Egg and vinegar on the face
Ellen Cleary
city, part of the ritual her Chevra Kadisha there followed was to put
some egg on the metah's face. If anyone knows the origin of that
tradition and/or what it's meaning might be, I'd love to learn more
about it.
Ellen Barnett Cleary
New Orleans Chevra Kadisha
--
>^,,^< >^,,^< >^,,^< >^,,^<
*Ellen*
Reply to: ellencleary @ cox dot net
GeorgeB
Yes, most Chevras apply a mix of vinegar and egg white to the forehead
of the meit. Some also apply it to the temples.
I have heard several reasons for this. The most prevalent is that,
during the Great Plague, so many bodies were being taken to the
cemetary that it was necessary to identify the Jewish bodies in some
way. The egg and vinegar form a glaze to assist in the identification.
A variant on this has it that the glaze consisted of egg white and red
wine, which would at least leave a clear stain.
Another view is that the egg & vinegar was to overcome the odor of the
body. Well, there is seldom an odor. And besides, the vinegar dries
quickly, ending any possible function.
IMHO we don't really know how this started, but it's as much a part of
the tahara as putting shards of clay on the mouth and eyes. (Another
message, I promise)
But here's an example of how tahara is mostly minhag (custom) rather
than halacha (law): I once found myself shorthanded in a tahara, and I
asked the Israeli shomer to help out. When we came to the egg and
vinegar, I carefully separated the white. I heard the Israeli snort at
this, and asked him what the problem was. "In Israel," he said, "we
use the yolk."
Go know.
George
LGP...@aol.com
rena
with vinegar and apply to the hairline for ladies and men. I have
heard explanations ranging from the dried white identifying the Jewish
remains, to masking any odor , to using the egg white on the eyelids to
help them stay closed. There is another level of discussion about
symbolic annointing, as in Biblical times, when oil was used to
annoint the heads of those who were rising to another spiritual realm
(as in King David). This is a "signal" to the soul that an elevation
was going to take place.
GeorgeB
Biblical times, when oil was used to anoint the heads of those who were
rising to another spiritual realm (as in King David). This is a
'signal' to the soul that an elevation
was going to take place."
I like this very much. There are many reasons we do what we do in a
tahara, but the greatest motivation is to add meaning and dignity to
death. To support Rena's insight, I quote the prayer said during the
"anointing":
V'zarakti aleichem mayim t'horim: "...I will pour upon you pure water,
and you will be purified of all your deflements, and from all your
abominations I will purify you." (Ezekiel 36:25)
That certainly captures the meaning of tahara, to purify.
I concur with LGPP that many chevras have dropped this element of the
tahara. In my experience with four chevras it has been a central part
of the service, but as I said, tahara is minhag, not halacha. The egg
and vinegar has come down to us through many generations. Its omission
strikes me as a sad loss of meaning. What have we found to replace it?
LGP...@aol.com
David Zinner
In his post of July 24, Isaac mentions a number of sources. Some of these have not been translated, or they may not be widely available. Isaac has been studying these as part of his PhD program.
Isaac, could we prevail upon you to provide us with a short English summary of these sources? Then we could all be on the same page.
David Zinner, Executive Director
Kavod v'Nichum
8112 Sea Water Path
Columbia, MD 21045
in...@Jewish-funerals.org
Halachic sources and traditions
Ramah 362
Kol Bo 104
Mavar YAbuk 125
Gasher Hachain #4
David Zinner
In Isaac’s July 25th post, he suggests that the egg and vinegar tradition is not minhag, but rather is tradition. His reasoning seems to be:
- This developed purely as a need to identify Jewish bodies
- It’s all irrelevant now.
But I fear it is not so easy to dismiss the egg and vinegar custom (or tradition). If we join a Chevra Kadisha, and are taught the practices, and we follow the practices, does that by definition make it Minhag?
The larger question may be - When do traditions become minhag, and when do we recognize a need to change minhag?
The Jewish Encyclopedia addresses this issue, but leaves me more confused than when I started.
Development of Custom.
As the Jews after the completion of the Talmud, wandered farther away from the centers of Jewish learning in Babylon, their customs became more and more divergent. Local usages grew up in every community, which were held in veneration by the people. Even the Geonim, who had a strong influence over the Jews of the Diaspora between the seventh and eleventh centuries, did not wish to tamper with the local "minhagim." They even frequently advocated the retention of a custom of which they themselves disapproved. In the course of time the customs increased in number; and the differences between them became very marked and portended danger of schism. Superstitions prevalent among the people of the dark ages frequently crept in among Jewish usages; and the Rabbis then became alarmed, and began to raise their voices against the multiplicity of customs. Maimonides vigorously decried this "minhag sickness," as Güdemann calls it, and Rabbenu Jacob Tam (1100-1171) said, in his epigrammatic style, that "minhag," when inverted, spells "gehinnam"; and that if fools are accustomed to do certain things, it does not follow that the wise should do likewise. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries many scholars endeavored to trace the origin of and the reason for the different customs; and a critical spirit prevailed even in the responsa of that period. This effort, the personal example of famous rabbis, and the synods that assembled at different places during that period, greatly helped toward introducing some uniformity in Jewish customs. The most important figure in this age is MhRIL, or Rabbi Jacob Levi Molin, who was born in the middle of the fourteenth century in Mayence and died in Worms in 1427. His book on minhagim, which was published after his death, became the standard for many generations for synagogal and communal customs (see Güdemann, "Gesch. des Erziehungswesens," iii.).
Clearly, there is no cookie cutter model for making the determination of tradition vs custom. However, it seems to me that it is not enough for one person to assert that a practice is tradition, not custom. Rather I think that for this kind of discussion to be useful, that additional clarity and understanding must be brought to
- the historical development of the tradition
- where the custom is currently practiced
- where the custom has been abandoned and why
I suggest a thorough analysis and lively discussion, which will hopefully lead to increased understanding.
In the mean time, it seems to me that the egg and wine tradition has taken on the status of minhag in many communities, and that where it is the minhag hamakom (the custom of the place), it shouldn’t be changed without due consideration.
But I’m only one voice.
David Zinner, Executive Director
Kavod v'Nichum
8112 Sea Water Path
Columbia, MD 21045
in...@Jewish-funerals.org
Regina Sandler-Phillips
There seems to be an excessive confusion of terminology here. For
practical purposes, there is no difference between "custom" and
"tradition" when speaking of what, in Hebrew, is called "minhag." The
bigger question is whether a ritual is considered minhag (i.e., custom,
tradition) or law (halakhah). From my studies and experience, I would
say that virtually all of what we do in taharah is minhag.
The first time the egg (and vinegar) ritual is mentioned is actually in
a halakhic source: Rabbi Moshe Isserles' gloss (running commentary,
from an Ashkenazic perspective) on the Shulkhan Arukh (352:4). (This
is Isaac's reference to Ramah 362, but I believe that is a typo, since
the actual citation is 352). Here is my translation of the gloss:
"And one rinses [the dead] well in every place, that he be clean from
all impurity. And one rubs his head with eggs beaten in their shell,
for this is a cycle that repeats in the world."
"...a cycle that repeats in the world" is a somewhat karmic reference
of the rabbis; it is also used in connection with poverty in the
Talmud. The implication seems to be that the beaten egg is applied to
the head (something like a shampoo) as life comes full circle in death.
See also Rabbi Mosha Epstein's discussion of this tradition (with a
more interpretive paraphrase of Isserles) and its various possible
rationales on page 31 of his Tahara Manual of Practices. (This could
easily lead into an extended discussion of Jewish views of the
afterlife, but I've still got shopping to do before Shabbat...).
Our hevra does not incorporate the egg mixture ritual, as indeed the
hevra from which we learned most of our traditions does not. Minhag is
fluid and subject to change over geography and time. Joseph Karo
(author of the Shulkhan Arukh) apparently did not consider this ritual
necessary to include from the Sephardic perspective of his era
(assuming that he was even aware of it), but Isserles found it
important to mention.
I would respectfully suggest that hevra members not overcomplicate this
issue. If this ritual is part of your local custom and your members are
comfortable with it, well and good. If not, and you have the time and
energy to do some study and discussion about it, well and good.
Otherwise, don't worry about it. The bottom line is our own best
understanding of k'vod hameit. In fact, many of us at the conclusion
of taharah draw upon a formulaic recitation requesting forgiveness of
the dead "if we did not act according to your honor, even though we
acted according to local custom."
May we go from strength to strength.
Shabbat Shalom,
Regina
Rabbi Regina L. Sandler-Phillips, LMSW, MPH
Ways of Peace Consulting and Educational Services
Brooklyn, New York
David Zinner wrote:
> In Isaac's July 25th post, he suggests that the egg and vinegar
> tradition is not minhag, but rather is tradition. His reasoning seems to
> be:
> 1. This developed purely as a need to identify Jewish bodies
> 2. It's all irrelevant now.
> 1. the historical development of the tradition
> 2. where the custom is currently practiced
> 3. where the custom has been abandoned and why
LGP...@aol.com
In his post of July 24, Isaac mentions a number of sources. Some of these have not been translated, or they may not be widely available. Isaac has been studying these as part of his PhD program.
Isaac, could we prevail upon you to provide us with a short English summary of these sources? Then we could all be on the same page.
David Zinner, Executive Director
Libby Bottero
inquiries to various congregations of various denominations around the
country to learn about various customs. It will come as absolutely no
surprise to anyone that when we received responses we found: A. many of
the general basics were similar (taharah, plain pine box, etc) , and B.
there were many variations of specific customs (use of egg, wine,
pottery shards, etc or none of the above).
One of the more interesting is the "Service for Preparing the Dead for
Burial" as used in the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation Shearith
Israel in New York City. Thanks to the very wonderful Rabbi Marc Angel
for sending it to us.
In general, their custom is to use simply cold water for washing. But
for an eminent or pious person there are seven washings with seven
different vessels: 1. plain water 2. soda & water 3. soap & water 4. &
5. plain water 6. myrtle leaves & water 7. cold water. No use of egg
or vinegar or wine or pottery or other stuff. The text is also
somewhat different from Ashkenazic versions.
In our chevra kadisha we tend to keep it simple and use only plain
water for washing, and Israel earth sprinkled in the coffin. Some add
pottery shards but none of our group uses any of the egg, vinegar or
other mixtures, though sometimes we add lavendar and rose petals from
our gardens.
Libby Bottero
Temple Beth Israel Chevra Kadisha
Eugene, Oregon
Neil Loomer
Our volunteer Chevra Kadisha will celebrate its 100th anniversary in
2007. We handle all of the funerals for our Jewish community, affiliated
or not.
We use plain pine boxes only and the bodies are wrapped in tachrichim
sewn by our members.
Our volunteers do the tahara and until I read about it in this forum I
had never heard of the egg and vinegar anointing. After all these years
I doubt very much if we would start this practice now.
Neil Loomer
Executive/Ritual Director
Beth Shalom Synagogue
11916 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, AB Canada T5K 0N9
Ph. (780) 488-6333 ext. 303
Fax (780) 488-6259
e-mail - ne...@e-bethshalom.org
www.bethshalomedmonton.org
MALK...@aol.com
GeorgeB
organization, although it was entirely organized by our synagogue. But
you need to be aware that non-profit status is not the same as
tax-deductible. Many non-profit organizations are not tax-deductible.
You'll need to obtain a determinaton from your state Attorney General
that you are not only non-profit, but serve a "charitable" purpose. The
functions of a chevra kadisha readily fall into this category. It's
just a lot of paperwork.
One alternative is to take contributions through the sponsoring
synagogue.
In Boca Raton, where I now live, the chevra is not separately
incorporated.
George
David Zinner
there are two very different questions - why and how.
Here are some "why" questions with my comments:
To present a public face to the world. A brochure and a web site will
get you started.
To make sure no one from the outside takes control of the Chevra
Kadisha. Wait until you're better established.
To set up rules for how the Chevra Kadisha will operate. You can have
rules for an unincorporated association.
To protect Chevra Kadisha members from being sued. Nothing will protect
you from getting sued. Having a corporation provides some legal
protection and makes it easier to get insurance.
To raise funds. Will contributions be at the level where tax deductions
matter to people?
Unless the Chevra Kadisha owns a building, or has bank accounts with
over $10,000, or faces lawsuits, it is not clear that incorporation is
needed.
However, there are some questions that the Chevra Kadisha world needs to
address and these are probably not addressed by legal structures.
A. Who is responsible if a volunteer Chevra Kadisha member is hurt while
doing a tahara? Is it the funeral home and its insurance company or the
Chevra?
B. How does the Chevra Kadisha set up rules, for example requiring
Hepatitis B vaccinations for anyone doing a Tahara?
C. Are the Chevra Kadisha members covered by any type of governmental
regulation such as OSHA, or state level OSHA?
How - The legal steps for more formally structuring a non-profit in the
United States usually are:
1. Incorporation - this is done at the state level - most states have
non-profit (or non-stock) corporation laws - most of the language is
standard, but you do have to agree on a purpose statement and have folks
who will serve on the board of directors - many lawyers will file the
papers, and do other similar kinds of legal work, pro bono.
2. Tax exempt status - if you want donations to the Chevra to be tax
exempt, you need to deal with the IRS. Under section 501-c-3, religious
or educational organizations can attain tax exempt status. This means
they pay no taxes on any income, and donors can deduct contributions
(not fees for service). Synagogues do not have to apply for this status,
it is automatic for houses of worship.
3. Solicitation - if your chevra kadisha will be doing significant
solicitation for donations, check with the rules of your state. You may
need to register with the attorney general's office.
LGP...@aol.com
In Isaac’s July 25th post, he suggests that the egg and vinegar tradition is not minhag, but rather is tradition. His reasoning seems to be:
- This developed purely as a need to identify Jewish bodies
- It’s all irrelevant now.
But I fear it is not so easy to dismiss the egg and vinegar custom (or tradition). If we join a Chevra Kadisha, and are taught the practices, and we follow the practices, does that by definition make it Minhag?
The larger question may be - When do traditions become minhag, and when do we recognize a need to change minhag?
The Jewish Encyclopedia addresses this issue, but leaves me more confused than when I started.
Development of Custom.
As the Jews after the completion of the Talmud, wandered farther away from the centers of Jewish learning in Babylon, their customs became more and more divergent. Local usages grew up in every community, which were held in veneration by the people. Even the Geonim, who had a strong influence over the Jews of the Diaspora between the seventh and eleventh centuries, did not wish to tamper with the local "minhagim." They even frequently advocated the retention of a custom of which they themselves disapproved. In the course of time the customs increased in number; and the differences between them became very marked and portended danger of schism. Superstitions prevalent among the people of the dark ages frequently crept in among Jewish usages; and the Rabbis then became alarmed, and began to raise their voices against the multiplicity of customs. Maimonides vigorously decried this "minhag sickness," as Güdemann calls it, and Rabbenu Jacob Tam (1100-1171) said, in his epigrammatic style, that "minhag," when inverted, spells "gehinnam"; and that if fools are accustomed to do certain things, it does not follow that the wise should do likewise. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries many scholars endeavored to trace the origin of and the reason for the different customs; and a critical spirit prevailed even in the responsa of that period. This effort, the personal example of famous rabbis, and the synods that assembled at different places during that period, greatly helped toward introducing some uniformity in Jewish customs. The most important figure in this age is MhRIL, or Rabbi Jacob Levi Molin, who was born in the middle of the fourteenth century in Mayence and died in Worms in 1427. His book on minhagim, which was published after his death, became the standard for many generations for synagogal and communal customs (see Güdemann, "Gesch. des Erziehungswesens," iii.).
Clearly, there is no cookie cutter model for making the determination of tradition vs custom. However, it seems to me that it is not enough for one person to assert that a practice is tradition, not custom. Rather I think that for this kind of discussion to be useful, that additional clarity and understanding must be brought to
- the historical development of the tradition
- where the custom is currently practiced
- where the custom has been abandoned and why
I suggest a thorough analysis and lively discussion, which will hopefully lead to increased understanding.
In the mean time, it seems to me that the egg and wine tradition has taken on the status of minhag in many communities, and that where it is the minhag hamakom (the custom of the place), it shouldn’t be changed without due consideration.
But I’m only one voice.
David Zinner, Executive Director
-----Original Message-----
From: jewish-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:jewish-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of LGP...@aol.com
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 10:06 AM
To: jewish-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [jewish-funerals] Re: Egg and vinegar on the face