Death As Life

Death is  something we all deal with on a constant basis. We receive emails, hear about, read in the newspaper, see on the internet etc. etc. reports abut the latest deaths. Young people, old people, sick people, healthy people, rich people, poor people, it doesn't matter. The Angel of Death doesn't discriminate and he'll take anyone and eventually he'll get EVERYONE. That "everyone" includes the person writing this and the people reading it. The thought of one's demise and that of those close to you [רח"ל] is the cause of no small amount of anxiety for many. Others simply try not to think about it and bury [excuse the pun] the thought deep into the far reaches of their consciousness.

How are we supposed to view death? Writes Rav Kook: המות הוא חזיון שוא, טומאתו היא שקרו, מה שבני אדם קוראים מות הרי הוא רק תגבורת החיים ותעצומתם. ומתוך השקיעה התהומית בקטנות, אשר יצר לב האדם השקיע אותו בה, הרי הוא מצייר את תגבורת החיים הזאת בצורה מדאיבה ותשוכה, שהוא קוראה מות. מתעלים הם הכהנים בקדושתם מהקשבה שקרית זו, שאי אפשר להמלט ממנה כל זמן שהממשל הכזבי כל כך שולט בעולם, כי אם בהעברת העינים מהמחזה המביא את רשמי ההטעאה הללו אל הנפש, על כל נפשות מת לא יבא, לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו. 

"Death is an illusion, its defilement (tum'a) is its deception; what people refer to as death is actually the epitome of life. Yet through the superficial vision into which man is plunged by following his inclincation, he paints the epitome of life as a dark and dreary picture which he calls death. The holy priests must shield themselves from this falsehood, so long as this lie rules the world. They must protect their eyes from this vision which engrains this mistake upon the soul, hence they shall not come into contact with the dead, they shall not defile themselves."  [Oros Hakodesh 2/40]

What an original insight! Kohanim must not come into contact with death in order to protect themselves from the mistake of seeing death as the cessation of life. It is actually the EPITOME of life.

If a person views life from the perspective of the body then death is a terrible blow. One cannot deny that the body descends into the earth. But if one views death from the perspective of the soul, then there is no death but a strengthening of true life.

[It is interesting to contrast this with the perspective of Rav Chaim Soloveitchik who was afraid of death and in order to deal with this fear would learn the halachos. This is mentioned in the Halachic Man. The laws of Parah Aduma which purifies one from the contamination of death are a chok [beyond human comprehension], explained Rav Soloveitchik, because death is a chok.] 

 

We say on the Yomim Noraim אדם יסודו מעפר וסופו לעפר - A person came from dust and will return to dust. There is an old Chassidic saying which adds "but in the interim he has a li-chaim in hand".

 

LI-CHAIM!!!:)