Parshas Bereishis
The Eternal Embrace
"...for on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die" (2:17)
Adam is warned that on the day he eats from the Tree of
Knowledge, he will die. The commentaries explain that the death to which
Adam was subjected, was the loss of his immortal status; after Adam ate from
the forbidden fruit, man became mortal{1}. The punishment visited upon
mankind for Adam's disobedience appears to be vastly disproportionate to the
transgression. What is the correlation between the transgression and the
punishment? The very notion that Hashem meted out such a severe punishment
evokes images of the vengeful and punitive G-d. How do we reconcile this
event with the description of Hashem being a loving and merciful G-d?
The thought of one's own mortality or the mortality of a loved one often
leaves a person feeling depressed. Therefore, we frequently block out all
thoughts of death because of the morbid feelings it evokes. How does a
person view death with a healthy attitude?
Among the nations of the world respect to the deceased is shown by burying
the body in a fancy casket. This also offers solace to the mourners. The
most durable and impenetrable coffin is sought out. In some cases
hermetically sealed containers are acquired to retard the decomposition
process. In contrast, Halacha dictates that the coffin should be easily
decomposable{2}. The custom in Eretz Yisroel is to bury without a casket,
placing the body directly into the soil. Seeing a loved one placed
ignominiously into the earth is among the most excruciating experiences a
person will endure in his lifetime. Why would the Halacha appear to be
insensitive to these feelings?
The Midrash states that Hashem created the potential for death in the world
even before Adam transgressed. Commenting on the verse describing the sixth
day of creation "And Hashem saw that it was very good", the Midrash relates
that "good" refers to the potential for life, while "very good" refers to
the potential for death{3}. How can death be described as "very good"?
The verse records that Hashem created man from the dust of the earth. Rashi
cites two opinions as to the source of this dust. According to one
interpretation, Hashem gathered dust from all the corners of the earth to
ensure that "kol makom sheyamus sham tihiyeh koltaso lekevurah" - "wherever
man dies, the earth will absorb his remains after burial{4}." The simple
reading of the text implies that had man not been formed in this manner, his
corpse would be rejected by the earth. Decomposition is a function of the
soil interacting with organic matter. All creatures decompose in the soil,
irrespective of whether they were created from the dust of the four corners
of the world. What then does Rashi mean when he says "so the earth will
absorb man's remains"? The second interpretation is that man was formed from
earth which was taken from the place where the Altar would rest in the
Temple. Axiomatic to the study of Rashi's commentary to the Torah is the
rule that whenever Rashi offers more than one interpretation, the
interpretations coalesce with each other; they are different perspectives of
the same concept. How can these two interpretations be reconciled?
The Talmud records that Cleopatra asked Rabbi Meir whether man will emerge
clothed after the resurrection. He answered her that if a simple seed of
grain planted in the ground emerges layered with many husks, surely man will
emerge well attired. Rabbi Meir was revealing to us the Jewish definition of
burial{5}. The purpose of burial is not to dispose of the corpse; rather,
burial is the beginning of the recreation process. Just as a seed flourishes
and blossoms after being planted, the burial process reconnects man to his
source, allowing him to be recreated and emerge in a perfected manner
determined by his actions when he was alive.
Soil in each part of the world reacts differently to various types of seeds.
Hashem created man from all the types of soil to ensure that the planting of
his body would not be inhibited by the soil of the place where he would be
buried. Rashi's words are that man should be "niklat" in the soil. This term
is used to describe the successful implanting of a seed or conception.
Burial is not just a process that allows for the disintegration of the body;
it is the process that allows the perfected body to sprout, ready to accept
the soul at the resurrection.
The Hebrew word for grave is "kever", which is also the Talmudic term for
the womb. The grave represents the beginning of eternal life in the same
manner as the womb is the home for a new child. The two interpretations as
to where the dust used to create man came from are offering the same
insight. The Altar on the Temple Mount was the place through which man
connected to his Creator. Man was formed from the same place through which
he connects to his source. Similarly, man is created from the four corners
of the earth in a manner which allows him to reconnect back to his source.
Adam was created with the perfect body and soul, allowing him to experience
an unparalleled relationship with his Creator. The sin distanced him from
Hashem and imbedded imperfection within both his body and soul. Death was
not a punitive act by a vengeful G-d. On the contrary, death is the process
by which we can once more reconnect to our Creator and remove the
imperfections that hinder our relationship with Him. Allowing man to
reconnect is the ultimate chesed. Hence, Hashem saw that it was "very good"
for this process allows both our souls and our bodies to reconnect.
The burial is the process by which we recreate the body, divesting it of all
impurities. Therefore, Halacha does not allow for the preservation of the
body in its current state, for this would deprive a person of the great
chesed that Hashem has given us. The nations of the world who view death as
the final step in a person's life attempt to preserve the dead body, thereby
maintaining the last vestiges of his existence.
The Jewish perspective on death is comforting to a person for it diminishes
the fear we have of the finality of death. Instead of being disconnected, we
are actually reconnecting. The Torah appropriately refers to death as
"asifa" - "ingathering".6 This sense of reconnection is borne out by those
who have been present at the time of a person's death. It is common for a
person to exclaim "I am coming father" or "I am coming mother" for the
feeling of reconnection prevails upon the soul as it is departing.
1.Ramban 2:17
2.Rambam Hilchos Avel 4:4, Shach Y.D. 236:1
3.Zohar Parshas Bereishis
4.2:7
5.Sanhedrin 90a 2.25:8
