A dying man is considered the same as a living person in every respect. They may inherit property and bequeath property. If a limb is severed from the body, it is regarded as from any living person and if flesh, as flesh from a living person…. He may not be stirred nor be washed and they should not be laid out while alive.Their eyes may not be closed. Whosoever touches or strs them is guilty of shedding blood.
Rabbi Meir uses to compare a dying person to a flickering lamp: the moment one touches it he extinguishes it. So to with closing the eyes of a person dying is accounted as though they snuffed out his life. -Tractate Mourning 1
We are taught gentility with the dying.
Comments