Siman - Berachos Daf 18 - Zichru Daf Simanim

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Siman - Berachos Daf 18

Relative is exempt even when not in front of deceased

The Mishnah on 17b states that someone who is required to bury his dead relative, who is right now in front of him, is exempt from mitzvos.

According to Rav Ashi, he is exempt from all mitzvos, even when not in the presence of the deceased.

Rav Ashi learns this from Avraham and the burial of Sarah. The pasuk says, And Avraham arose from the presence of his dead, followed by the next verse after Avraham had walked away, … that I may bury my dead from before me.

Beware mocking the dead

One is not permitted to wear tefillin, learn from a sefer or wear his tzitzis out in a cemetery. Doing so is considered mocking the dead (לעג לרש), because they can’t do mitzvos anymore.

Are dead aware of worldly events?

In discussing the question of whether the dead are aware of worldly events, the Gemara relates the story of a chasid who successfully planted his crops each year based on forecasts he overheard from two spirits talking in a cemetery.

Siman – Chuppah. Two spirits standing under a CHUPPAH in a cemetery discuss next year’s weather forecast and are overheard by a rich farmer who is tucking in his tzitzis and about to bury his mother.

Rabbi Avraham Goldhar

Rabbi Avraham Goldhar has been designing and teaching Jewish literacy courses for over thirty years. His knowledge frameworks for Biblical mastery, Jewish History, Talmudic Law & Jewish Holidays enable students of all backgrounds to better integrate Jewish concepts and learn systematically. After serving as the Educational Director of Aish HaTorah New York, Avraham launched GoldharSchool.com, Home of Big Picture Jewish Education, featuring Jewish literacy content for schools and individuals. He is the developer of the Goldhar Method, a revolutionary learning system that integrates memory into the learning process and has trained over 80,000 students, teachers and professionals. He lectures internationally on the topic of academic mastery and the solutions required to raise the bar in education. Avraham learned in Aish HaTorah, Mir, and Chaim Berlin and received his ordination under the tutelage of Rabbi Yitzchok Berkovits in Jerusalem.