Burial in Eretz Yisrael
Burial in the Holy Land confers a great advantage for six reasons:
- When a person dies, the soul leaves the body. If this occurs in Eretz Yisrael, the soul ascends directly to heaven. The abode of souls is under G-d's כִּסֵא הַכָּבוֹד (Kissey HaKovod - Throne of Glory), and this Throne is in direct spiritual proximity to Eretz Yisrael. The בֵּית הַמִקְדָשׁ (Beit HaMikdash - Holy Temple) on high is also in direct proximity to the place where the Temple in Yerushalayim stood on earth, and it is through this place that souls enter and leave the world. During the first 12 months after a person's death, the soul descends to its grave every Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh(New Moon) to visit the corpse of the body with which it was previously associated. (Yeshayahu 66:23. Cf. Shabbat 152b) If the body is buried in Eretz Yisrael, the soul can descend and ascend through a direct route, without any delay. When a person dies outside Eretz Yisrael, the soul has great difficulty in ascending to the heavens. It must go in roundabout ways and pass through all the Mekatrigin (Denouncing Powers) associated with the evil Sitra Achra (Other Side). It is as if the soul were a person who suddenly found himself in the midst of an army of tens of thousands of armed warriors. It must undergo much anguish until it can pass through them all. (Bachya, Lech Lecha; Zohar, Terumah; Yafeh Toar, p. 518; Chesed LeAvraham 3) Many Jews therefore wanted to go to Eretz Yisrael to die, so that their souls would have a straight path when leaving the body, without any opposition. One who is worthy of dying in Eretz Yisrael has great merit. (Zohar, Achrei Mot) When a person dies in Eretz Yisrael, immediately after his death the soul goes directly to Machpelah Cave, and from there it goes to its proper place. (Zohar, Chayei Sarah) Being buried in Eretz Yisrael is just like being buried beneath the Mizbeach (Great Altar), which was a focal point of the Temple in Yerushalayim. It is also just like being buried under the Throne of Glory.
- When people die outside Eretz Yisrael, they die by the hand of a destroying angel, Samael, otherwise known as the Angel of Death. When a person dies in Eretz Yisrael, on the other hand, he dies through the hand of Gavriel, who is a merciful angel. The only exception to this rule were Moshe, Aharon and Miriam, who died outside the Holy Land but were not given Sama'el. (Zohar, Terumah; Chesed LeAvraham, loc. cit.)
- If a person dies in Eretz Yisrael and is buried on the same day he dies, before nightfall, no unclean force has power over him. (Zohar)
- The agony of the grave חִבּוּט הַקֶבֶר (chibbut ha-kever - literally "beating of the grave") is even worse than death itself (some say that chibbut ha-kever is the psychological anguish of seeing the decay of one's mortal remains). When a person dies outside Eretz Yisrael, there is no way he can escape this fate. In Eretz Yisrael, on the other hand, if a person is buried on Friday after the fourth hour of the day (around 10 a.m.) he avoids this anguish. This is speaking of someone who lives in Eretz Yisrael and dies on a Friday. Then the holiness of Eretz Yisrael and the holiness of the Shabbat join to protect him. When a person dies under such conditions, it is an indication that he does not deserve such punishment. Providence therefore arranges that he die on the day before the Shabbat. Obviously, if he was a sinner, these two elements of holiness would not protect him from the agony of the grave. Rather, the very fact that he died on a Friday indicates that he is a virtuous person. Our sages taught that there are a number of good habits that can protect a person from the agony of the grave. These include giving charity, accepting correction, enjoying good works and taking in guests, and saying one's prayers with כַּוָנָה(kavanah - concentration), without any external thoughts. However, it is not enough to do such things when one has the opportunity; one must make an effort to create opportunities. He must keep them with heart and soul, and not merely as an obligation, since heartless observance cannot protect one from the agony of the grave. A man once died on Thursday. His relatives gave instructions that he should not be buried until late Friday afternoon to avoid the agony of the grave. This was done, but the sages said that they had done wrong. They had violated the mitzvah,"His body shall not remain out overnight" (Devarim 21:23). Obviously, such delay will not help the individual avoid the agony of the grave at all.
- When a person is buried outside Eretz Yisrael, his flesh decays and becomes maggoty. Our sages say, "A worm in the flesh of the dead is like a needle in the flesh of the living." (Berachot 18b; Shabbat 13b, 152a.) Since the soil of Eretz Yisrael is like lime, one's flesh does not become maggoty. (Yad Yosef: Mevakesh HaShem)
- Outside the Holy Land a person dies twice. At the time of Techiyat HaMetim (the Resurrection), the soul cannot return to the body unless it is in Eretz Yisrael. At the time of the Resurrection, G-d will personally open the graves; it will not be done by any angel (cf. Yechezkiel 37:13). This cannot take place outside Eretz Yisrael, since other places are considered unclean. (Bereishit Rabbah; Yafeh Toar) Of course, this does not mean that people buried outside Eretz Yisrael will not be resurrected. Obviously, many great tzaddikim are buried in other lands. The meaning, however, is as follows: There is a small bone in man, at the base of the neck, known as the לוּז(Luz). This bone does not decay in the ground. This bone is like the yeast in a batch of dough; from it the body is reconstructed. The soul, however, cannot be returned to the body except in Eretz Yisrael. After the bodies are reconstructed, G-d will provide underground passages through which they can be transported to Eretz Yisrael. Until they reach Eretz Yisrael, they will remain bodies without souls. Only there will G-d grant them souls so that they can come to life. This is alluded to in the verse, "[G-d] gives a soul to the people in [the land]" (Yeshayahu 42:5). This indicates that G-d will provide a soul for the resurrected dead when they are in the Holy Land. (Ketubot 111a) According to another opinion, the archangel Gavriel will bring the bones of the dead to Eretz Yisrael and there they will be resurrected. (Zohar, Chayei Sarah; Ketubot, loc. cit.) Furthermore, people buried in Eretz Yisrael will be resurrected before those buried elsewhere. Others will have to be brought to Eretz Yisrael, and their resurrection will therefore be delayed. This is alluded to in the verse, "Your dead shall live, my corpses shall rise, [awake and sing you who live in the dust]" (Yeshayahu 26:19). "Your dead shall live" refers to the dead buried in Eretz Yisrael, while "your corpses shall rise" refers to those buried elsewhere. They will merely rise and have their bodies reconstructed; then they will be brought to Eretz Yisrael, where they will be given souls that will bring them back to life. (Zohar; Ketubot) There is a tradition that people buried in Eretz Yisrael will be resurrected 40 years before the dead buried elsewhere. If a person buried outside Eretz Yisrael has been concerned with and has supported (to the best of his ability) a relative - either male or female - who is buried in Eretz Yisrael, that relative can see to it that he is resurrected at the same time as the dead in Eretz Yisrael. All reward is measure for measure. This person supported his relative so that he could live in the Eretz Yisrael, which is considered the same as ransoming captives (discussed in Lech Lecha). Such a person therefore has very great merit, and he will partake in the resurrection long before the other people buried outside Eretz Yisrael. This shows us that someone buried in Eretz Yisrael has two advantages with regard to the Resurrection. First, he will be brought to life before people buried elsewhere. Second, he avoids the agony of having to travel through the underground passages, which involves great anguish. Our sages say that all these advantages are accrued only by one who lives in Eretz Yisrael for a while and is then worthy of dying there. However, if a person dies elsewhere and is brought to Eretz Yisrael, it is not proper to bring him there for burial. Regarding those who do this it is written, "You came and defiled My land" (Yirmeyahu 2:7). G-d complained because people came only after they were dead, and a dead body defiles, as it is ritually unclean (BaMidbar 19:14) (Yerushalmi, Ketubot 12:3; Zohar, Terumah, Achrei Mot)
(Me'am Lo'ez)
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