B'nai Israel Reform Temple 67(*U*U-Bohcml*Road OaUale, LL, N.Y.11769 631-563-1660 Rabbi Steven A. Moss, D.D., D. Min. Cantor Howard Nachl President Ira Rosenfeld David Zinner, Executive Director Past President Joyce Amato Kavod vTSfichum 811 Watea 2Se r Path Vice-Presidents Columbia, MD 21045 Michael Lambert Brian Linehan Barry Zimmerman Dear David, Treasurer Norman Rosenbaum thesissendiny m a m requestedI s u a , gyo postinr fo , youn go r Internet Financial Secretary website assuminm a I . g tha lawl al t s pertainin intellectuago t l property apply Alien Kaminsky to my thesis. Please let me know when it is posted. I look forward to receiving Recording Secretary Larry Snair othee th r information fro regardinu myo conferencee gth . Sisterhood President Shalom, Arlene Ziegler Brotherhood President Barry Saffren Board Educationof Rabbi Dr. Steven Moss Debbie Hanlon Trustees Stan Balkin Seth Bermun David Braverman Arthur Diamond Rita DiGiantomasso Ira Garvin Marnin Lack Richard Motlin Donna Paskin Stephanie Plewka Emilee Rosenbaum Barbie Saslau Steve Saslau Joel Silverman Roberta Snair Shaindy Ullman The Attitude Toward Sickness, Dying and Death Expresses A Liturgicae th n di l Works Maavor Yabo Sefed kan r Hahayiim Steven A. Moss Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature Degree and Ordination Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion New York, N.Y. April 1, Advisor: Professor Eugen . BorcwitB e z I wish to acknowledge my eternal thanks to Judy, my wife and my love. Without her patience, compassion, thought, d timan e this thesis coul t havdno e been written leso n , s trua s ei typed rebettzine Sh . rabbi'a , s rabbi. I wish to thank in particular my advisor and friend Eugene Borowitz, and my professor Leonard Kravitz for the time they spent with me in discussing this thesis, as well s encouragina woro t thin ki e gm s fiel f sickneso d d deathsan . I wish to thank my parents and in-laws for helping proof-read this works It was surely an arduous task. I wish to acknowledge the influence of my great-great- grandfathe r TeacherOu Zee. rR b Wolf Turbowitz (manams hi ye be for a blessing), Gaon in Russia. While I never knew him personally believI , bees e ha thaguidn a e th e throughout y studenm t career. Finally, I wish to give thanks and praise to the Holy One Praised be He who has blessed me with the strength necessar o carr yt thit ou ye s m undertakingd le s ha e H . in straight paths, and for this I will extol His name forever d everan . Table of Contents 1 . ..... Chapte rI Chapter II ...... 11 ? 1 . ..... I ChapterII Chapter IV ...... 48 Chapter V ...... 56 Chapter VI ...... 85 Chapter VII ...... 101 Chapter VIII ...... 12? 5 14 . Appendice . s Bibliography of Hebrew Texts . 163 Bibliograph . f Englisyo 16 . 4 h Text . s ChapterI The purpose of this thesis is to compare and contrast liturgicao thetw l works Sefer Hahayii Maavod man r Yabok as to their attitudes toward the sick and dying, and toward sickness and death. y interesM sucn ti h liturgical worky m s f aroso t eou chaplaincy work with the sick and dying. I was curious to know how the Jewish tradition viewed sickness and death during different eras and in different places. I first studied the card catalogue of the Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion, in both New York and Cin- cinnati, attempting to discover what liturgical texts and handbooks on customs were available in this area. I found that these two texts had more published editions than any other work thin si s are manualsice f d dyingo ath an k n r I .sfo the librar Cincinnatit ya , there were about twenty editions Sefef o r Hahayii d abouan mt fifteen printed editionf so Maavor Yabok. Such acceptance, as shown by their numerous editions, demonstrate importance sth d influencean thesf eo e works. This, then, was the first reason for a study of these texts, over others in this field. A second reason came from a quick othee surveth rf o yhandbook e sicd dyingth an k r .sfo A reading of the title pages and introductions to these works demonstrates that many of them borrowed freely from these works. They were seen, therefore, as basic and primary hand- books. (See bibliography for the titles of these other texts.) The most complete and detailed study of these hand- books and the communal groups from which they arose, is the work Communal Sick-Care in the German Ghetto by Jacob P. Marcuso He determines that these and other liturgical collection e sicd dyinth kan r gs fo wer producte eth f so Holy Brotherhoods. These brotherhoods developed amie dth / historical and sociological turmoil of the middle ages, beginning primaril late th e n i l6ty h century. They moved from Spain, afte Inquisitione rth , firs Italo t Pald yan - estine, where cabbalistic influence increased d thean o ,nt Northern Europe. These brotherhoods did not become fully developed structures until their appearance in Italy. The early years in Spain and Palestine might therefore be con- sidered the formative years. As Marcus describes the early development thif so s movement: The Spanish expulsions brought about another trend which undoubtedly playe parda stimulatinn ti e gth creations of Brotherhoods in Italy. During the same century, the sixteenth, that Spanish Jews brought the confraternity idea to Italy, others were developing a cabbalistic school of thought in Palestine, a school of thought which laid great emphasis on the spiritual mean- protectioe th e n souo deathf th o ld f g no beforan , in e d aftean r departure frobodye th m . This concentration e spirituath deae n o th d f o ldyine th card gf an o e expressed itsel specian i f l liturgie death-bee th r sfo d which were develope classican i d l form durine gth period 1615-WO. (1) The earliest of these manuals was Maaneh Lashon which was printed in 1615. By 1800 it had gone through some forty o t includeno s editionsdiscussior wa d fo t I .thin ni s thesis as it concentrated primarily on the prayers for the dead, and less on the prayers for the sick and dying. Maavor Yabok and Sefer Hahayiim, however, discuss all of these areas. On the popularity of Maavor Yabok and Sefer Hahayiim Marcus writes: Onlo editiontw y thif so s work appeared before 1800, buleast ta t eighteen edition abbreviaten i s d for- m Kizzur Maabar Yabbo appeare- k d from 168 o 1800...2t . The Kizzur Maabar Yabbok was the standard liturgical s widel wa s type d it wory an ,f used ko t onl no n ,i y Italy, but throughout the German lands where it appeared unde varietra Hebref o y w names...s wa t I . untit 18te no th ture h l f th no centur y that there appeare Sefee dth r Hahayiim becom o whict e s eon hwa e mosth tf o popular work f thio s s type) (3 . texto tw se th unde f O r consideration, Maavor Yabok is the earlier. It was published in 1626 in Mantua, Italy. Its author was Aaron Berechiah b. Moses of Modena who died in 1639* Marcus mentions that its date and Italian origin sugges ts unde wa thaearle t rth i t y influenc Hole th y f eo Brotherhoods, and their cabbalistic rituals and liturgies for the sick and dying. From the prefetory remarks to the book and Berechiah1s own introduction, there seems to have been a group of Mantuans e sicd dyingth o carekan wh r .fo d This group appears under L name th f inc?o e n *T»SD. Berechiah first publishe booda k r thifo s group entitled npian jnao n 162^-e boooi Th s i k. compose variouf o d s prayer d biblicasan l reading reae b do st y thib eacsy grouda h f "earlpo y risers". Less than nte page thif so s boo e devotekar prayere sico d t dth an k r sfo dying. In Maavor Yabok, both in the liturgical and ex- planatory sections, Berechiah makes reference to this earlier work. e situatioth f O Mantuan i n , with which Berechiah came into contact, and as to why he wrote this work, he writes: Oh, how happy I am but to be these few days in glorious Mantua, in the midst of this holy community, and with the congregations of Italy.... I have seen there particularn i , people th w man ho f ,eo y correct their past deeds, and how many make their crooked paths straight by takin gdeae th card f eo and participating as members in groups of Gemilut Hasadim t alsBu o. there mane ar thear f eyo o mwh t involveno Mishnahn i d , Gemara d Halachaan , d an , t engageno e evern i ar d o y wh greae aspecth tf to commandment of taking care of the dead. I recently overheard that the community desired that one of its members undertake the task of arranging for them a prayerbook, so that they could join in song and prayer at the time of the going out of the soul. (5) s ultimathi o t es A goa r thilfo s book writese h , : I compose w idea d differenne san t explanations... to offer them as an offering and as incense in reverancn i lov d ean e befor hole th ey congregations, in order that it will make a way in the midst of the shaking worlds,..