Two Jews died in Brisk on the same day. A poor shoemaker passed away in the morning,
followed at no onetime by a wealthy, prominent member of the Jewish
community. Although halacha teaches
that the one who dies first must be buried first, the burial society, which
received a handsome sum of money from the heirs of the wealthy man, decided to
attend to him first. When Reb Chayim was
informed of the decision of the society, he sent word to attend to the
shoemaker first. The members of the
Chevra Kaddisha did not listen. When Reb
Chayim learned of their refusal, he left his study, went to the house of the
wealthy man, and chased the members of the burial society away. He then saw to it that the poor man, who had
died first, was buried before the rich man.
Reb Chayim’s actions and the halacha reflect the Torah’s
statement that every person ins created in God’s image and thus deserves equal
treatment, regardless of his or her standing in the community.
The same point was made in the Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a: God
initially created only one man so that no one shall be able to say to another:
“My father is greater than yours.”
-Rabbi Louis Tuchman (story from Ish HaHalacha, Soloveitchik)
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