יורה דעה של״טYoreh De'ah 339

Se’if 1א׳

הַגּוֹסֵס, הֲרֵי הוּא כְּחַי לְכָל דְּבָרָיו. אֵין קוֹשְׁרִין לְחָיָיו, וְאֵין סָכִין אוֹתוֹ, וְאֵין מְדִיחִין אוֹתוֹ, וְאֵין פּוֹקְקִין אֶת נְקָבָיו, וְאֵין שׁוֹמְטִין הַכַּר מִתַּחְתָּיו, וְאֵין נוֹתְנִין אוֹתוֹ עַל גַּבֵּי חוֹל, וְלֹא עַל גַּבֵּי חַרְסִית וְלֹא עַל גַּבֵּי אֲדָמָה, וְאֵין נוֹתְנִין עַל כְּרֵסוֹ, לֹא קְעָרָה, וְלֹא מַגְרֵפָה, וְלֹא צְלוֹחִית שֶׁל מַיִם, וְלֹא גַּרְגִּיר שֶׁל מֶלַח, וְאֵין מַשְׁמִיעִין עָלָיו עֲיָרוֹת, וְאֵין שׂוֹכְרִין חֲלִילִין וּמְקוֹנְנוֹת, וְאֵין מְעַמְּצִין עֵינָיו עַד שֶׁתֵּצֵא נַפְשׁוֹ. וְכָל הַמְּעַמֵּץ עִם יְצִיאַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ, הֲרֵי זֶה שׁוֹפֵךְ דָּמִים. וְאֵין קוֹרְעִין, וְלֹא חוֹלְצִין, וְלֹא מַסְפִּידִין עָלָיו, וְלֹא מַכְנִיסִין עִמּוֹ אָרוֹן לַבַּיִת, עַד שֶׁיָּמוּת. וְאֵין פּוֹתְחִין עָלָיו בְּצִדּוּק הדִּין, עַד שֶׁתֵּצֵא נַפְשׁוֹ. הַגָּה: וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דְּאֵין חוֹצְבִין לוֹ קֶבֶר אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עִמּוֹ בַּבַּיִת, עַד אַחַר שֶׁיָּמוּת (ריב"ש סִימָן קי"ד). אָסוּר לַחֲצֹב שׁוּם קֶבֶר לִהְיוֹת פָּתוּחַ עַד לְמָחָר שֶׁלֹּא יִקְבְּרוּ בּוֹ הַמֵּת בְּאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם, וְיֵשׁ סַכָּנָה בַּדָּבָר (רַבֵּנוּ יְרוּחָם בְּשֵׁם הר"י הֶחָסִיד זַ"ל). וְכֵן אָסוּר לִגְרֹם לַמֵּת שֶׁיָּמוּת מְהֵרָה, כְּגוֹן מִי שֶׁהוּא גּוֹסֵס זְמַן אָרֹךְ וְלֹא יוּכַל לְהִפָּרֵד, אָסוּר לְהִשָּׁמֵט הַכַּר וְהַכֶּסֶת מִתַּחְתָּיו, מִכֹּחַ שֶׁאוֹמְרִין שֶׁיֵּשׁ נוֹצוֹת מִקְצָת עוֹפוֹת שֶׁגּוֹרְמִים זֶה וְכֵן לֹא יְזִיזֶנּוּ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ. וְכֵן אָסוּר לָשׂוּם מַפְתְּחוֹת ב"ה תַּחַת רֹאשׁוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּפָּרֵד. אֲבָל אִם יֵשׁ שָׁם דָּבָר שֶׁגּוֹרֵם עִכּוּב יְצִיאַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ, כְּגוֹן שֶׁיֵּשׁ סָמוּךְ לְאוֹתוֹ בַּיִת קוֹל דּוֹפֵק, כְּגוֹן חוֹטֵב עֵצִים, אוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ מֶלַח עַל לְשׁוֹנוֹ וְאֵלּוּ מְעַכְּבִים יְצִיאַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ, מֻתָּר לַהֲסִירוֹ מִשָּׁם, דְּאֵין בָּזֶה מַעֲשֶׂה כְּלָל, אֶלָּא שֶׁמֵּסִיר הַמּוֹנֵעַ (הַכֹּל בְּהַגָּהַת אַלְפָסִי פֶּרֶק אֵלּוּ מְגַלְּחִין).

One who is dying is like a living person for all his affairs. They do not dye his cheeks, and they do not anoint him, and they do not wash him, and they do not stuff up his orifices, and they do not remove the pillow from under him, and they do not place him on sand nor on clay nor on earth, and they do not place a pot or a trowel or a pitcher of water or a grain of salt on his stomach, and they do not announce about him to the cities, and they do not hire flautists and lamenters, and they do not close his eyes, until his soul departs. And anyone who closes with the departure of the soul, behold this one spills blood. And they do not tear over him and they do not remove their shoes and they do not eulogize over him and they do not bring a coffin into the house with him until he dies. And they do not open about him with [the post-death blessing of] justifying the judgment until his soul departs. Gloss: and some say that they do not dig a grave, even tough it is not with him in the house, until after he dies. (Rivash 114) It is forbidden to dig any grave to be open until the next day, that they not bury him in it on that day, and there is danger in the matter. (Rabbenu Yeruham in the name of R. Yehudah he-Hassid, ob"n) And so it is forbidden to cause the dead person to die quickly. Such as one who was dying for a long time and he could not separate, it is forbidden to remove the pillow or the mattress from underneath him, because they say that there are feathers of some birds that cause this, and similarly they should not move him from his place. And similarly it is forbidden to place the keys of the synagogue under his head, in order that he take leave. But if there is something there that is causing delay in the departure of the soul, such as if there is a banging noise next to that house, such as a wood chopper, or there is salt on his tongue, and these are preventing the departure of the soul, it is permitted to remove it from there, that in this there is no activity at all, rather he removes the barrier (it is all in the glosses of Alfasi in the chapter "these shave")....

Se’if 2ב׳

מִי שֶׁאָמְרוּ לוֹ: רָאִינוּ קְרוֹבְךָ גּוֹסֵס הַיּוֹם שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים, צָרִיךְ לְהִתְאַבֵּל עָלָיו. דְּוַדַּאי כְּבָר מֵת.

One who is informed, 'We saw your relative in a dying condition three days ago,' is bound to mourn for him,19Thus Tur, R. M. of Rothenberg, Asheri and Mord. in accordance with Git. 28a: ‘Most of those in a dying condition die.’ For it is certain that he has already died.20For only when the person in a dying condition is in our presence is he regarded as a living being in every respect. Otherwise, he is not — ShaK. P.Tesh. for other opinions on this question. Nevertheless, when such a report is brought, the wife of the person who was found in a dying condition, may not remarry nor should she observe mourning rites, nor should the children recite the Kaddish — A.H.

Se’if 3ג׳

אוֹמְרִים צִדּוּק הַדִּין עִם יְצִיאַת נְשָׁמָה, וּכְשֶׁמַּגִּיעַ לְדַיַּן אֱמֶת, קוֹרֵעַ הָאָבֵל.

Ẓidduk Haddin1 Glos. is recited when the soul departs,21T.H. If a fire breaks out, one is dutibound to remove a person in a dying condition from the burning house. So too, a corpse takes precedence in such a case over saving Holy books; a living infant takes precedence over a corpse, and a healthy person over one dangerously ill — R. A. Eger on the authority of Sefer Ḥasidim. and when he reaches [the words] 'Judge of Truth,' the mourner rends his garments.