## Sanhedrin Daf 46b

###### Sanhedrin 46b:1
[Sanhedrin 46b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:1)

וְלֹא הָיוּ מִתְאַבְּלִין, אֲבָל אוֹנְנִין, שֶׁאֵין אֲנִינוּת אֶלָּא בַּלֵּב.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And** the relatives of the executed man **would not mourn** him with the observance of the usual mourning rites, so that his unmourned death would atone for his transgression; **but they would grieve** over his passing, **since grief is** felt **only in the heart.**


###### Sanhedrin 46b:2
[Sanhedrin 46b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:2)

**גְּמָ׳** תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אִילּוּ נֶאֱמַר ״חֵטְא וְתָלִיתָ״, הָיִיתִי אוֹמֵר תּוֹלִין אוֹתוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ מְמִיתִין אוֹתוֹ, כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהַמַּלְכוּת עוֹשָׂה. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וְהוּמָת וְתָלִיתָ״ – מְמִיתִין אוֹתוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ תּוֹלִין אוֹתוֹ. הָא כֵּיצַד? מְשַׁהִין אוֹתוֹ עַד סָמוּךְ לִשְׁקִיעַת הַחַמָּה, וְגוֹמְרִין אֶת דִּינוֹ, וּמְמִיתִין אוֹתוֹ, וְאַחַר כָּךְ תּוֹלִין אוֹתוֹ. אֶחָד קוֹשֵׁר וְאֶחָד מַתִּיר, כְּדֵי לְקַיֵּים מִצְוַת תְּלִיָּיה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** **The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: **Were it stated:** And if a man has committed **a sin** worthy of death **you shall hang** him on a tree, **I would have said** that first **they hang him and** only **afterward they put him to death, the way the** gentile **government does,** executing the transgressor by hanging. Therefore, **the verse states:** “And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death, **and he is put to death, and you shall hang** him on a tree” (Deuteronomy 21:22), teaching that first **they put him to death, and** only **afterward they hang him. How so? They delay** the verdict **until** it is **near** to **sunset, and** then **they conclude his judgment, and they put him to death, and** immediately **afterward hang him. One ties** him to the hanging post, **and another** immediately **unties** him, **in order to fulfill the mitzva of hanging** the corpse of the executed transgressor.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:3
[Sanhedrin 46b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:3)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״עֵץ״ – שׁוֹמֵעַ אֲנִי בֵּין בְּתָלוּשׁ בֵּין בִּמְחוּבָּר. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר ״כִּי קָבוֹר״ – מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְחוּסָּר אֶלָּא קְבוּרָה, יָצָא זֶה שֶׁמְחוּסָּר קְצִיצָה וּקְבוּרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages taught:** From the verse: “And you shall hang him on **a tree,” I** would **derive** that the body may be hung **either** on a tree that has been **detached** from the ground **or** on one that is still **attached** to the ground. Therefore, **the verse states:** “His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, **but you shall bury** him [***kavor*** *tikberennu*] that day” (Deuteronomy 21:23). Based on the doubled verb, it is derived that not only must the transgressor’s body be buried, but the tree on which it is hung must also be buried. As the verse employs the same term to instruct that both must be buried, the verse teaches that the corpse must be hung on a tree **that** has already been detached from the ground and **is lacking only burial,** just as the corpse is lacking only burial. This serves to **exclude** hanging the corpse on a tree **that** is still attached to the ground and **is lacking** both **cutting down and burial.**


###### Sanhedrin 46b:4
[Sanhedrin 46b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:4)

רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְחוּסָּר אֶלָּא קְבוּרָה – יָצָא זֶה שֶׁמְחוּסָּר תְּלִישָׁה וּקְבוּרָה. וְרַבָּנַן: תְּלִישָׁה לָאו כְּלוּם הִיא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Yosei says:** The tree upon which the corpse is hung is not sunk into the ground; rather, it is leaned against a wall, as the verse teaches that the tree must be **lacking only burial.** This serves to **exclude** hanging the corpse on a tree **that is lacking** both **detachment and burial. And the Rabbis** say: **Detaching** from the ground a tree that had already been cut down and was later sunk back into the ground **is nothing,** i.e., it is an insignificant act.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:5
[Sanhedrin 46b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:5)

כְּלוֹמַר: מִפְּנֵי מָה זֶה תָּלוּי? מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבֵּירַךְ כּוּ׳. תַּנְיָא, אוֹמֵר רַבִּי מֵאִיר: מָשְׁלוּ מָשָׁל, לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לִשְׁנֵי אַחִים תְּאוֹמִים בְּעִיר אַחַת. אֶחָד מִינּוּהוּ מֶלֶךְ, וְאֶחָד יָצָא לְלִיסְטִיּוּת. צִוָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ וּתְלָאוּהוּ. כׇּל הָרוֹאֶה אוֹתוֹ אוֹמֵר: הַמֶּלֶךְ תָּלוּי. צִוָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהוֹרִידוּהוּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches: **That is to say:** Were the dead man’s corpse to remain hanging, reminding everyone of his transgression, people would ask: **For what** reason **was this one hung?** They would be answered: **Because he blessed** God, a euphemism for blasphemy, and the name of Heaven would be desecrated. **It is taught** in a *baraita* that **Rabbi Meir says:** The Sages **told a parable: To what is this matter comparable?** It is comparable **to two brothers** who were **twins** and lived **in the same city. One was appointed king, while the other went out to** engage in **banditry. The king commanded** that his brother be punished, **and they hanged** his twin brother for his crimes. **Anyone who saw** the bandit hanging **would say: The king** was **hanged. The king,** therefore, **commanded** that his brother be taken down, **and they took** the bandit **down.** Similarly, people are created in God’s image, and therefore God is disgraced when a corpse is hung for a transgression that the person has committed.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:6
[Sanhedrin 46b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:6)

אָמַר רַבִּי מֵאִיר כּוּ׳. מַאי מַשְׁמַע? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: כְּמַאן דְּאָמַר ״קַל לֵית״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבָא: אִם כֵּן, ״כָּבֵד עָלַי רֹאשִׁי״ ״כָּבֵד עָלַי זְרוֹעִי״ מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ! אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבָא: כְּמַאן דְּאָמַר ״קִיל לִי עָלְמָא״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The mishna teaches that **Rabbi Meir said** that the phrase “For he that is hung is a curse [*kilelat*] of God” should be understood as follows: When a man suffers in the wake of his sin, the Divine Presence says: I am distressed [*kallani*] about My head, I am distressed about My arm. The Gemara asks: **From where** is this **inferred?** How does Rabbi Meir understand the word *kilelat*? **Abaye says:** When a man is hung after he is put to death, God is **like one who said: I am not light [*kal leit*],** meaning: My head is heavy for Me, My arm is heavy for Me. God is in distress when He has to administer punishment. **Rava said to him: If so, he should have** said explicitly: **My head is heavy for Me, My arm is heavy for Me. Rather, Rava said:** When a man is hung after he is put to death, God is **like one who said: The world is light for me [*kil li alma*],** meaning: I am light, and therefore the world is heavy for Me, and I am in distress.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:7
[Sanhedrin 46b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:7)

הַאי מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ לְגוּפֵהּ? אִם כֵּן, נֵימָא קְרָא ״מְקַלֵּל״. מַאי ״קִלְלַת״? וְאֵימָא: כּוּלֵּיהּ לְהָכִי הוּא דַּאֲתָא? אִם כֵּן, נֵימָא קְרָא ״קַלַּת״. מַאי ״קִלְלַת״? שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ תַּרְתֵּי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **This** word “*kilelat*” **is needed for** what it **itself** teaches, namely that a blasphemer is hung after he has been stoned. How, then, can it be interpreted as alluding to God’s distress at the death of a transgressor? The Gemara answers: **If so, the verse should have stated: One who curses [*mekallel* ]. What** is the meaning of ***kilelat*?** It serves to teach the statement taught by Rabbi Meir. The Gemara asks: If so, **say** perhaps that **the entire** verse **comes for this** purpose, to underscore the dignity of the transgressor, who was created in God’s image, and not to teach the *halakha* governing a blasphemer. The Gemara responds: **If so, the verse should have stated: Lightness [*kilat*]. What** is the meaning of ***kilelat*? Conclude two** conclusions **from it:** Conclude that the blasphemer is hung after he has been stoned, and conclude that God is distressed at the death of a transgressor.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:8
[Sanhedrin 46b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:8)

וְלֹא זוֹ בִּלְבַד כּוּ׳. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי: מִנַּיִן לַמֵּלִין אֶת מֵתוֹ שֶׁעוֹבֵר עָלָיו בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״כִּי קָבוֹר תִּקְבְּרֶנּוּ״. מִכָּאן לַמֵּלִין אֶת מֵתוֹ שֶׁעוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches that everyone, **not only** an executed transgressor, must be buried on the day of his death, if that is at all possible. **Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: From where** is it derived **that one who leaves his deceased** relative **overnight** without burying him **transgresses a prohibition? The verse states: “But you shall bury him [*kavor tikberennu*]”** (Deuteronomy 21:23), doubling the verb for emphasis. **From here** it is derived **that one who leaves his deceased** relative **overnight** without burying him **transgresses a prohibition.**


###### Sanhedrin 46b:9
[Sanhedrin 46b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:9)

אִיכָּא דְּאָמְרִי: אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי, רֶמֶז לִקְבוּרָה מִן הַתּוֹרָה מִנַּיִין? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״כִּי קָבוֹר תִּקְבְּרֶנּוּ״. מִכָּאן רֶמֶז לִקְבוּרָה מִן הַתּוֹרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**There are** those **who say** that **Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: From where in the Torah is there a hint to** the mitzva of **burial? The verse states: “But you shall bury him [*kavor tikberennu*],”** doubling the verb for emphasis. **From here there is a hint to** the mitzva of **burial in the Torah.**


###### Sanhedrin 46b:10
[Sanhedrin 46b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:10)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ שַׁבּוּר מַלְכָּא לְרַב חָמָא: קְבוּרָה מִן הַתּוֹרָה מִנַּיִין? אִישְׁתִּיק וְלָא אֲמַר לֵיהּ וְלָא מִידֵּי. אֲמַר רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב: אִימְּסַר עָלְמָא בִּידָא דְּטַפְשָׁאֵי, דְּאִיבְּעִי לֵיהּ לְמֵימַר ״כִּי קָבוֹר״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara relates: **King Shapur,** the monarch of Persia, once **said to Rav Ḥama: From where in the Torah is there a hint to** the mitzva of **burial?** What proof is there that the dead must be buried and not treated in some other manner? Rav Ḥama **was silent and said nothing to him,** as he could not find a suitable source. **Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: The world has been handed over to the foolish, as** Rav Ḥama **should have said** to King Shapur that the mitzva of burial is derived from the verse: **“But you shall bury** him” (Deuteronomy 21:23).


###### Sanhedrin 46b:11
[Sanhedrin 46b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:11)

דְּלֶיעֱבֵד לֵיהּ אָרוֹן. ״תִּקְבְּרֶנּוּ״! לָא מַשְׁמַע לֵיהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara explains: In that case, King Shapur could have replied that the verse merely proves **that a coffin should be made for** the deceased so that he can be placed in it, not that the deceased should be buried in the ground, as the verse could be understood as instructing that the corpse be placed in some sort of receptacle, not in the ground. The Gemara challenges: Rav Ḥama could still have claimed that the mitzva of burial is derived from the doubled verb “you shall **bury him** [*kavor **tikberennu*****].”** The Gemara answers: In that case, King Shapur could have replied that **he does not learn** anything from a doubled verb, which seems to be merely a stylistic choice and not the source of a new *halakha*.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:12
[Sanhedrin 46b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:12)

וְנֵימָא: מִדְּאִיקְּבוּר צַדִּיקֵי? מִנְהֲגָא בְּעָלְמָא! מִדְּקַבְרֵיהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה? דְּלָא לִישְׁתַּנֵּי מִמִּנְהֲגָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But let** Rav Ḥama **say** that the mitzva to bury the dead is derived **from** the fact **that the righteous** forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, **were** all **buried.** The Gemara answers: King Shapur could have said that this was **merely a custom** of the time, but not a mitzva. The Gemara asks: Rav Ḥama could have derived the mitzva **from** the fact **that the Holy One, Blessed be He, buried Moses,** which proves that this is the proper way to handle the dead. The Gemara answers: King Shapur could still have said that God acted in this manner **in order not to deviate from the** general **custom,** but this does not prove that burying the dead is a mitzva.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:13
[Sanhedrin 46b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:13)

תָּא שְׁמַע: ״וְסָפְדוּ לוֹ כׇל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְקָבְרוּ אֹתוֹ״. דְּלָא לִישְׁתַּנֵּי מִמִּנְהֲגָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **Come** and **hear** a proof that burying the dead is a mitzva, as the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite said about Abijah, son of Jeroboam: **“And all Israel shall eulogize him and bury him”** (I Kings 14:13). The Gemara answers: From here, too, there is no proof, as they may have buried Abijah **in order not to deviate from the** general **custom** of the world, and not because they were required to do so.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:14
[Sanhedrin 46b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:14)

״לֹא יִסָּפְדוּ וְלֹא יִקָּבֵרוּ לְדֹמֶן עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה יִהְיוּ״. דְּלִישְׁתַּנּוֹ מִמִּנְהֲגָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara proposes another proof: Jeremiah pronounced a curse upon the wicked, saying: **“They shall not be eulogized, nor shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth”** (Jeremiah 16:4), which proves that when no curse has been pronounced, the dead should be buried. The Gemara rejects this proof: From here, too, there is no proof that it is a mitzva to bury the dead, as Jeremiah cursed the wicked, saying **that they would deviate from the** general **custom** and not be buried. Due to all these difficulties, Rav Ḥama was unable to adduce incontrovertible proof that there is a mitzva to bury the dead.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:15
[Sanhedrin 46b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:15)

אִיבַּעְיָא לְהוּ: קְבוּרָה מִשּׁוּם בִּזְיוֹנָא הוּא, אוֹ מִשּׁוּם כַּפָּרָה הוּא?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **A dilemma was raised before** the Sages: **Is burial** obligatory **on account of disgrace,** i.e., so that the deceased should not suffer the disgrace of being left exposed as his body begins to decompose, **or is it on account of atonement,** i.e., so that the deceased will achieve atonement by being returned to the ground from which he was formed?


###### Sanhedrin 46b:16
[Sanhedrin 46b:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:16)

לְמַאי נָפְקָא מִינַּהּ? דְּאָמַר: לָא בָּעֵינָא דְּלִיקְבְּרוּהּ לְהָהוּא גַּבְרָא. אִי אָמְרַתְּ מִשּׁוּם בִּזְיוֹנָא הוּא – לָא כֹּל כְּמִינֵּיהּ, וְאִי אָמְרַתְּ מִשּׁוּם כַּפָּרָה הוּא – הָא אָמַר: לָא בָּעֵינָא כַּפָּרָה. מַאי?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **What is the** practical **difference** that arises from knowing the reason that burial is necessary? The Gemara answers: There is a difference in a case **where** one **said** before he died: **I do not want them to bury that man,** i.e., myself. **If you say** that burial **is** required **on account of disgrace, it is not in his** power to waive his own burial, as his family shares in the disgrace. **But if you say** that burial **is** required **on account of atonement, didn’t he** effectively **say: I do not want atonement,** and with regard to himself one should be able to do as he wishes? **What,** then, is the *halakha*?


###### Sanhedrin 46b:17
[Sanhedrin 46b:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:17)

תָּא שְׁמַע: מִדְּאִיקְּבוּר צַדִּיקֵי, וְאִי אָמְרַתְּ מִשּׁוּם כַּפָּרָה – צַדִּיקֵי לְכַפָּרָה צְרִיכִי? אִין, דִּכְתִיב: ״אָדָם אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה טּוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטָא״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **Come** and **hear** a proof **from** the fact **that the righteous** patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, **were** all **buried. And if you say** that burial is required **on account of atonement, do the righteous need atonement?** The Gemara rejects this proof: **Yes,** even the righteous are in need of atonement, **as it is written:** “For **there is no righteous person on earth who does good and never sins”** (Ecclesiastes 7:20), and so even the righteous need atonement for the few sins that they committed over the course of their lifetimes.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:18
[Sanhedrin 46b:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:18)

תָּא שְׁמַע: ״וְסָפְדוּ לוֹ כׇל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְקָבְרוּ אֹתוֹ״. וְאִי אָמְרַתְּ, כִּי הֵיכִי דְּתֶיהֱוֵי לֵיהּ כַּפָּרָה, הָנָךְ נָמֵי לִיקַּבְרוּ כִּי הֵיכִי דְּתֶיהֱוֵי לְהוּ כַּפָּרָה? הַאי דְּצַדִּיק הוּא – תֶּיהֱוֵי לֵיהּ כַּפָּרָה, הָנָךְ – לָא לֶיהֱוֵי לְהוּ כַּפָּרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **Come** and **hear** a proof from the verse referring to Abijah, son of Jeroboam: **“And all Israel shall eulogize him and bury him,** for he alone of Jeroboam shall come to the grave” (I Kings 14:13). **And if you say** that burial is required **so that** the deceased **should achieve atonement, these too,** i.e., Jeroboam’s other sons, **should also be buried so that they should achieve atonement.** The Gemara rejects this argument: **This** son, Abijah, **who was righteous, should achieve atonement** through his death and burial, but **these** other sons, who were wicked, **should not achieve atonement** even in death.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:19
[Sanhedrin 46b:19](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:19)

תָּא שְׁמַע: ״לֹא יִסָּפְדוּ וְלֹא יִקָּבֵרוּ״, דְּלָא תֶּיהֱוֵי לְהוּ כַּפָּרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **Come** and **hear** a proof from the curse pronounced by Jeremiah upon the wicked: **“They shall not be eulogized, nor shall they be buried”** (Jeremiah 16:4), which indicates that it is not on account of atonement that burial is required, as were that the case the wicked are certainly in need of atonement, and therefore they should be buried. The Gemara answers: This is no proof, as Jeremiah’s intention might be **that** the wicked **should not achieve atonement.** Therefore, the question of whether burial is necessary in order to prevent disgrace or achieve atonement remains unresolved.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:20
[Sanhedrin 46b:20](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:20)

אִיבַּעְיָא לְהוּ: הֶסְפֵּידָא, יְקָרָא דְּחָיֵי הָוֵי אוֹ יְקָרָא דְּשָׁכְבֵי הָוֵי? לְמַאי נָפְקָא מִינַּהּ? דְּאָמַר: לָא תִּסְפְּדוּהּ לְהָהוּא גַּבְרָא. אִי נָמֵי, לְאַפּוֹקֵי מִיּוֹרְשִׁין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **A dilemma was raised before** the Sages: **Is the eulogy** delivered for **the honor of the living** relatives of the deceased, **or is it** delivered for **the honor of the dead?** The Gemara asks: **What is the** practical **difference** between the two possible reasons? The Gemara answers: There is a difference in a case **where** one **said** before he died: **Do not eulogize that man,** i.e., myself. If the eulogy is delivered to honor the deceased, he is able to forgo this honor, but if it is delivered to honor the living, he is not, as it is not in the power of one individual to forgo the honor of others. **Alternately,** the difference is with regard to whether it is possible **to collect** the eulogist’s fee **from the heirs.** If the eulogy is to honor the dead, it is possible to collect this fee from the heirs, even against their will, but if it is to honor the living, they are able to forgo this honor.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:21
[Sanhedrin 46b:21](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:21)

תָּא שְׁמַע: ״וַיָּבֹא אַבְרָהָם לִסְפֹּד לְשָׂרָה וְלִבְכֹּתָהּ״. וְאִי אָמְרַתְּ מִשּׁוּם יְקָרָא דְּחַיֵּי הוּא, מִשּׁוּם יְקָרָא דְּאַבְרָהָם מְשַׁהוּ לַהּ לְשָׂרָה? שָׂרָה גּוּפַהּ נִיחָא לָהּ, כִּי הֵיכִי דְּמִיַּיקַּר בַּהּ אַבְרָהָם.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **Come** and **hear** a proof from the verse that states: **“And Abraham came to eulogize Sarah and weep over her”** (Genesis 23:2), indicating that Sarah’s funeral was delayed until Abraham returned from Beersheba to Hebron to eulogize her. **And if you say** that a eulogy is delivered **due to the honor of the living, would they have** unduly **delayed** burying **Sarah due to Abraham’s honor?** The Gemara rejects this argument: **It was satisfactory to Sarah herself** that her funeral was delayed **so that Abraham could be honored by** eulogizing **her.** Since Sarah herself would prefer that Abraham eulogize her, there was no disgrace in waiting for Abraham to arrive.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:22
[Sanhedrin 46b:22](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:22)

תָּא שְׁמַע: ״וְסָפְדוּ לוֹ כׇל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְקָבְרוּ אֹתוֹ״. וְאִי אָמְרַתְּ מִשּׁוּם יְקָרָא דְּחַיֵּי הוּא, הָנָךְ בְּנֵי יְקָרָא נִינְהוּ? נִיחָא לְהוּ לְצַדִּיקַיָּא דְּמִיַּיקְּרִי בְּהוּ אִינָשֵׁי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **Come** and **hear** a different resolution of this dilemma from the verse referring to Abijah, son of Jeroboam: **“And all Israel shall eulogize him and bury him”** (I Kings 14:13). **And if you say** that a eulogy **is** delivered **due to the honor of the living, are these** people, Jeroboam’s surviving family, **worthy of** this **honor?** The Gemara answers: **It is satisfactory to the righteous when** other **people are honored through them.** Since that is their wish, they are eulogized even if their wicked relatives are honored as a result.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:23
[Sanhedrin 46b:23](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:23)

תָּא שְׁמַע: ״לֹא יִסָּפְדוּ וְלֹא יִקָּבֵרוּ״. לָא נִיחָא לְצַדִּיקַיָּא דְּמִיַּיקְּרִי בַּרְשִׁיעִיָּיא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **Come** and **hear** a proof from the curse pronounced by Jeremiah upon the wicked: **“They shall not be eulogized, nor shall they be buried”** (Jeremiah 16:4). If you say that a eulogy is delivered due to the honor of the living, why should the wicked not be eulogized, as perhaps they are survived by righteous people who are worthy of this honor? The Gemara answers: **It is not satisfactory to the righteous when they are honored through the wicked,** and therefore they prefer that a eulogy not be delivered for their wicked relatives.


###### Sanhedrin 46b:24
[Sanhedrin 46b:24](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/46b:24)

תָּא שְׁמַע: ״בְּשָׁלוֹם תָּמוּת וּבְמִשְׂרְפוֹת אֲבוֹתֶיךָ הַמְּלָכִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לְפָנֶיךָ כֵּן יִשְׂרְפוּ לָךְ וְהוֹי אָדוֹן יִסְפְּדוּ לָךְ״. וְאִי אָמְרַתְּ מִשּׁוּם יְקָרָא דְּחָיֵי הוּא, מַאי נָפְקָא לֵיהּ מִינֵּיהּ? הָכִי קָאָמַר לֵיהּ: לִיַּיקְּרוּ בָּיךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי הֵיכִי דְּמִתְיַיקְּרִי בַּאֲבָהָתָךְ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **Come** and **hear** a resolution of this dilemma from what Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: **“You shall die in peace; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings that were before you, so shall they make a burning for you; and they will eulogize you, saying: Ah, master”** (Jeremiah 34:5). **And if you say** that a eulogy **is** delivered **due to the honor of the living** relatives of the deceased, **what difference does it make to him** if he is eulogized? The Gemara answers: It is possible that a eulogy is to honor the living, and **this** is what Jeremiah **is saying to** Zedekiah: Enjoy the thought that **Israel shall be honored through you** at your funeral just **as they were honored through your ancestors** at their funerals.