Dei'ah Vedibur - Information &
Insight
  

A Window into the Chareidi World

14 Elul, 5780 - September 3, 2020 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
NEWS

OPINION
& COMMENT

OBSERVATIONS

HOME
& FAMILY

IN-DEPTH
FEATURES

VAAD HORABBONIM HAOLAMI LEINYONEI GIYUR

TOPICS IN THE NEWS

POPULAR EDITORIALS

HOMEPAGE

 

Produced and housed by
chareidi.org
chareidi.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEWS
Gedolei Yisroel Against New Burial Methods

by Binyomin Rabinowitz

A burial wall
3

To see the original letters click here.

A letter written in 5776 and signed by HaRav AYL Shteinman zt"l and ylct"a HaRav Chaim Kanievsky and HaRav Gershon Edelstein shlita, reads (in part): "We were commanded by the Torah to bury the dead. Burial of the dead, it is ruled in the Shulchan Oruch (Yoreh Dei'ah 362) is in real earth (bekarka mamash), as the posuk says, `...and you will return to the dust.' It is not good to change the form of burial that is traditional, by burying the dead in tiers and the like. We hereby declare our opinion on this that no changes should be made in the form of burial that is customary that incorporates our received traditions, which is the burial that was intended by Chazal. Whoever makes changes is at a loss. It is obligatory on anyone who can to try to ensure that no changes are made in the form of burial, and that they should allow burial in every place in keeping with the dignity of the departed. And may we soon merit to see those who slumber in the dust to awaken and rejoice. In our time..."

An important letter was written back on 3 Adar II, 5746 (1986) by HaRav Eliashiv to the head of the Chevra Kadisha Kehillas Yerushalayim. After he describes the proposal for burial on tiers and floors at the time, which was far from the current totally unhalachic approach used today, but was different floors that were connected by continuous earth between the floors and the graves, and nonetheless Maran HaRav Eliashiv zt"l wrote: "In my opinion, aside from what Rashi says in Sanhedrin (46b) that burial brings atonement, "that he may achieve atonement by the fact that they lower him and degrade him down," which indicates that the atonement is achieved by burial below ground level. Aside from this the proposal to bury in a building with a number of levels is a change from the custom up until now. See Shut Dudai Sadeh (30) that customs with regard to the dead of more strict than other customs.

"And even though in chutz la'aretz sometimes they buried one on top of another, we certainly cannot learn from the impossible to the possible. There the authorities gave the Jews only a small area for burial and therefore they were forced to bury the dead on top of the dead. But when there is a possibility [of avoiding this], it is certain that one should not change the customs of burial that were used for generations, even if it may be necessary to locate the cemetery far from the city. I think that in our Holy Land there are still spaces for burial and thus I do not see any need to consider this plan."

Unequivocal rulings were issued by the Igros Moshe and the Minchas Yitzchok.

Another view of the burial wall
3

HaRav Shmuel Halevi Wosner and HaRav Nissim Karelitz zt"l wrote: "And the great rabbis of our time already protested this loudly. See the Minchas Yitzchok and the Igros Moshe that this is prohibited because it is following the customs of non-Jews... We hereby declare our opinion to the community of Yirei Hashem who want to do the mitzvah properly without and deviation from the way of those who preceded us, that they should strive to fulfill the mitzvah of burial in the ground mamash, as the halochoh indicates. This is of great benefit to the deceased as Chazal say it gives them atonement and it is better to bury in the ground even far away than to bury in a building above the ground."

Recently there was a shocking leakage of blood and body fluids into the street at Har Hamenuchos near one of these new burial walls. It was also seem that rain water entered some of the concrete cells. The Chevra Kadisha burial societies refuse - against the law - to allow public access to thousands of traditional graves in grounds under their auspices. Our gedolim, past and present, cry out at the desecration.

 

All material on this site is copyrighted and its use is restricted.
Click here for conditions of use.