A Complicated Tahara and Dedicated Chevra Kadisha Lead to an Enormous Mitzvah

Boruch Hashem, I have the great Zchus to be on Shlichus in the state of New Hampshire for just over 36 years. Our average day consists of engaging with a multitude of diverse stories and individuals. Every phone call every email brings something new, sometimes it’s small challenges, and sometimes, it’s big challenges. Throughout your Shlichus, there is no doubt that situations will come along that expand your comfort zone.

Last Wednesday night, I received a call from a woman whom I haven’t talked with in years. She was in tears, notifying me that her brother had passed away up in Concord, NH.

Stepping into my role, I began comforting her, and quickly gathered all the information I would need to ensure a proper Kevurah.

First thing in the morning, I contacted our local Chevra Kadisha to make arrangements to perform a taharah. I made plans to move things along quickly so that we could schedule a funeral for Friday morning.

Thursday afternoon, I received information that made me realize the taharah was not going to be simple. It was going to be a very complicated and challenging process for a number of reasons, and our small local Chevra Kadisha, made up of community members, was not going to be equipped to do it properly.

My next option was to have the niftar transferred to Boston, Massachusetts, about an hour south, where they have a much more established Chevra Kadisha, and where they are much more equipped to deal with complicated cases.

I would have them perform the taharah, and then send the niftar right back to New Hampshire the very same evening, still ensuring a Friday burial.

I made the necessary phone calls, and had all the arrangements agreed upon, until the niftar’s sister called me, stating unequivocally: she will not allow her brother to be moved under any circumstances. “If you can’t prepare him the Jewish way, so be it. We are not an observant family,” she said, decidedly.

Left with little choice, I decided I would go with our Chevra Kadisha group up to the funeral home in Concord and assess the matter for ourselves. We agreed that if it is possible, we would do the best job we could under the circumstances.

Painfully, after seeing the situation, we determined that we simply could not proceed.

I was at a total loss. Here there was a Jewish body, and I couldn’t imagine a scenario in which it does not receive a proper taharah. It was getting very late on Thursday, the funeral was scheduled for the morning at 10:30am (which could not be changed) and here I am, unable to perform a taharah.

I did the only thing I could still think of. I reached out to my friend, the well known askan Mordy Hecht in Crown Heights. Without hesitation, Mordy tells he will gather a group of people Chevrah Kadisha
(Chesed Shel Emes ) together, and if need be he will come himself.

The group did not leave NY until 9:00 PM, traveling 260 miles to Concord, New Hampshire, arriving at 1:05AM. They immediately got started on the taharah, which took them a little over an hour to complete. The funeral home director, fascinated by this whole process and the determination of strangers, stayed up, remained with them at the funeral home until they were done.

I received a text at 2:25am “Thank you for the Zchus. We are done and heading back to New York.”
I offered them to stay overnight, but they insisted they had to head back.

Just like angels that appear from heaven, these holy men did the job, and disappeared back into the night.

Please never lose faith in your fellow Jew, and the beautiful ways in which we are willing to go above and beyond for each other, even for another Jew one has never met.

מי כעמך ישראל גוא
!אחד בארץ