Pensamiento judío sobre Números 19:14

The greatest tragedy is the death of the soul, which, but for the sins of its owner would have retained an eternal existence. When the Torah in this chapter talks about "life and good" and "death and evil," the terms are not employed in the usual manner. In verse 15 "life" is contrasted with "death", blessings with curses. In the first half of our Parshah we talk about two kinds of life and about two kinds of death. We distinguish between "life" and "good life" on the one hand, and "death" and "absolute death" on the other hand. When observance of Torah commandments is counselled in Deut 6,24, i.e. "so that it shall be good for us for all times, to keep us alive as of this day," the "good" that is meant is being part of a world that is all "good" i.e. without death; the part about "to keep us alive as of this day," however, refers to our existence here on earth. The matter is similar to a person who is offered the choice of two precious stones. One of them is reputed to possess healing powers, but lacks in lustre. The second stone is all brilliance, but is not known to possess any intrinsic qualities. The fool will choose the second stone, being mindful only of what the eye beholds. The wise buyer however, will weigh quality against external eye appeal, and choose the stone with the reputed intrinsic value. Similarly, the Torah in our Parshah. Concerning death also, two choices are offered. 1) There is death due to physical pain, disability etc. 2) There is death that results from the soul having become corrupted. The latter death is absolute, and though at first glance it might appear that people are doing everything to avoid death, they ought to be mindful of our sages' interpretation of the verse (Numbers 19,14) "this is the Torah, man dies in the tent." The Rabbis understand this line as follows; "He who dies in the tent," refers to him who is willing to face physical death to assure himself of a continued existence. The Yalkut Genesis 14, phrases it thus, "if he will live, he will die; if he will die, he will live." The Torah was not satisfied in telling its reader what his objective in life should be, but also explained how to reach that objective. Not only does the Torah explain the way towards that objective, but it also explains how to avoid losing one's way. Just as the science of medicine is divided into therapy on the one hand, and preventive medicine on the other, so does Torah address itself to both problems. Naturally, having once lost one's health, regaining it is a laborious process. On the other hand, preserving one's health and guarding it against the ravages of disease is relatively easier. Regaining one's moral health is also a laborious process. The Torah is quite precise in spelling out the consequences of treading the right path. (30,16) "You will live and multiply," as opposed to the result of taking the wrong path, (30,17) "You will surely perish." The emphasis on "I am informing you this day," at the outset of this verse, introduces a concept that former generations for a variety of reasons did not heed. This concept is that there is something beyond physical death that has to be considered. The reference to life in Eretz Yisrael, which is described as yerushah, an inheritance, something enduring, is to stress that life assumes a totally different dimension from life in chutz la-aretz, outside the holy land. Isaiah describes it in chapter 60,21, (discussion of Israel restored to its land) "Your nation are all righteous people; they will endure in the land forever." Moses calls Heaven and Earth as witness, (verse 19) They are reliable advisors to ensure that we tread the right path. Their existence being an enduring one, they will be around forever, to remind us by their presence of the covenant we have entered into.

We observe in nature that decomposition becomes more offensive in direct ratio to the esteem the decomposing object was held in while it was still functioning. When vegetables rot, the resulting compost is foul smelling and distasteful. When man or beast dies, the stench accompanying decomposition is overwhelming. Conversely, keeping one's distance from rotting objects is praiseworthy precisely in the degree of the rottenness involved. Keeping one's distance from wicked people or sinners makes one pure, good. Opposing bestiality however, makes one saintly, holy. We can apply this concept also to matters of the spirit, to moral matters. When a saintly person abandons his way of life, the disgust we feel with such a person far exceeds the disappointment one feels when an ordinary person sins. Again, a saintly person who has once abandoned his former saintly lifestyle, will be far more likely to adopt a diametrically opposite lifestyle than an ordinary person. Immoral acts committed by people who used to be pillars of morality, are far worse than destructive acts committed by wild animals, which will not act worse as they get older. When plants wilt, resulting in minor putrification as they turn back into earth, the Torah does not decree any law of impurity concerning them. Animals, which lose their body as well as their animalistic soul at death, decay and rot, and become quite putrid. The Torah decreed a relatively light degree of impurity concerning contact with cadavers. Man, who is possessed of the power of speech, proof of a higher soul and intellect, undergoes a far greater depreciation from his former lofty status when he dies. Therefore, the Torah decrees impurity not only upon contact, but even when merely in an enclosed space with the corpse. Seven days mourning is observed for one's family or highly placed individuals. One is tempted to view this as proof that the destruction of a human intellect results in negative emanations spiritually, similar to the foul smelling emanations from a decaying body. In the language of our sages, such emanations are called ruach tum-ah, the spirit of impurity. When one accepts the principle that only Jewish corpses convey such impurity even without contact, by merely sharing the same confined space, then this would demonstrate that the loss of a Jewish life is an even more serious occurrence than the loss of life per se. (Yevamot 61) We are told there that the line adam ki yamut ba-ohel, an Adam that dies in a tent, refers to a Jew. The meaning of the line then is: "only someone called Adam, i.e. a Jew can confer impurity by merely being in the same tent with the living." (compare Ezekiel chapter thirty four as to who qualifies for the title "Adam.") In Yadayim 4,6, the Rabbis stipulate that the degree of impurity that attaches to something is in direct relation to its belovedness in the eyes of G'd. This principle was acknowledged even by the Saducees, heretics in many other aspects of Torah interpretation. It is quite true that the basic concept of tum-ah, impurity, escapes us. We can only surmise by studying the applications of the regulations concerning tum-ah. The one thing that is certain is, that this impurity is not rooted in the purely physical part of man or beast, but is connected to the life force which does not exist in botany, in "plant life." Since, in the case of man, death causes the loss not only of the life force, but also that of the intellect, the degree of tum-ah that results, is more severe. Since a Jew is on a higher plane, his death causes still more tum-ah, seeing that even greater values have been lost through his death. In fact, tum-ah starts already during one's lifetime. Since the manner of one's lifestyle may hasten death, every unworthy act or thought may hasten the onset of such impurity. This is why our sages in Berachot 18, describe the wicked as "dead" already during their lifetime, since after death, tum-ah never departs from their souls, each one according to the amount he has accumulated. The righteous, on the other hand, the one whose conduct during his lifetime had been praiseworthy, retains an unsullied soul, and such soul does not become contaminated with tum-ah upon his death. The verse in Leviticus 11, 43, "do not become contaminated by them, else you will be contaminated by them," means "don't become tarnished by them during your lifetime, so that you will not find yourself tarnished by them when you die." On the other hand, the righteous are called "the living ones" even after their physical deaths. Since they have avoided the spirit of impurity, they have essentially remained alive. This is what is meant in the Midrash referred to earlier, that it is not death that causes impurity, nor is it the red heifer that imparts impurity.