Rabbi Judah the Prince’s Deathbed Instructions

At the time of his death, Rabbi commanded three things: Do not remove my widow from my household, do not eulogize me in the cities, and the one who took care of me in life should take care of me in death.

“Do not remove my widow from my household”: Is this not a tannaitic teaching?—“A widow who said, ‘I do not desire to leave my husband’s household’ [ . . . ]” [So why did Rabbi need to state this?] R. Dosa said: So that people would not say to her, “This is the house of the patriarch; it is under the auspices of the patriarch.” R. Lazar ben Yosi said: Like that which is taught: “She dwells in the house just as she dwelt in it when her husband was abroad, and she uses the vessels of silver and gold just as she did when her husband was abroad, and she is fed just as she was fed when her husband was abroad.”

“Do not eulogize me in the cities”: because of discord. “The one who took care of me in life should take care of me in my death”: R. Ḥanina from Sepphoris said: For example, Joseph Efrati and Yosi Ḥofni. R. Hezekiah added: [Rabbi also said,] “Do not use excessive death shrouds for me, and let my coffin have openings to the ground.” There is a saying that Rabbi was buried in a single sheet, for Rabbi said, “A man’s going [to the grave] is not like his coming [back in the resurrection], and the rabbis say: Just as a man goes to the grave he comes [back].” [ . . . ]

The people of Sepphoris said, “We will kill whoever tells us that Rabbi is dead.” Bar Kappara looked at them with his head covered in torn clothing and said to them, “Mortals and angels have grabbed hold of the tablets and the hands of the angels have succeeded and snatched the tablets.” They said to him, “Rabbi has died!” He said to them, “You said so,” and they tore [their garments], and the sound of their tearing reverberated for three miles. R. Nathan [said] in the name of R. Manna: That day was the eve of Shabbat, and miracles were performed. All of the [residents of the] cities gathered to eulogize [Rabbi], and they carried [Rabbi’s body] to eighteen synagogues, and they carried it to Beth Sharrai, and the day was suspended until each and every person reached his home and filled up a jar of water and lit the lamp [for Shabbat]. Once the sun had set, the rooster crowed and they began to be distressed, saying, “Perhaps we have violated Shabbat!” A heavenly voice descended and said to them, “Whoever has not absented himself from Rabbi’s eulogy will be given to the world to come—except for the fuller.” When [the fuller] heard this, he went up to the roof and threw himself down [from the roof] and died. A heavenly voice then said, “Even the fuller [merits the world to come]!”

Rabbi dwelt in Sepphoris for seventeen years and said about himself, “Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years (Genesis 47:28, NRSV), and Judah has lived in Sepphoris for seventeen years and out of them he suffered a toothache for thirteen of those years.” [ . . . ] Why did he suffer a toothache? One time, he was passing by and saw a calf being slaughtered and lowing saying, “Rabbi, save me!” He said to it, “It is for thus that you were created.” [ . . . ]

Now Rabbi was very humble and used to say, “Whatever a person tells me I will do except for that which the elders of Beterah¹ did for my ancestors, for they dismissed themselves and appointed him [Hillel]. If R. Huna the exilarch were to come here, I would seat him above me, because he is [a descendant] of [the tribe of] Judah and I am from Benjamin, because he is from the male line and I am from the female.” One time, R. Ḥiyya bar Abba came to him and said, “Behold, R. Huna is here!” Rabbi’s face paled. He said to him, “It is his coffin.” [Rabbi] said to him, “Go out and see what he wants from you here.” He went out and found no one, and he knew that [Rabbi] was angry with him; he therefore did not go in to see him for thirty days.