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Re: Source: Candle Before Being Extinguished
Rav Yakov Zev asked:
>>People say that shortly before a person is Niftar, they can look even
more serene and alert than during the previous days - like a candle burning
brighter before it extinguishes.
Do you know of any source for this, regarding a person or a candle?<<
The Kollel replied:
>>1) Of course, the person's soul is compared very often to a candle.
Possibly the main source is Mishlei 20:27: "The candle of Hashem is a man's
soul."
2) More specifically, referring to the Petirah, the Gemara in Shabbos 151b
states "Mashal l'Ner" -- the Neshamah is compared to a candle in its final
moments. (The Gemara there says that for this reason one is not allowed to
close the eyes of the Goses since this is considered as bloodshed. If one
places one's finger on a candle which is dying down, it will extinguish
immediately. Similarly closing the eyes of a dying person will hasten his
death.)
3) We find in a few places in Chazal that when a Tzadik passes away, the
souls of Tzadikim who are already in Gan Eden come to meet him. See
Berachos 28b where we are told that when Raban Yochanan ben Zakai was in
his last moments, he told his disciples to prepare a chair for King
Chizkiyah who was coming to meet him. See also Bava Metzia 62b, where Rava
said that when he would die, Rav Oshaya would come to meet him. Clearly,
the fact that these great Tzadikim come to greet the Niftar causes them to
become more serene.
4) There is also a Halachic ramification of the above. See Teshuvos Shraga
ha'Meir 5:11:3 (of Rav Schneibalg zt'l) who writes that before the Neshamah
departs from the body it becomes stronger in the same way that a candle
burns stronger before it goes out. He therefore writes that a memorial
light should not be electric, because electricity does not possess this
property.<<
---
The Kollel adds:
1) There seems to be an explicit verse which describes that the person
becomes stronger before he is Niftar. This is Tehilim 104:29, "You will add
on to their spirit, and they will die and return to their dust." This verse
seems to teach that the spirit is added on to and becomes stronger before
death.
xx 10 min
2) It must be pointed out, though, that in the context of the passage in
Tehilim, this refers to animal creatures, not human beings.
However, I saw that the Michtav me'Eliyahu (vol. 3, p. 29) by Rav Dessler
zt'l cites the Zohar from which it is clear that the verse is also
referring to people. The Zohar says: "At the time that a person dies... an
exalted spirit is added on to him, that he did not possess in his lifetime.
Once this spirit rests upon him and cleaves to him, he sees what he was not
able to see during his lifetime, because he possesses this extra spirit...
as is stated (Tehilim 104:29), 'You will add on to their spirit, and they
will die and return to their dust.' This is what is said, 'For a person
cannot see me and live' (Shemos 33:20);
they did not merit seeing me when they were alive, but when they die they
do have this merit."
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom
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