עזר כנגדו

מסתבר שכולנו בקיאים בתורה, או ליתר דיוק – היינו. אכן, במעי אמו, מלמדים להעובר כל התורה כולה. אלא כי רגע לפני צאתו לאויר העולם, בא המלאך ומשכחו. מהי אפוא מהותה ומטרתה של לימוד זו? ללמוד כדי לשכוח?

מנהג ישראל קדום להניח אבן על מצבת הקבר כשמבקרים בבית החיים. לפנינו סקירה כוללת על מקור המנהג וטעמו. הקיצו ורננו שוכני עפר.

Missing persons raise
tough questions. How long must we wait before they are presumed dead? What is
the mourning process? And may the missing person’s spouse ever remarry?

“Either way, they are My children” [Talmud].
Blood is thicker than water, they say. The bonds of family are the anchor of an emotionally and spiritually healthy life. But what happens to these relationships after one passes on? Do we “meet again on the other side”? Do families stick together in the hereafter? What about teachers and their pupils? Is this contingent on whether the two are buried in close proximity?
Do the souls of the departed maintain a relationship with those left behind? Do they relate to and empathize with the trivialities of our corporeal existence? Does prayer at their grave-site invoke merit on their behalf?

Ancient Jewish sources indicate that Jews would bury their dead twice. What was the reason for this?

“A single moment of repentance and good deeds in this world is greater than all of the World to Come” (Avot 4:17).
During the final stages of a terminal illness, a patient may endure pain and suffering with no hope of improvement. What measures must be undertaken to prolong the life of the patient?
What are the halachic requirements for administering nutrition, hydration, oxygen and antibiotics? Does the age or presence of mind of the patient play any role in the decision?
Although questions of this nature must be dealt with by a Rav moreh hora’ah b’poel on a case-by-case basis, this paper provides an overview of the relevant issues.