Doing the Ultimate in Good Deeds

Have you ever touched a dead body?
Let me tell you about my incredibly spiritual experience in preparing a body for burial. It was not scary or creepy and I left the funeral home feeling at peace and content that I had performed one of the greatest good deeds a Jewish person can ever do.

What is this all about and why was I washing a dead body?
Why was I preparing a dead body for burial? One of the greatest mitzvahs a Jewish person can perform is the act of tahara. I can hear you now. Mitzvah? Tahara? What is this guy talking about? Let me explain a few things. First of all, let me tell you about "mitzvah." The Jewish bible (the Five Books of Moses, the Torah) or what is also referred to by non-Jews as the Old Testament has 613 commandments, or mitzvahs. Over time, mitzvah has loosely been defined to mean "good deed."

How it began
One Sunday morning several months ago I was approached by someone at my synagogue and asked if I would be part of a hevra kidisha to perform a tahara. With what I felt was a comical, dim-witted and clueless expression I said, "HUH?" He explained that hevra kidisha means "high society" and it's a group which prepares a body for burial. Tahara means purification. This involves washing the body two times, placing a white linen shroud on the body and placing the body in the coffin. I desperately racked my brain, frantically looking to find an excuse, something that I had already planned for the day which I could use to justify why I couldn't take part in this. I didn't have any excuses and I couldn't lie. "OK," I reluctantly said.

Tahara
Two hours later I was at the funeral home with three other men from our congregation. The rabbi did not attend but had previously given some instruction. We walked into a special room downstairs in the funeral home which was specially set aside for this ritual. Embalming is not allowed in the Jewish religion because the body is to decompose quickly and naturally (cremation is not allowed). A plain unfinished wooden coffin with no metal hinges or screws is to be used, also to make sure nothing hinders the decomposition and returning the body returning to G-d.

Unexpectedly I did not break out with beads of sweat on my forehead, I didn't feel like running away, I wasn't scared and I didn't feel queasy. Rather I was there to help out a family of the congregation who had lost a loved one. Only a few days earlier this person was breathing, laughing, talking, and full of life. In front of me was a cold lifeless body on a steel table devoid of a soul. We all donned hospital type gowns and latex gloves. Someone uncovered the body and there he was. I just stared at this body which was completely naked with a toe tag. In the first few minutes I pondered our existence and the realization that there is no escaping the fact that we all end up this way.

Preparation, Purification, and Dressing the Body; Treating the departed with the same respect as the living
The greatest gift that G-d brings is the human body and Jewish tradition is firm in its reverence for the living and the dead. The body must be treated with respect and dignity even after death. And so we started the ritual of tahara. First we took some white linen and carefully washed down the entire body, gently, as if washing a tiny baby. Then we poured water in a continuous flow which is the actual tahara. Prayers are said while doing this and the reason for this purification is to return the body to G-d in the way it had come into this world. Clean white linen was used to carefully and gently dry the entire body, head to toe. Next we had to dress the body in a clean white linen shroud. The reason for the white shroud, rather than a favorite shirt and suit, is that all people are created equal in the eyes of G-d and therefore no clothes which might reveal wealth or poverty should be used. The shirt was very difficult to put on as the limbs were difficult to maneuver. The white linen pants and finally a white hood covering the head were put on the body. Prayers and psalms were chanted and we placed the body in the wooden coffin. A tallis (prayer shawl) with a corner cut out was placed on the body. The corner is cut off to show that this person is no longer alive and no longer responsible to fulfill any of the mitzvahs or commandments from the Torah. A small packet of dirt from Israel, the origins of the Jews, was sprinkled in the coffin. This was part of returning a body that housed a Jewish soul in the earth. We placed the top on the coffin and said our final respects.

AGAIN!!
A few weeks ago I was asked to participate again and I gladly accepted. This time our new Rabbi joined us and when we finished he said that we completed one of the greatest mitzvahs of all. Most (not all) people often volunteer or do good deeds and feel like they need to be thanked or rewarded. The reason performing tahara is one, if not the greatest, of all the mitzvahs is because this the only one for which you will never receive thanks or be rewarded by the one for whom you're doing the mitzvah.

Peace!
I cannot remember a time when I have felt so spiritually connected to G-d. I think about these experiences almost every day. I am writing this at the end of Chanukah and right before Christmas. This is the time of year when people think about charity and giving and I'm so glad I have been able to do this and will continue to do this all through the year when asked. I feel serenity, tranquility, and a connection to G-d from this experience. I'm glad I'm alive to be able to do this for those who have departed. I hope others will learn from this and to give of themselves year-round without expecting anything in return. May you have a healthy, peaceful, and happy year!