Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Eideles zt"l
Rabbi of Lublin, Titkin, Ostrow
Author: Maharsha
5 Kislev 5392 (1631)
The truth is that the mitzvah to be sensitive to our fellow man and to avoid causing him embarrassment and humiliation goes even further than we might think. It even applies to dead people, as illustrated in the following true story that was related by the Chasam Sofer:
Rabbi Shmuel Eideles, also known as the Maharsha, was Rabbi in Ostrow. A certain individual, who was notorious for the evil he had perpetrated, died. This man, although Jewish, did not act in a manner becoming a Jew. Nonetheless, as often occurs, he wanted to die as a Jew even if he had not lived as one. As the deceased man was being prepared for burial, a young man, a student in the Yeshivah, went over and bopped the dead man on his nose. The members of the Chevra Kadisha (burial society) who were performing the Taharah (washing and purifying the body) had a good laugh.
The Levaya took place as normal and everyone went home.
That night, the young man who had committed the humiliating act had a dream in which the deceased man appeared and summoned him to a Din Torah, before the Heavenly Tribunal.
The next morning, the young man spoke to his father and shared his fears with him. His father told him not to worry. It was nothing. The deceased man apparently did not agree with the father, because he appeared again and again, demanding the young man's presence before the Heavenly Tribunal. It reached the point where the young man became gravely ill as a result of the anxiety caused by the recurring dream.
He was brought to the Maharsha, who had him go to sleep in his own home, with instructions that the Maharsha be called to his bedside as soon as the dream repeated itself.
A few hours after the young man fell asleep, he awoke screaming, gripped by a deathly fear. The Maharsha was immediately notified. When he arrived at the bed where the shaken young man sat trembling with fear, he immediately asked the deceased man, "Why are you bothering this young man?"
The deceased man replied that he had been humiliated by him.
"But you are a totally wicked person. Your entire life was focused on committing evil. What do you expect from this young man?" the Maharsha asked.
"It is not true. I was not totally evil. I once saw a Jewish scholar fall into the river, and, as he was about to go under, I jumped in and rescued him from certain death. As a result of this incident, we established a relationship and became good friends. I even secretly supported him and his family. Thus, when I arrived in Heaven, I was treated with the utmost respect. Indeed, one would think that I was a devoted Torah sage. No sins were recorded against me, because one who saves a fellow Jew is considered as if he sustained the entire world. Furthermore, since I supported a Talmid Chacham (Torah scholar), I share in his Torah achievements. I am also considered a scholar. Yes, I certainly have the right to demand recompense for the humiliation which I sustained."
The Maharsha thought for a moment and responded. "In truth, while you have achieved tremendous merit, you still have a considerable amount of un-repented sin that must be accounted for. It can neither be ignored nor brushed away. The Satan is waiting with a record of your life of sin and wickedness. He is being blocked from going forward due to the one life that you saved, but the Satan is relentless. He will not halt his indictment of you, and he continues to seek some way to 'trip you up.' If, through your dogged pursuit of revenge against this young man, you cause his death, the Satan will come forward clamoring that there is Middah Keneged Middah (measure for measure). True, you saved a life, but you also will have taken a life. They should cancel each other out, and you should have to answer for your sins. Is that what you really want? I suggest that you acquiesce and forgive this young man before your redress claims you as its victim."
The dream ended abruptly and the deceased was never heard from again.
The lesson of this story is compelling. The Heavenly Court was about to summon the soul of this young man prematurely as a result of the minor humiliation he caused to a dead man! How much more careful we should then be concerning the feelings of our fellow Jews who are still among the living?!
