Transcription:
There’s something very famous that I say when I’m finished the burial. Some people know it, it’s from the Bible. We say, HaShem natan, HaShem lakach, Yehi Shem Adonai Mevorach. The L-rd has given, the L-rd has taken away, blessed be the name of the L-rd. We say it at the funeral. Why do we say it? Even though we think that a funeral is terribly sad, it actually is also in Judaism an opportunity to express gratitude. Not that the person that we loved is dead, but that we had them in the first place. If it’s somebody that you loved, if it’s somebody who leaves behind a good name, if it’s somebody who leaves behind a good legacy, then at the end of their life we express gratitude. Thank you, God, for giving me a Bubby like this, or a Zaidy like this, for having this person in my life. Even though it is hard to say goodbye, I can’t forget to be grateful to have had them for as long as I did in the first place. The principle of Tahara is our way of physically manifesting the L-rd has given, the L-rd has taken away. Why? When you are born, when every person is born, they come into this world perfect. Pure on the inside, pure on the outside. Tahara means purity. We return that person to G-d, not just cleaned on the outside. Anybody can do a cleaning, but the process of a Tahara is deeper. Do you know that the person doing the Tahara speaks to the body and asks forgiveness for anything that they’ve done that was disrespectful or wrong? It’s not that the body is listening. It’s because we are in the process of doing something very sacred, which is saying to G-d, You gave us this person pure. We’re giving this person back to You in a state of purity. That’s Tahara in a nutshell. The L-rd has given, the L-rd has taken away. Think about it. If you borrow something from a friend that you really like or respect, are you going to give that item back to them broken and disheveled and in a terrible state? No way. What kind of friend is that? You’re going to return it back in as good a shape as you received it in the first place. And that’s what Tahara is.