Zayin Adar: Commemorating a day off

Anyone with a particular skill usually wants to show it off; great singers love to sing in public, people gifted with comic timing love to tell jokes, a great negotiator loves to negotiate, and a financial planner loves to plan people’s finances. There is only one group of people who have specific, non-transferable skills and really do not want to show these skills off. These are the members of the chevra kadisha, the holy assembly of people tasked with the preparation of bodies for ceremonial burial. While most people want more business and more opportunities to show off their special skills, the chevra kadisha actually prays for the day when their special skills are no longer necessary.

As long as there have been chevrot kadisha, and as long as there has been Jewish ceremonial preparation of bodies for burial, there has been the custom among the members of this chevra to observe a holiday on the date of zayin Adar, the seventh day of the lunar month of Adar. This special day of observance among the members of this sacred society is significant because traditionally, on this day, the services of the chevra kadisha were not necessary at the death and internment of Moshe Rabeinu on Har Nevo in the midbar (desert). The Chazal teach that, to show respect for not only the dignity but the holiness of Moshe, Hashem himself performed the taharah ritual and prepared the body for burial. It has become customary, therefore, for chevrot kadisha around the world to recognize this “day off,” and to gather together to both complete ceremonial business—in some places to elect their boards and confirm constitutions, etc.—and also to enjoy each other’s company (which is not something these people typically do when they are together). Additionally, as zayin Adar almost never falls on Shabbos, it is truly a “day off” for those whose toils seem to never cease.

The preparations for burial include many piyutim and psalms that members of the chevra kadisha know almost by heart. One phrase truly captures the solemnity and ritual that is embodied each time this chevra gathers to do their work: “Pitchu sha’arim v’yavo goy tzadik, shomer emunim”; “Let the gates open and let the righteous nation enter, those who keep the L-rd’s faith.” Chevrot kadisha around the world participate in true chessed shel emet, true thankless acts of kindness. It is their commemoration and observance of our faith’s burial customs that maintains the dignity of our communities; it is their performance—above and beyond the typical call of duty—that model for us how to maintain the dignity of the living each and every day. It is their recognition of the importance of a “day off” from honest, virtuous work that reminds us all of the necessity of contributing meaningfully to society, whether others recognize our contributions or whether they go unnoticed and ignored.

This year, as in other years, the chevra kadisha of this community will be holding their annual chevra kadisha seudah on Wednesday, February 29th at the Young Israel of Woodmere. All are welcome to give thanks to this group who never ask for thanks, but, thanks to them, our continuity as an Am Kadosh, a holy nation, is guaranteed. Rabbi Eli Mansour, a noted speaker, will deliver a lecture entitled “Insights to Purim” at 8 PM. For reservations, please contact the YIW office at 516-295-0150.

Dr. Jeffrey Ratz has been a member of a chevra kadisha in various cities for over 30 years. He maintains a chiropractic practice in Brooklyn, NY. He lives with his wife, Pearl, in Woodmere, NY where they are members of Young Israel of Woodmere; together they have four children, each of whom is actively involved in his or her Jewish community from New York, to Maryland, to Jerusalem, Israel.