... and you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am holy, and you shall not defile yourselves... (Vaykira 11:44)
The story is told – which was actually witnessed by certain members of the Sephardic community – about a certain butcher who took ill and was approaching his final moments. He called the rabbi, R’ Eiloan Avidani zt”l of Kurdistan, and in a tearful tone confessed that all his life he had been feeding people forbidden meat. The people standing around the deathbed were shocked as the implication of what the butcher had said began to sink in. Even before he completed his confession, the sinful butcher died.
As they were about to bury him in the grave, the chevra kadisha – burial society, noticed that the grave was full of mice scurrying back and forth. The people around trembled and scrambled to dig another grave nearby. They dug another grave, but as they were about to lower the deceased into it, they once again they saw an enormous assembly of mice. The rabbi instructed to dig yet a third grave, but once again dozens of mice started running about as they brought the body for burial. They tried chasing the mice away, but to no avail. Even when they lowered wood and set it on fire, the mice still remained. The rabbi realized what was taking place and finally decided, "This is already the third time; we now have a chazakah. We have no choice but to bury him here."
Later, when they came to erect the monument, they saw that the mice had completely devoured the body as well as the bones, sparing nothing.
The people turned to the rabbi and inquired, "True, the man was a sinner. But as we know, Hashem always punishes ’measure for measure.’ How did this punishment fit the crime?’’ R’ Avidani explained. "The Talmud Yerushalmi says that mice symbolize the wicked. The reason is that when they discover food they not only satisfy their hunger with the newly found goods, but they call their friends to join them in their theft. Thus, they are not only sinners themselves, but they bring others to sin as well. Similarly, one who wishes to indulge in forbidden foods, so be it, and he will ultimately have to stand judgment for his sin. But one who takes others with him and feeds them these foods is comparable to the mice, who not only sin themselves but lure others to participate as well."
