Leave a Will to ensure a Jewish burial

A few days before Pesach, Rabbi Yanky Majesky of Chabad North Orlando got a very disturbing phone call. A relatively young Jewish woman had passed away all alone with no known next of kin. The woman on the phone was a co-worker of the deceased and found the rabbi's cell number. A week after the passing they went to clean the apartment and found her beloved cat was still there hiding under her bed. A draft of a will was found which indicated that the rabbi should oversee her funeral arrangements and to whom the cat should be given but the will was unfortunately never signed and so it took another few weeks for the hospital to allow Rabbi Majesky to arrange a proper Jewish burial.

The Torah calls the kindness we show to the dead "Chesed Shel Emes" - kindness of truth - because it is the only true kindness where we can never get repaid from the recipient. Magnify that 100 times over when it is kindness shown to a fellow Jew you have never met.

The very day permission was granted for the body to be released, Rabbi got in touch with Mark Rosenberg of Chesed Shel Emes, Florida Division who together with Chesed Shel Emes in New York made sure she was buried as a Jew.

This is the kind of situation Jewish law calls a "Mes/Met Mitzvah" - taking care of the remains of someone with no next of kin is so important that even the High Priest, the Kohen Gadol, is obligated to put aside his ritual purity and Temple service to perform this Mitzvah, though the high priest would not be allowed to do so for the funeral of his own family!

In Judaism, burying a body right away is so important that in Temple times even a criminal executed for a capital offense had to be buried before nightfall and given the proper dignity and respect that every human being created "B'Tzelem Elokim," in the image of G-d, deserves.   

"I thank Hashem for the honor and merit to be a small part of this huge Mitzvah and to witness true "Ahavas Yisrael," unconditional love for your fellow man, by these amazing organizations," said Rabbi Majesky.

Many people hesitate to write a will or make arrangements either because they can't be bothered, or because we hope it won't be relevant for a long time, or because they are afraid it is an Ayin Hara (evil eye) or bad omen. Truth is however, in Judaism making advanced arrangements is, if anything, seen as a "Segulah," an omen for a long life!

"I urge anyone who has not done so yet to expressly write a will stating they want to be buried in the traditional Jewish manner and make sure to have it done with competent lawyer," said Majesky. "This is especially true for people who live alone, have no immediate next of kin or are Jews by choice and therefore their family may not be familiar with how things are done in our tradition."

The rabbi subsequently heard from a social worker that the reason the will was never signed was because the deceased was afraid of the legal fees. "That is so sad because we have many lawyers in the community who would have done a basic will at a very affordable price. I really hope we never see a situation like this again and may we share only Simchas and good news from now on."

For assistance in planning a proper Jewish burial or for recommendations of attorneys that can help you write an affordable will call Rabbi Majesky, 407-636-5994, or email Rabbi@JewishNorthOrlandocom. Please consider leaving a Jewish legacy and ensuring a Jewish tomorrow by leaving Chabad Lubavitch of North Orlando a percentage of your estate. For more information visit www.JewishNorthOrlando.com/PlannedGiving or contact the rabbi at the number above.