Quick Thoughts: Take Care of the Meis Mitzva
~ Quick Thoughts ~
Take Care of the Meis Mitzva
By: Daniel Listhaus
By: Daniel Listhaus
Parshas Emor begins with a commandment to kohanim that they may not become impure for a dead person (with the exception of close relatives). When stating this commandment, the Torah uses the phrase "l'nefesh lo yitama b'amav" - "to a [dead] person he shall not become impure among his people". Rashi (21:1) explains that the Torah here alludes to a further exception to this rule and that is that a kohen could only not become impure for a dead person while the dead person is in the midst of his people, however for a meis mitzva even a kohen must become impure.
Meis mitzva simply refers to a corpse whose burial is not being attended to. The Torah demands high respect for people, even after they have passed on, and therefore in the midst of stating the seriousness and need for kohanim to make sure that they stay far away from impurity, the Torah makes an exception for the meis mitzvah. The Sifsei Chochomim (21:1) in explaining Rashi first comments that a meis mitzva is simply someone that has no on to bury him/her however the sifsi chochomim then continues and elaborates that "anyone who calls out and no one comes to answer is called a meis mitzva".
Although it is unclear why the Sifsei Chochomim feel the need to elaborate further as to what a meis mitzva is, however the elaboration does bring to mind an interesting point. "A meis mitzva is someone who calls out and no one is there to answer." Conceptionally, a meis miztva is someone who needs assistance and is calling out for help but no one is there to help. Perhaps it is because he/she is not communicating it normally or perhaps because there is no one around with the patience or skills to effectively come to the aid. Let us stop and take a look around us. How many people do we know fall within the category of a "meis mitzva"? How many people in our families and communities are within the band of people who "call out but no one is there to respond"? If the Torah mandates a Kohen to become impure - something which the Torah warns kohanim so strongly against even from a young age - for a meis mitzva, then certainly we are tasked to be inconvenienced or go out of our way to the aid of those who call out and who seemingly have no responding.
From the "meis mitzva's" standpoint, however, there is a task as well; and that is to ensure that they remain part of the community. As long as one remains connected to the community, one will have listeners and those that respond. Of course if things get to hard then the category of meis mitzvah will kick in and the responsibility to answer will still be there. However, one who is on the path of becoming a proverbial meis mitzva could try to help him- or herself by calling for help or connecting to members of the community.
May Hashem help those that are silently dying get the chizuk to pull up and achieve a connection with the proper people in the community. And may Hashem help the klal have the ears and utilities to hear and help out the meis mitzva's in our midst.
Meis mitzva simply refers to a corpse whose burial is not being attended to. The Torah demands high respect for people, even after they have passed on, and therefore in the midst of stating the seriousness and need for kohanim to make sure that they stay far away from impurity, the Torah makes an exception for the meis mitzvah. The Sifsei Chochomim (21:1) in explaining Rashi first comments that a meis mitzva is simply someone that has no on to bury him/her however the sifsi chochomim then continues and elaborates that "anyone who calls out and no one comes to answer is called a meis mitzva".
Although it is unclear why the Sifsei Chochomim feel the need to elaborate further as to what a meis mitzva is, however the elaboration does bring to mind an interesting point. "A meis mitzva is someone who calls out and no one is there to answer." Conceptionally, a meis miztva is someone who needs assistance and is calling out for help but no one is there to help. Perhaps it is because he/she is not communicating it normally or perhaps because there is no one around with the patience or skills to effectively come to the aid. Let us stop and take a look around us. How many people do we know fall within the category of a "meis mitzva"? How many people in our families and communities are within the band of people who "call out but no one is there to respond"? If the Torah mandates a Kohen to become impure - something which the Torah warns kohanim so strongly against even from a young age - for a meis mitzva, then certainly we are tasked to be inconvenienced or go out of our way to the aid of those who call out and who seemingly have no responding.
From the "meis mitzva's" standpoint, however, there is a task as well; and that is to ensure that they remain part of the community. As long as one remains connected to the community, one will have listeners and those that respond. Of course if things get to hard then the category of meis mitzvah will kick in and the responsibility to answer will still be there. However, one who is on the path of becoming a proverbial meis mitzva could try to help him- or herself by calling for help or connecting to members of the community.
May Hashem help those that are silently dying get the chizuk to pull up and achieve a connection with the proper people in the community. And may Hashem help the klal have the ears and utilities to hear and help out the meis mitzva's in our midst.
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