The book of Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis, gives us a peek into just that, focusing on the patriarch Jacob and the sage Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi.
The Torah tells us, "Jacob concluded commanding his sons... His sons did to him just as he commanded them" (Genesis 50:12). So, what were these commands? According to Bereshit Rabbah, they were threefold.
First, Jacob commanded his sons to abstain from idol worship. The text subtly references Hosea 5:11, "Because he willingly followed an order," interpreting it as a warning against following false prophets and engaging in idolatry. This makes sense, right? Jacob, having wrestled with God and established the Israelite nation, would want his descendants to remain monotheistic.
Second, he commanded them regarding blessing the Divine Name. Now, this is a euphemism. The text clarifies that this actually refers to not blaspheming God's name. Leviticus 24:16 states, "When he blasphemes the name he shall be put to death." So, Jacob was essentially telling his sons to revere God and avoid cursing His name. A pretty fundamental instruction!
The third command is perhaps the most interesting. Jacob instructed his sons on how to carry his bier, or coffin. He told them to ensure that no uncircumcised person touched it, lest the Shekhinah, the Divine Presence, depart from him. Intriguing, no? He instructed them to arrange themselves: three from the north, three from the south, three from the east, and three from the west. Why this specific arrangement? Jacob wanted them to mirror the future formation of the Israelite tribes in the wilderness, with the Divine Presence in the center. Talk about long-term vision!
The text then transitions to Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi, the redactor of the Mishnah, and his final instructions. It's like we're jumping forward in time, but the theme remains the same: the importance of legacy and proper conduct even in death.
Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi gave three commands of his own. First, he didn't want to be eulogized in the small towns. Why? To avoid disputes and overcrowding. Imagine the chaos if every small town vied for the honor of eulogizing him! He preferred the eulogies to be held in the larger cities.
Second, he instructed that his widow not be moved from his house. This might seem odd, but the text explains that normally, the widow of a Nasi, or leader, might not be able to stay in the residence if it was provided by public funds. However, in this case, Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi wanted it known that he hadn't benefited from public funds, so his wife had the right to remain. This was also so that people would not mistakenly think that the Nasi's house was dedicated to the office of the Nasi.
Third, he requested that those who had cared for him in life should continue to care for him in death. Rabbi Ḥanina of Tzippori identified these individuals as Yosei HaPinos and Yosei HaParti.
But wait, there's more! Rabbi Hizkiya added two more commands attributed to Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi: "Do not put on me many shrouds," and "Have my coffin be perforated to [be open to] the ground." The reasoning? Fewer shrouds mean fewer maggots. And a perforated coffin speeds up decomposition, which was considered beneficial for the soul.
This leads to a fascinating statement: "Not in the way that a person goes does he come." In other words, we won't be resurrected in the same state we were buried. If we were, Rabbeinu Yehuda HaNasi would have wanted to be well-dressed, even if it attracted maggots!
The rabbis, however, held a different view: "As a person goes, so he comes." Different opinions about resurrection!
Rabbi Yoḥanan, adding another layer to the conversation, commanded to be clothed in colored garments, neither white nor black. Why? He wasn't sure if he'd be summoned to be with the righteous (who appear in white) or the wicked (who appear in black), and he didn't want to be caught in the wrong outfit!
Rabbi Yoshiya, a disciple of Rabbi Yoḥanan, boldly contradicted his teacher, requesting to be clothed in fine white garments. When challenged, he simply stated, "Need I be ashamed of my actions?"
Finally, Rabbi Yirmeya took it a step further, asking to be clothed in fine white garments, socks, with his staff in hand and sandals on his feet, placed adjacent to the road, ready to arise at a moment's notice. Rabbi Yona, in the name of Rabbi Ḥama, added that "a man's feet are his guarantors to bring him wherever he is summoned," suggesting that we are destined to die in a particular location, and our feet will carry us there, whether we like it or not.
So, what do we take away from all this? These final commands, spanning from Jacob to the rabbis, offer a glimpse into their values, beliefs about the afterlife, and desires for how they would be remembered. They remind us that even in death, we leave a legacy, and that our actions and instructions can resonate for generations to come. What kind of legacy do we want to leave behind?