Kitzur Shulchan Aruch - Chapter 197: The Laws of the Shrouds, and Purification. The Prohibition of Deriving Pleasure from Belongings of the Deceased

It is a custom of respect to make garments of white linen for shrouds.1 They should be made nicely to indicate our belief in the resurrection of the dead, for Rav Chiya bar Yosef said, "The righteous will arise with their garments on them."2 However they should not be too elaborate, for that is forbidden. One should not make the shrouds with a hem, or a knot of any sort, either when sewing the shrouds or when dressing the deceased with them. A man should be buried in a tallis with tzitzis [fringes], but one [of the four tzitzis] should be invalidated. The better procedure however is to insert one of the tzitzis in a corner pocket of the tallis when the body is in the grave. If he had a beautiful tallis3 in which he prayed during his lifetime, it is not proper to exchange it after his death with a tallis that is not as beautiful, for a person is desirous of being buried in the tallis in which he prayed during his lifetime.4 When dressing the deceased, they should think: "Just as his body is being clothed, so may his soul be attired in spiritial garments in Gan Eiden."

The purification of the body is done in this manner: His entire body and head is washed with warm water. He should be thoroughly cleansed between his fingers and toes, as well as all other parts of his body. His head should be shampooed, his hair should be combed and trimmed, and his finger and toe nails should be cut (it is not the custom to do so in our countries). Care should be taken not to place the deceased with his face downwards as that is disrespectful, rather he should be inclined on one side, and then on the other side. After he is thoroughly cleansed, we pour nine kavvim of water over him. This is done in the following manner: The deceased is placed in a standing position on the ground, or on straw, and the water is poured on his head, so that it runs down his entire body.

Regarding the capacity of nine kavvim,5 there are diverse opinions (It is best to take about twenty four quarts, one liter according to the Polish measurements.) It is not necessary that all the water be contained in one vessel; but even two or three vessels can be combined to make up nine kavvim. It is however necessary that the second vessel be poured before the first is emptied, and the third one be poured before the second is emptied. Even when pouring from one vessel, the flow must not be interrupted. However, four vessels, even if they are poured simultaneously, cannot be combined.

Afterwards, an egg is beaten with wine. The egg is beaten together with its shell, to symbolize that fortune is like a revolving wheel in the world. (Where wine is not available water may be used.) The head of the deceased is washed with this mixture. The custom in some places that each one takes a little of the mixture and sprinkles it upon the deceased is improper, and the custom should be abolished because it resembles the customs of the gentiles. Rather it should be used only to wash his head.

Care should be taken that the fingers of the deceased do not remain closed. The custom in some places to close his fingers, should be abolished. The belief of those who say that by doing so, they symbolize sacred names, is a mere fabrication. Similarly the custom of placing twigs in his hand generally called forks, is a foolish custom.6 If they insist on placing them, they should be put alongside the deceased.

After the deceased has been cleansed he should not be left in the place where the purification took place, but should be placed opposite the door inside the house. One should not turn over the board upon which the deceased has been washed, for it may be dangerous to do so.

A parent should not kiss his dead children, as it is very dangerous. All the more so, one should not grasp the hand of the deceased and say that he should take him along.

When the deceased is being taken from the house, care must be exercised that no one should walk out ahead of him. The pallbearers, however, who must exit the house first, in order to carry him out, need not be concerned about this.

If a person collapses and dies instantly, if his body was injured, and blood flowed from the wound, and there is reason to fear that perhaps his lifeblood was absorbed in his clothes and his shoes, he should not be ritually cleansed, but he should be buried in his clothing and his shoes. Over his clothing, he should be wrapped in a sheet. The sheet is called soveir, (wrapping). It is customary to scoop up the earth from the spot where he fell, if any blood is there. The earth nearby that spot should also be dug up, and he should be buried with all the earth that contains blood. Only the clothing he wore when he fell should be buried with him, but if the blood splashed on other garments that he was not wearing at that time, or if he was placed upon pillows and cushions while still bleeding, these need not be buried but should be thoroughly washed until no trace of blood remains. The water is then poured into his grave. If he did not bleed, his clothing should be removed, his body ritually cleansed, and dressed in shrouds as is done in cases of natural death. Likewise, the clothing of a person who drowned in water should be removed, and he should be treated as one who died a natural death. In some places, it is customary to bury those who drowned with the clothing in which they were found. Where this is the custom it should be upheld.

Even if blood issued from his body but it stopped, and his clothes were removed, after which he lived for a few days and died, his body must be ritually cleansed and dressed in shrouds. Even though his body is stained from the blood which issued from him, he still must be cleansed, because we are not concerned [about washing off the blood] that issued when he was alive. We are concerned only about the blood which issued from him while he was dying because it may have been his lifeblood, or that his lifeblood was mixed with it.

If a woman dies while giving birth, we apply to her the same law as that of a slain person, and if it is known that she had lost a great deal of blood, she is not to be cleansed. If the flow of blood had ceased and she died later, in which case there is no doubt about lifeblood, she should be treated as any other person who died naturally. In many communities, it is the custom to cleanse the body of any woman who dies at childbirth. There are many other customs pertaining to a woman who dies at childbirth; where they prevail they should be observed.

One who is murdered by a non-Jew, even if he did not bleed at all, for example if he was strangled to death, he should be buried as he was found, in order to arouse wrath against the killer.

The deceased, whether gentile or Jew, and his shrouds, are forbidden to be used for any benefit. Also ornaments of the dead that are attached to his body, such as a wig that is tied to, or woven into his hair, are forbidden to be used for any benefit. Also, if he has an artificial tooth, it should be buried with him, but ornaments that are not attached to the body are permitted. Also ornaments that are not considered of the body, such as jewelry and clothing, may be used in any event.