[jewish-funerals] pieces of earthenware
A. Sandler
Thank you in advance.
Adriana Sandler
Stan & Sheryl Katz
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Aptaker
you read, but here are a some meanings of the custom from sources on
my book shelf:
"The Shach (362, 1) describes the custom of placing earthenware over
the eyes and mouth when using caskets. The earthenware is symbolic of
earth coming in direct contact with the deceased. (from Moshe
Epstein's book).
So, in this sense the earthenware serves the same purpose as the
symbolic sprinkling of Jerusalem earth over the deceased, as was
mentioned in Sheryl's post, "You come from the earth and to the earth
you shall return" (Gen. 3:19) or "He is mindful that we are but
dust" (Psalm 103:14)
"The Code of Jewish Law (Yoreh Deah 352:4) requires only that the eyes
of the deceased be closed." (Kolatch, A.) Some use the pottery shards
as a way to keep the "organs" closed (eyes, mouth) as mandated by the
sages. "But they (the Kohanim) are not to enter and see the
dismantling of the Sanctuary, lest they die." (Num. 4:20)
Hope that helps,
Rich
Ilene Rubenstein
| Although I cannot quote you sources, and don't know if this is correct, I have also heard that the shards of pottery represent the Kabbalistic "breaking of the vessels" that occurred at the time of creation. I. --- On Sun, 12/26/10, Aptaker <rapt...@comcast.net> wrote: |
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Daniel Mandel
Sent from my MOTOBLUR™ smartphone on AT&T
-----Original message-----
From: "A. Sandler" <sand...@gmail.com>
To: jewish-...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sun, Dec 26, 2010 18:48:07 GMT+00:00
Subject: [jewish-funerals] pieces of earthenware
I am interested to know what the meaning and origin is of placing pieces of earthenware on the met/metah's eyes and mouth after he/she is placed in the coffin.
Thank you in advance.
Adriana Sandler
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DANIEL LEGER
It is so good that we have a place to ask these kinds of questions and think about them, do a little research, and talk with one another about it.
As with most things, there is usually a “practical” aspect to certain practices. As any of us who have attended a death or performed many taharot are aware, the eyes and mouth sometimes lose the ability to close voluntarily and, once death takes place, are resistant to being “forced” into a closed position. The white “bandage” around the head of Marley’s ghost in the famous movie version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is to keep his slack mouth shut after death, and coins were long used to close the open eyes of the dead, but with some thing of value to show respect to the deceased. I wonder if we did not adapt some of this practice by “closing” the eyes of the meit/ah with something consistent with the natural material used in the tachrihim and aron, and it just became standard customary practice.
This is a practice I personally could do without. Sometimes we use a bit of Vaseline to close the eyes and then cover them with shards. The earth from eretz Yisrael seems sufficient to me, but some may be troubled by the placement of dirt in open eyes. Perhaps this added to the perceived need for the practice of placing shards and then covering the sharded eyes with dust as being more respectful.
Daniel Leger
Pittsburgh
Sandra Ottenberg
The answer is found on Page 24 in Rabbi Epstein’s book Tahara Manual of Practices.
Ralph Zuckman
The following is an excellent explanation.
Ralph Zuckman
Chairman, Jewish Cemetery Association of North America
Sherblach/earth
The practice of placing sherblach, shards of pottery, over the eyes of the met/metah, has its origins in Torah and in Psalms. They symbolize the earth to which the met/metah is being returned. “For dust you are and unto dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19). Also in Psalms 103:14, “God is mindful that we are but dust” (Kolatch, 1993, p.39). The mystics were concerned that the eyes should be covered because eyes that could still look upon this world could not focus on the next. The sherblach also acted to prevent the deceased from seeing any possible misdeeds of their relatives, while fragments placed over their mouth ensured that when in the next world the met/metah would not speak ill of any person who may have insulted them (Weiner, 1999, p.48).
Another interpretation of their function is that our life in this world is seen to be as frail as the fragility of pottery (Press, 1990, p. 43). Covering the eyes also has a connection to Aaron and the Kohanim, the priests in the Temple. As the sherblach are placed over the eyes, some Hevra Kadisha members may recite “Let them not draw near to see the sanctuary being dismantled, lest they die” (Numbers 4:20). The Kohanim, the priests, were responsible for setting up and covering the vessels in the sanctuary. No one else was even permitted to look at these objects, thereby protecting their sacredness (Kolatch, 1993, p.39). The sherblach and the fabric face covering thus act to protect the vision of the soul about to enter olam ha’ba and the sight of those still living in this world. Any form of pottery can be used – broken dishes, preferably kosher, or clay flowerpots.
.Unlike the use of sherblach, sprinkling earth in the casket was a much more universal custom. Sprinkling the earth on the met/metah and around the aron also has symbolic and mystical import. The earth used is nearly always earth imported from Israel. The earth is added to symbolically hasten the decomposition of the body, thereby reducing the “anguish suffered by the departed soul” (Weiner, 1999, p.41). Also there is a mystical belief that the souls of those who have been buried in exile, outside of Israel, must be returned to Israel before they can be resurrected. Adding soil from Israel to the aron is understood to aid in this future resurrection of the person when the time of the Mashiah (the Messiah) arrives.
A. Sandler
Adriana Sandler
Lynn Greenhough
Hi Ralph,
Just a note that this excerpt is from my thesis “We Do the Best We Can:” Thought it sounded familiar!
Regards,
Lynn Greenhough
Rabbi Mel Glazer
You are an icon, enjoy it!
Mel
Ralph Zuckman
Lynn,
You did a marvelous job---yasher koach.
Ralph Zuckman