The Weekly Daf #68 Sanhedrin 44-50 Week of 24 Iyar - 1 Sivan 5755 / 24-30 May 1995 By Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions ========================================================================== This issue is dedicated in the memory of Shalom Simcha Steinlauf Z"l ========================================================================== Ohr Somayach has a NEW Internet Address: ohr@jer1.co.il Also, look for Ohr Somayach, New York, on the World Wide Web. You can find info on the JLE program by pointing to http:/www.torah.org/os ========================================================================== For Whom the Eulogy? Is the purpose of the hesped eulogy said at a funeral to honor the survivors or to honor the departed? This is not a mere theoretical question. One practical implication arises in a case where the man makes a request before his death not to be eulogized. If it is the honor of his survivors which is at stake his wish is ignored while if it his own honor which is the issue his wish will be honored. Another ramification is a situation in which no such request was made but the survivors refuse to pay the expense of hiring a professional eulogizer. If it is their honor they have a right to waive it while if it is the honor of the departed they can be compelled to hire the eulogizer. The question is resolved on the basis of a statement by Rabbi Nossen to the effect that one who is not eulogized is considered as having suffered a disgrace in this world which will serve as an atonement for him in the World to Come. This is considered conclusive proof that a eulogy's purpose is to honor the departed. Sanhedrin 46b ========================================================================== Divine Commiseration When a man suffers as a result of being executed for his sins Hashem, as it were, commiserates with him and says: "How heavy with pain is My head, how heavy with pain are My arms." If this is how the Omnipresent One relates to the shedding of the blood of the wicked, observed Rabbi Meir, how much more so does He suffer along with the blood of the righteous. Sanhedrin 46a =========================================================================== SUBSCRIBE! to one of the many weekly "lists" published by Ohr Somayach Institutions: weekly - Summary of the weekly Torah portion. dafyomi - Rav Mendel Weinbach's insights into the Daf Yomi. ask - The Rabbi answers YOUR questions on Judaism. parasha-qa - Challenging questions on the weekly Torah portion. os-special - All the SPECIAL publications produced by Ohr Somayach. os-alum - "B'Yachad" - the Ohr Somayach Electronic Alumni Newsletter. There is NEVER a charge for any of the above lists (though your local information provider, such as AOL, Prodigy or CompuServe, might charge a nominal fee). To subscribe to any of these lists, send the message: subscribe {listname} {your full name} to: listproc@jer1.co.il =========================================================================== Dedication opportunities are available for The Weekly Daf. Please contact us for details. =========================================================================== Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by Ohr Somayach Institutions J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel J J L E Tel: 02-810315 Fax: 02-812890 JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE Internet: ohr@jer1.co.il =========================================================================== (C) 1995 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample issue.