5. Come and see, when a man is about to go to that world, and is on his sickbed, three messengers come to him. He sees there what one cannot see while in this world. That day is Judgment day, when the King asks for His deposit BACK, NAMELY THE SOUL. Happy is the man who returns the deposit to the King as it was given him, THAT IS, UNDAMAGED. If that deposit was soiled with bodily filth, what shall he say to the owner of the deposit?
5. תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּבַר נָשׁ קָאֵים לְמֵיהַךְ לְהַהוּא עָלְמָא, וְהוּא בְּבֵי מַרְעֵיהּ, אַתְיָין עָלֵיהּ ג' שְׁלוּחִין, וְחָמֵי תַּמָּן, מַה דְּלָא יָכִיל בַּר נָשׁ לְמֵחֱמֵי כַּד אִיהוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא. וְהַהוּא יוֹמָא, יוֹמָא דְּדִינָא עִלָּאָה הוּא, דְּמַלְכָּא בָּעֵי פִּקְדוֹנָא דִּילֵיהּ. זַכָּאָה הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, דְּפִקְדוֹנֵיהּ אָתִיב לְמַלְכָּא כְּמָה דְּאִתְיְיהִיב לֵיהּ בְּגַוֵיהּ. אִי הַהוּא פִּקְדוֹנָא אִתְטְנָּף בְּטִנּוּפֵי גּוּפָא, מַה יֵימָּא לְמָארֵי פִּקְדוֹנָא.
6. He lifts up his eyes and sees the Angel of Death standing before him with his sword drawn in his hand, the destroying angel in charge of breaking that man. Nothing is harder for the soul than its separation from the body. The man does not die until he sees the Shechinah. Through much yearning for the Shechinah the soul leaves THE BODY to welcome the Shechinah. After THE SOUL has left THE BODY, what soul CAN cleave to the Shechinah and be received within Her? These matters have been explained.
6. זָקַף עֵינוֹי, וְחָמֵי לְמַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת קָאֵים קַמֵּיהּ, וְסַיְיפֵיהּ שְׁלִיפָא בִּידֵיהּ, קַסְטַּר בְּקַטְרִין, בְּקוּטְמָא דְּהַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ. וְלֵית לָהּ לְנַפְשָׁא קַשְׁיוּ בְּכֹלָּא, כִּפְרִישׁוּ דִּילָהּ מִן גּוּפָא. וּבַר נָשׁ לָא מִית, עַד דְּחָמֵי לִשְׁכִינְתָּא, וּמִגּוֹ סְגִיאוּת תִּיאוּבְתָּא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא, נַפְשָׁא נַפְקַת לְקַבְּלָא לִשְׁכִינְתָּא. בָּתַר דְּנָפְקָא, מַאן אִיהִי נַפְשָׁא דְּאִתְדַּבָּק בָּהּ וְתִתְקַבֵּל בְּגַוָּוהּ וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ לְהָנֵי מִלֵי.
7. After the soul has left the body, and it remains spiritless, it is forbidden to leave it unburied, as it is written, "his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day" (Devarim 21:23). For a corpse remaining unburied for 24 hours, a day and a night, causes the parts of the Chariot, WHICH IS ALLUDED TO BY THAT MAN, to weaken, and detains the actions of the Holy One, blessed be He, from being carried out. For the Holy One, blessed be He, may have decreed upon him another incarnation at once, on the very day he died, in order to help him. But as long as the body is not buried, the soul does not come before the Holy One, blessed be He, nor can it be in another body in another incarnation, for a soul is not given another body until the first one is buried. This resembles a man whose wife died. He is not qualified to marry another wife before he buries the first one. Hence the Torah said, "His body shall not remain all night upon the tree."
7. בָּתַר דְּנָפְקָא נַפְשָׁא מִן גּוּפָא, וְאִשְׁתְּאַר גּוּפָא בְּלָא רוּחָא, אָסִיר לְמִשְׁבַּק לֵיהּ בְּלָא קְבוּרָתָא, דִּכְתִּיב לֹא תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ עַל הָעֵץ כִּי קָבֹר תִּקְבְּרֶנוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא. בְּגִין דְּמֵיתָא דְּיִשְׁתָּהֵי כ"ד שָׁעוֹת, דְּאִינּוּן יוֹמַם וָלַיְלָה, בְּלָא קְבוּרָתָא, יָהִיב חַלִישׁוּתָא בְּשַׁיְיפוֹי דִּרְתִיכָא, וּמְעַכֵב עַבִידְתָּא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מלעבד דְּאֶפְשָׁר דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא גָּזַר עָלֵיהּ, בְּגִין לְמֵיתֵיהּ בְּגִלְגּוּלָא אָחֳרָא, מִיַּד בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא דְּאִתְפְּטָר, לְאוֹטָבָא לֵיהּ. וְכָל זִמְנָא דְּלָא אִתְקְבַר גּוּפָא, נִשְׁמְתָא לָאו עָאלַת קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְלָא יַכְלָא לְמֶהֱוֵי בְּגוּפָא אָחֳרָא, בְּגִלְגּוּלָא תִּנְיָנָא, דְּלָא יָהֲבִין לְנִשְׁמְתָא גּוּפָא אָחֳרָא, עַד דְּיִתְקְבָר קַדְמָאָה. וְדָא דָּמֵי לְבַר נָשׁ דְּמִיתָא אִתְּתֵיהּ, לָא אִתְחֲזֵי לֵיהּ, לְמֵיסַב אִתְּתָא אָחֳרָא, עַד דְּקָבִיר לְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וּבְגִין דָּא אָמְרָה אוֹרַיְיתָא, לֹא תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ עַל הָעֵץ.
8. Another explanation: when the soul has left the body and wishes to go to that world, it may not enter it until it is given another body of light. Then it can enter. You may derive this from Elijah, who had two bodies, one in which he was seen by people below, and another in which he was seen above among the celestial holy angels. As long as the body is not buried, the soul suffers and the spirit of defilement is there to dwell upon that body and defile it.
8. דָּבָר אַחֵר, כַּד אִתְפָּרְשָׁא נִשְׁמְתָא מִן גּוּפָא, וּבַעְיָא לְמֵיזָל לְהַהוּא עָלְמָא, לָא תֵּיעוּל לְהַהוּא עָלְמָא, עַד דְּיָהֲבִין לָהּ גּוּפָא אָחֳרָא מִנְּהוֹרָא, וּלְבָתַר יַכְלָא לְמֵיעַל. וּמֵאֵלִיָּהוּ תִּנְדַּע, דַּהֲווֹ לֵיהּ תְּרֵין גּוּפִין, חַד דְּבֵיהּ אִתְחֲזֵי לְתַתָּא לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא, וְחַד דְּבֵיהּ אִתְחֲזֵי לְעֵילָּא, בֵּין מַלְאֲכִין עִלָּאִין קַדִישִׁין. וְכָל כַּמָּה דְּגוּפָא לָא אִתְקְבַר, צַעֲרָא הוּא לְנִשְׁמְתָא, וְרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא אִזְדְּמַן לְשַׁרְיָיא עֲלוֹי, וּלְסַאָבָא לְהַהוּא גּוּפָא.
9. Since the spirit of defilement is in readiness TO DEFILE THE BODY, one must not keep the body for a night, because the spirit of defilement is present at night and spreads, NAMELY ROAMS, throughout the land to find a soulless body to defile it. THEREFORE AT NIGHT it is defiled even more. Therefore it warned the priests, saying, "There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people" (Vayikra 21:1). Since they are holy, the spirit of defilement will not dwell upon them and they shall not be defiled - FOR THE SPIRIT OF DEFILEMENT CAN DWELL ON A SPIRITLESS BODY.
9. וּבְגִין דְּהַהוּא רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא, אִזְדְּמַן, לָא לִבְעֵי לֵיהּ לְאִינִישׁ, לְמֵיבַת הַהוּא גּוּפָא לֵילְיָא חַד, בְּגִין דְּרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בְּלֵילְיָא, וְאִשְׁתְּטַח בְּכָל אַרְעָא, לְאַשְׁכְּחָא גּוּפָא בְּלָא נַפְשָׁא, לְסָאֲבָא לֵיהּ, וְאִסְתְּאַב יַתִּיר, וְעַל דָּא אַזְהַר לְכַהֲנֵי וְאָמַר, לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו, בְּגִין דְּאִינּוּן קַדִּישִׁין לָא יִשְׁרֵי עָלַיְיהוּ רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא, וְלָא יִסְתַּאֲבוּן.
10. "Speak to the priests." Rabbi Yitzchak said, "Speak to the priests" in a whisper. Just as all the services of the priests are done silently, so are all their words whispered. "Speak...and say" MEANS once and again to remind them of their sanctity so that they shall not be defiled, for whoever serves in a holy place must be holy in every respect. "There shall none be defiled for the dead," as we explained that a spiritless corpse is unholy and the spirit of defilement dwells upon it. For the spirits of defilement long for the bodies of Yisrael, once the spirit of holiness was emptied from them, and they come to join a vessel of holiness, NAMELY A BODY. The priests, who are doubly holy must not be defiled whatsoever, as it is written, "because the crown of his Elohim is upon his head" (Bemidbar 6:7), and "the anointing oil of his Elohim is upon him" (Vayikra 21:12).
10. אֱמוֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים, רִבִּי יִצְחָק אָמַר, אֱמוֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים, בִּלְחִישׁוּ. כְּמָה דְּכָל עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן דְּכַהֲנֵי בִּלְחִישׁוּ, כַּךְ אֲמִירָה דִּלְהוֹן בִּלְחִישׁוּ. אֱמוֹר וְאָמַרְתָּ: זִמְנָא חַד, וּתְרֵין זִמְנִין, לְאַזְהָרָא לְהוּ עַל קְדוּשַׁיְיהוּ, בְּגִין דְּלָא יִסְתַּאֲבוּן. דְּמַאן דִּמְשַׁמֵּשׁ בַּאֲתַר קַדִּישָׁא, בַּעְיָא דְּיִשְׁתְּכַח קַדִּישָׁא בְּכֹלָּא. לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא יִטַּמָּא, כְּמָה דְּאוֹקִימְנָא, דְּגוּפָא בְּלָא רוּחַ, מִסְאֲבָא הוּא, וְשָׁארֵי עָלֵיהּ רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא. דְּהָא תִּיאוּבְתָּא דְּרוּחֵי מִסְאֲבֵי לְגַבֵּי גּוּפֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אִיהוּ, בְּגִין דְּאִתְּרָק מִנַּיְיהוּ רוּחָא קַדִּישָׁא, וּבְמָנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא, אַתְיָין לְאִתְחַבְּרָא. וְכַהֲנֵי דְּאִינּוּן קַדִּישִׁין, קְדוּשָּׁתָא עַל קְדוּשָּׁתָא, לָא בַּעְיָין לְאִסְתַּאֲבָא כְּלַל, בְּגִין דִּכְתִּיב כִּי נֵזֶר אֱלֹהָיו עַל רֹאשׁוֹ. וּכְתִיב כִּי שֶׁמֶן מִשְׁחַת אֱלֹהָיו עָלָיו אֲנִי יְיָ.'