Mishnah
Mishnah

Midrash for Shabbat 23:5

עוֹשִׂין כָּל צָרְכֵי הַמֵּת, סָכִין וּמְדִיחִין אוֹתוֹ, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יָזִיזוּ בוֹ אֵבֶר. שׁוֹמְטִין אֶת הַכַּר מִתַּחְתָּיו וּמַטִּילִין אוֹתוֹ עַל הַחֹל בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁיַּמְתִּין. קוֹשְׁרִים אֶת הַלֶּחִי, לֹא שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה, אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא יוֹסִיף. וְכֵן קוֹרָה שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּרָה, סוֹמְכִין אוֹתָהּ בְּסַפְסָל אוֹ בַּאֲרֻכּוֹת הַמִּטָּה, לֹא שֶׁתַּעֲלֶה, אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא תוֹסִיף. אֵין מְעַמְּצִין אֶת הַמֵּת בְּשַׁבָּת, וְלֹא בְחֹל עִם יְצִיאַת נֶפֶשׁ. וְהַמְעַמֵּץ עִם יְצִיאַת נֶפֶשׁ, הֲרֵי זֶה שׁוֹפֵךְ דָּמִים:

All the needs of one who has died may be attended to (on Shabbath). He may be anointed [with oil] and rinsed [with water. And his upper and lower openings may be stopped up with a cloth or something else, so that wind not enter therein and he swell.], so long as he (the one in attendance) not stir a limb [i.e., that he not move and lift his hand or his foot or his eyelashes, it being forbidden to move a dead person or any of his limbs, even though it is permitted to touch him. And so with all muktzeh — it is permitted to touch it and forbidden to move it. And it is forbidden even to touch an egg hatched on Shabbath or on a festival, for, because of its roundness, "its touching is its moving."] The mattress may be removed from under him so that he come to lie on the sand and be preserved [and not putrefy quickly because of the heat of the sheets and the mats. But he may not be moved to place him upon the sand, as stated above: "so long as he not stir a limb."] His jaw may be closed [if it were opening] — not to move it up [i.e., not to close what had already opened, for this would entail moving a limb], but [to insure] that it not (open) further. Similarly, if a beam had broken, it may be supported with a bench or a bedpost [whose status is that of a movable) article] — not to raise it, [for that would be boneh ("building")], but [to insure] that it not (break) further. The eyes of a dead man may not be closed on Shabbath, [even after he has expired, this constituting moving of a limb], and (they may also) not be closed on a weekday. And if one closes a man's eyes as he is dying, he is a spiller of blood, [for the slightest thing may hasten his death.]

Ruth Rabbah

It is written: “For he who is joined [yeḥubar] [to all of the living has hope, for a live dog is better than a dead lion]” (Ecclesiastes 9:4) – there126There, meaning the Land of Israel. This tradition was brought from the Land of Israel to Babylonia. See Tosefta Berakhot 6:2. we learn: One who sees an idol, what blessing does he recite? Blessed…who shows patience to violators of His will. A place from which idol worship has been uprooted? Blessed…who uprooted idol worship from our land; and may it likewise be Your will O Lord our God that You uproot it from all places and restore the hearts of their worshippers to worship You wholeheartedly. Is he not praying on behalf of the wicked? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “[For he who is] chosen [yevuḥar]” is written.127The Masoretic spelling [ketiv] is yevuḥar, while the Masoretic reading [keri] is yeḥubar. Rabbi Yoḥanan claims that this spelling serves to teach that even the wicked have choice [beḥira], and they can forsake evil and repent. Even those who raised their hand against the Temple have hope. To revive them [in the afterlife] is impossible, as they already raised their hand against the Temple. To eliminate them is impossible, as they have already repented. In their regard it is stated; “They will sleep an eternal sleep, and they will not awaken” (Jeremiah 51:39) – it is taught: Gentile minors and the troops of Nebuchadnezzar128Because they were following orders and had little choice, or because they repented. are not revived [at the end of days], but are not condemned. In their regard it is stated: “They will sleep an eternal sleep and they will not awaken.”
“For a live dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4) – in this world, one who is a dog can become [strong as] a lion, and one who is a lion can become a dog. However, in the future, one who is a lion cannot become a dog, and anyone who is a dog cannot become a lion. Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: He said to him: ‘I am better than Moses, your master.’ He said to him: ‘Why?’ ‘Because I am alive and he is dead, and it is written: “For a live dog is better than a dead lion.”’ He said to him: ‘Are you able to issue a decree that no man shall light a fire for three days?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ In the evening, both of them climbed to the wall of the palace and saw smoke rising at a distance. He said to him: ‘What is that?’ He said to him: ‘The governor is ill, and a doctor went in and visited him. He said to him: You will not be cured until you drink hot water.’ He said to him: ‘May his spirit be blasted.129He said this to Hadrian, using the third person out of deference to the emperor. While you are still alive, your edict is void. Moses our master, from the moment that he decreed upon us: “You shall not kindle fire in all your habitations on the day of Shabbat” (Exodus 35:3), no Jew has ever kindled fire on Shabbat, and his edict has not been voided even now. And you say: I am better than he is?’
“Lord, make my end known to me, and the measure of my days, what it is; [I would know how impermanent I am]” (Psalms 39:5) – David said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, make known to me when I will die.’ He said to him: ‘It is a secret that is not revealed to a person, and it is not possible for it to be revealed to you.’ “And the measure of my days, what it is” – He [God] said to him: ‘Seventy years.’ “I would know how impermanent I am” (Psalms 39:5) – make known to me on which day I will die. He said to him: ‘On Shabbat.’ He [David] said to Him: ‘Subtract one day for me.’ He said to him: ‘No.’ He said to Him: ‘Why?’ He said to him: ‘One prayer that you are destined to pray before Me is more precious to Me than a thousand burnt offerings that Solomon your son is destined to sacrifice before Me, as it is stated: “One thousand burnt offerings Solomon offered upon that altar”’ (I Kings 3:4). He said to Him: ‘Add one day for me.’ He said to him: ‘No.’ He said to Him: ‘Why?’ He said to him: ‘The dominion of your son is pressing, as Rabbi Shimon bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: There are many dominions, and one of them does not enter into the dominion of another even a hair’s breadth.’ He died on Shavuot that coincided with Shabbat. The Sanhedrin entered to pay their respects to Solomon. He said to them: ‘Can I move him [the body] from place to place?’ They said to him: ‘Is it not a mishna: One may rub with oil and wash [a corpse], provided that he does not move a limb?’130Mishna Shabbat 23:5.
He [Solomon] said: ‘The dogs of father’s house are hungry.’131He feared they would desecrate the corpse. They said to him: ‘Is it not a mishna: One may cut pumpkins before an animal and an animal carcass before dogs?’132Mishna Shabbat 24:4. What did he do? He took a curtain and spread it over him [David’s body], so the sun would not beat down on him. Some say that he summoned the eagles and they spread their wings over him, so the sun would not beat down on him.
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