (9: 22) Yet nothing happened!
At that point Moses joined Aaron and the together they blessed the people. Subsequently, the Glory of Hashem appeared in the open including fire that descended from Heavens and burned on the Altar – for 475 years without being extinguished. The people burst with joy, singing
and prostrating on the ground.
Here is the source oof the practice we still do today in the synagogues, that the priest’s blessing is preceded by the cantor – presenting Israel and Torah, like Moses who accompanied Aarons’ blessing. It is to show that the power of the Blessing is really the Torah and Israel.
A great happiness
Thus the following story of mourning is preceded by a point of the highest joy that Mankind might feel – the joy of seeing the Glory of the Shechinah in the open.
The Midrash points on a person who was especially blessed that awesome day – Elisheva, the wife of Aaron. Beside her husband performing as a High Priest, Moses if her brother in aw, her own brother is the chieftain of the tribe of Juda, the most important tribe, and her own sons are candidates to become high priests. No other woman was ever blessed with such a glorious position.
A tragedy
Then, from the highest joy, a tragedy struck –
“And the sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, each took a fire pan , and they put fire in them, and placed incense upon it, and they brought before Hashem alien fire that he had not commanded them.
Then fire came from before Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem.” (10: 1-2)
Let’s not explain now what “alien fire” was,but focus on the dead. Their bodies were lying “before Hashem” in the Holy of Holy” and they had to be pushed out by hooks – what a humiliation! Indeed, Aaron and his wife could easily sank – from the highest joy into the abyss of depression. Henceforth we enter the laws of mourning. It has several stages.
Let’s focus on these stages because they may pertain also to Bnei Noah.
Stage One – Preparing for Burriel (Onan)
“And Moses said to Aaron this is what Hashem had said saying I will be sanctified through who are nearest me…and Aaron was silent.” (10” 3)
If Aaron, the High Priest, should remain quiet, other people may burst in crying in the open.
“And Moses called Mishael and Elzafan the sons of Uziel the uncle of Aaron and he told them come close, pick up your brothers from the face of holiness to outside the camp” (10: 4
At thar point nothing is more important than preparing the deceased one for a burial. Even priests should defile their holiness and engage in the process.
The priest may ride on the donkey on a side road and encounter a dead body. He should come down, engage the body and burry it by himself. That is the Torah law. Hence the story of the “good Samaritan” is a complete lie , still taught to billion people every day!
That stage of preparing for a burial is important. The relative is called “an Onen” which is hard to translate. He or she is exempt fro all the positive Commandments of the Torah – such as praying or any other positive Mitzvah. He or she may consume meat and drink wine, like David did before the burial of his child from Bat Shava. The Onen is not yet a mourner.
During this period, the body of the deceased is prepared. It is washed and wrapped properly. NO VISITATION OF STANGE PEOLE, NO BEUTIFYING THE BODY, NO FLOWEERS AND NO PUBLIC DISPLAY.
Stage 2: Burriel
The body is taken to burriel in the simplest way. It is carried in a close casket by relatives walking on foot. NO BAND, NO HORSES, NO SINGING OR SHOWING THAT THE DEACESED ONE IS IN A “BETTER PLACE.” The funeral may consist of just a few relatives up to a million – in case of a public person. The body ids paced in the ground intact. The mourners say: “BLEESED IS THE TRUTHFUL JUDGE”. The stage of mourning begins.
Stage 3: Mourning
“Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Elazr and Ithamar Do not leave your heads unshorn and do not rend your garments that you do not die….and from the exit of the Tabernacle they sould not go out… (10: 6)
If they, high priests, should not rend their clothes, other, lay people, SHOULD REND THEIR CLOTHES,
If they, high priests, should not let their hairs unshaven, OTHER LAY PEOPLE SHOULD LET THEIR HAIR UNSHAVEN.
Moses instituted seven days of mourning against the seven days of the exercises of erecting the Tabernacle.
Accordingly, the mourner(s) sit in his home for seven days on a low chair, unshaven, his clothes torn. The visitors come to comfort and support him. When entering, they do not say halo or shalom. They do not try to “lift his spirit or entertain him. They refrain from talking to each other or addressing t the mourner unless he or she addresses them first. There is no food in the room and no atmosphere of celebration. The people sit quietly listening to the mourner who is the only one talking – ABOUT THE DICEASED ONE.
The mourner keeps raising memories about the deceases person – his mother, or father, or any other relative. By doing that he bring the image oof the deceased one into life, in the room. By pointing on good things that the deceased one had done, the mourner erects a tabernacle in Heavens for the soul of the person. Yes, there I sa joy up there when the soul returns to G-d, but down here we are sad and we mourn. Blessed is the Truthful Judge, who loves TRUTH. No point in pretending to be happy.
Mourning and Bnei Noah
The above text pertains to Israel. What about Bnei Noah?
We have a source. At the time oof the Flood, Hashem told Noah to close the doors at a certain date because the rain would start. And yet, for seven more days nothing happened. (Genesis 7: 10). Only then the rain began falling. Why the delay? Says the Midrash – Metushelach, Noah’s grandfather, passes away and Noah was mourning. So Hashem waited seven days of mourning to start the Flood.
Hence Mourning was told to Noah and repeated to Israel. According to the Talmud, it therefore applies to both Bnei Noah and Israel.
The Children of Noah should therefore follow the rules of mourning as told by Moses to Israel.