Sefer ha-tsava’ah (Book of the Testament): Ethical Will

Now I will give instructions concerning how to look after me from the beginning of my final illness—when the day of judgment comes, during all the period of my illness, and the time of my death, when my soul leaves my body, and when my body is taken from its bed and buried; also during purification, making the coffin, and the matters regarding shrouds, during the funeral, burial, closure of the grave; and regarding the conduct of mourning during the shivah [first seven days], the thirty days, and the twelve months, as well as my perpetual honor after my death, and the ritual of the annual memorial day. [ . . . ]

1. During the time of my [final] sickness, at the very beginning, when it is decreed that I must go the way of all the earth, the Holy Society [i.e., burial society] and the members of my household should look after me, following the instructions given in my book, Bet Rachel, in the chapter dealing with preparation, which is also called the “Gate of the Living Soul.” And they should not omit anything. I ask the leaders of the burial and charitable society to do for me this true mercy, and not to move from the room where I am lying, so that together with the members of my household who are not otherwise busy, there will always be a quorum of ten men there—ten not counting me. They should take turns, so that there will never be less, day and night, during the whole period of my illness, from its beginning. They should study and pray and recite psalms, and continue doing so until the grave is closed, according to everything that is written in my aforementioned book, which is still in manuscript.

2. During the whole period of my illness, my tallit katan [garment worn under clothing] with the proper tassels and girdle should not be taken off me. Even if I should lose my sanity, God forbid, they will be kept pure. I am mentioning this separately, although it is written in my book, because of my love for this commandment.

3. As the process of dying begins, they should immediately immerse themselves ritually in water. All those who wish to take care of my body after my death should immerse themselves that very day, and if, God forbid, my death is prolonged a day or two longer, then their first immersion is not enough, and they should immerse themselves once again after my soul has departed. No one should touch my bed, no less my body, unless he has immersed himself that very day.

4. Even though everyone makes his declaration against the saboteur, that is, the agitator who comes up to accuse throughout the year, and sometimes even every day, a word in due season is always a good thing, particularly if it is actually near one’s death, when a man accepts lovingly the yoke of heaven and rejects idolatry. This is tantamount to accepting the whole Torah and fulfilling all its precepts. Because I worry that my mind will be confused and my words heavy, I hereby empower and authorize those who stand beside me at that time to do all this for me, to make a declaration and to accept the yoke of heaven in my name. Their action is for good and not for evil, because I have authorized them to do so for my benefit. And I renounced any power to abolish or even to change this authorization, God forbid, for all my earthly life. It must remain strong and valid, and any thoughts or temptations, God forbid, not to mention any words or actions to change it, are canceled and annulled, invalid and nonexistent. The authorization is valid forever. [ . . . ]

6. At the time of my death the Holy Society should order that a declaration be made in the quorum of ten, under [the fear of] a great ban and with the blowing of a ram’s horn, that after my death, none of my descendants should weep in the room where I lie, and that only distant relatives should accompany me.

7. When my soul departs they should take care that I do not move my legs or any other part of my body out of the bed; they should cover me, even using force, if, God forbid, I am acting like a madman.

8. Once my soul has departed from my body, this is what the Holy Society should do to me before putting me in the ground. The leaders of the burial society should take my body and lay me naked on the ground without a sheet under my body. Covering me only a span in front and two spans behind, they should say: “If this deceased was sentenced to be stoned, this should be considered as stoning, as if he had been stoned in the High Court in Jerusalem.” They should do so four times, one after the other. The second time they should say: “If this deceased is sentenced to be burnt, this should be considered as stoning, which is severer than burning, because we accept what the rabbis said against Rabbi Shimon, when he claimed that burning is more severe, and a man who has received two death sentences should be punished with the severer of the two, as Maimonides ruled as well.” The third time they should say: “If this deceased is sentenced to decapitation, this stoning should be instead of decapitation, because stoning is severer than decapitation according to all opinions.” The fourth time they should say: “If this deceased is sentenced to strangulation, this stoning should be instead of strangulation, because according to all opinions stoning is more severe than strangling.”

After all this they should lift me up a little into the air to about my standing height, with my head up as if they were executing the sentence of hanging, because all those who are stoned are also hanged. After that, they should put me in the ground as is the way of all the earth. I ask the Holy Society not to deny me this, God forbid, under the pretext that this does not honor the dead. On the contrary, it does me honor and it does me merit. I do not pardon them if they change my command and fail to treat me in this way; it is a positive commandment to do what the dead request, and this is a mercy, a true mercy they can show me.

9. When my body is lying on the ground before the purification, ten or more people should encircle it, one close to the other, touching so that no space is left between them. They should study chapters from the Mishnah that begin with the letters of my name Naphtali Ha-Kohen. [ . . . ] They should also recite chapters from Psalms that start with the letters of my name. [ . . . ] In reciting these psalms and verses of the letters of my name, they should concentrate on asking for mercy on my behalf, so that when I am asked my name in the World of Truth, I will not forget it. My name will be ready on my tongue, so I will suffer no shame or disgrace and say it immediately, and also to “repair” my name.

10. While washing my body with the purification water, they will pour nine kab measures of water over it. This should be done four times, to “repair” the four letters of the divine Name [YHWH] that I have blemished. . . . They should also concentrate on correcting the blemish that I brought about in the Four Worlds [of the cosmos in the kabbalistic system]: Emanation, Creation, Making, Action, and then my flesh will be like that of a young person who has not tasted sin. The vessel of the nine kab measures should be measured in the equivalent of eggs, in the same way as the amount of bread for Passover is measured, that is, approximately.

11. While washing my body they should recite Psalm 29 with the seven verses that [King] David said over water, with the intention that their prayer should ease for me the judgments of the seven eras that pass over man. [ . . . ]

14. All this should be done specifically by people who have ritually immersed themselves in water. Before their immersion they should confess and think of repentance, as it is said “Gather yourselves together and assemble together” [Zeph. 2:1], and as it is said, “The innocent shall come and atone for the guilty.”

15. During my funeral no one who has hated me or mocked my learning should be allowed to escort me. This will be declared when I am taken out of the house. Their hatred and envy is now long gone.

16. My [burial] shrouds, together with a prayer shawl, a gown (kittel), and everything that is needed, are ready. It is all sewn in a garment of black linen, so it will not get wet, and on the sack is written “shrouds for a man.” They are kept in the box that I have always taken on journeys, and always kept with me, so that I should not be wrapped in a prayer shawl that is not mine, and so that I should always remember the day of my [impending] death. It also contains soil from the land of Israel, wrapped in paper. Most of this should be scattered over my body and all my limbs, and especially on the phallus, while the verse “and His land will atone His people” [Deut. 32:43] is recited.

17. Since I am a kohen (priest) and a firstborn, who, according to the custom, is buried in a full coffin, in which the flesh does not disintegrate easily, I ask the burial society to use thin planks and to drill holes in the planks so the earth will get in and the flesh will disintegrate quickly.

18. During my funeral, a copy of my book Birkat Ha-Shem should be put on my bier until it reaches the grave, but not in the grave itself. Charity should be given both during the funeral and when my body is placed in to the grave, as in the verse “Righteousness shall go before him” [Ps. 85:14], even if only a little can be given. It is written “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate” [Isa. 59:17].

19. If the Lord should favor me so that I might buy a burial site during my lifetime, how good it would be. But if not, I ask my modest and pious wife, may she live, even though everything is left for her, that she donate from the money she has in order to provide a vessel for the synagogue in my eternal memory. This will be instead of purchasing a burial place, and so I will not rest on plundered land.

20. It is my order, on penalty of the ban of my fathers, that I shall not be eulogized anywhere. Letters should be sent to every place where the couriers reach, that I have ordered, on penalty of a ban, that I should not be eulogized, neither in the cemetery nor in the synagogue. Even without a eulogy, I should not be praised by any title, as righteous or pious, and so on. This is the only way I wish to be praised: That he was accustomed to study page by page, and was well-versed even in homilies, and was close to the truth in everything. This will I speak in the world to Truth, even against kings, and I will not be ashamed. What was done to me in this world of Falsehood was due to pride and jealousy. No praise is to be carved on the whole tombstone, only these words and no other, “Here lies the rabbi, our teacher, Naphtali ha-Kohen, son of the great rabbi who was prominent in his generation, our teacher, Rabbi Isaac ha-Kohen, descended from a high succession of several generations of the greatest of the land, who were the heads of his family from all sides, and he enjoyed priestly descent from Aaron, priest to the Lord of heavens.” And the details of the year should also be written. [ . . . ]

24. Candles should be lit in the synagogue in the place where I used to sit. If the place in question is no longer mine, then they should hire it for a full year in order to light them there. And if this is not possible, God forbid, then they should light the candle at the place where the eternal light is lit [in the synagogue]. During the first thirty days they should also light candles in my home, continuing to light them in the synagogue until after the Yahrzeit.

25. During each daily lesson of Mishnah, Zohar, and Berakhot, there should always be a quorum of ten, and the rabbis should not come in in groups. They should also say Kaddish in a quorum of ten after each lesson separately.

26. In order to cover the payment for those who would study on my behalf during the thirty days and throughout the whole year, as well as the expenses for the candles, I have put aside one hundred copies of my book. Each of those who studies should take some books as payment. My in-laws and my relatives will also help to fulfill such a religious obligation in order to benefit my soul and those of others. Everyone should buy some of the books. “Those who are for the Lord will come to me” in order to be among those who achieve this merit. This will be called upon their name, Wealth and riches shall be in their house, and their righteousness shall endure forever.

This is the end of the twenty-six paragraphs having to do with the dignity of the Lord, for the unification of the Lord and his Shekhinah, and for the merit of my soul.