וַיֹּאמֶר לְיוֹסֵף הִנֵּה אָבִיךָ חוֹלֶה. יְלַמְּדֵנוּ רַבֵּנוּ, מַהוּ לְבָרֵךְ עַל הַנֵּר וְעַל הַבְּשָׂמִים שֶׁל מֵתִים. כָּךְ שָׁנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, אֵין מְבָרְכִין לֹא עַל הָאוֹר וְלֹא עַל הַבְּשָׂמִים שֶׁל מֵתִים. מַאי טַעְמָא. שֶׁכָּתוּב, לֹא הַמֵּתִים יְהַלְלוּ יָהּ (תהלים קטו, יז). And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph: “Benold, thy father is sick” (Gen. 48:1). May it please our master to teach us whether a benediction may be recited over the light or the spices stationed at the side of a corpse? Our masters teach us: A benediction may not be recited over the light or the spices used at the side of a corpse. What is the basis of this decision? It is written: The dead praise not the Lord (Ps. 115:17).
אָמַר רַבִּי מֵאִיר, מֵתֵי עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, מֵתִין. אֲבָל מֵתֵיהֶן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵינָן מֵתִים, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבִּזְכוּתָן הַחַיִּים עוֹמְדִין. שֶׁכֵּן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא, כְּשֶׁעָשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹתוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה, אִלּוּלֵי שֶׁהִזְכִּיר מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ זְכוּת הָאָבוֹת, כְּבָר הָיוּ אֲבוּדִין יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: זְכֹר לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדֶיךָ (שמות לב, יג). לְפִיכָךְ קָשֶׁה לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִגְזֹר מִיתָה עַל הַצַּדִּיקִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יָקָר בְּעֵינֵי ה' הַמָּוְתָה לַחֲסִידָיו (תהלים קטז, טו). מָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה, מַרְאֶה לָהֶם מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְבְּעוּ מִיתָה בְּפִיהֶן. רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ כְּשֶׁנָּטָה לָמוּת, הֶרְאָה לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַתַּן שְׂכָרוֹ. וְתָמַהּ וְאָמַר, כָּל אֵלֶּה לְאַבָּהוּ. קָרָא עַל עַצְמוֹ, וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי לְרִיק יָגַעְתִּי לְתֹהוּ וְהֶבֶל כֹּחִי כִלֵּיתִי אָכֵן מִשְׁפָּטִי אֶת ה' (ישעיה מט, ד). מִיָּד נִתְאַוָּה לַמִּיתָה. R. Meir said: The idolatrous dead are truly dead, but the deceased in Israel do not actually die. They survive because of the merit (of their forebears). Thus, you find that the Israelites, who erected the golden calf, would have vanished from the world if Moses, our Master, had not mentioned the merit of the patriarchs, as it is said: Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, thy servants (Exod. 32:13). Therefore, it is difficult for the Holy One, blessed be He, to decree the death of the righteous, as it is said: Weighty in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (Ps. 116:15). What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He revealed to the righteous the reward that awaits them in the world-to-come so that they would plead for their own death. When R. Abahu was about to depart from this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, disclosed to him the reward stored up for him and he was astounded by it. He said: “Is all this for Abahu?” Whereupon he applied to himself the verse And I said: “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God” (Isa. 49:4). Immediately, he began to long for death.
וְאַף אַבְרָהָם תָּבַע מִיתָה בְּפִיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְאָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ עֲרִירִי (בראשית טו, ב). לְכָךְ אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְאַתָּה תָּבוֹא אֶל אֲבֹתֶיךָ בְּשָׁלוֹם (בראשית טו, טו). יִצְחָק תָּבַע מִיתָה בְּפִיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ לִפְנֵי ה' לִפְנֵי מוֹתִי (בראשית כז, ז). לְכָךְ כְּתִיב: וַיִּגְוַע יִצְחָק וַיָּמָת (בראשית לה, כט). יַעֲקֹב תָּבַע מִיתָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אָמוּתָה הַפָּעַם (בראשית מו, ל). אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ אָמוּתָה הַפָּעַם, תֵּשֵׁב שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה. וְחָלָה וְנֶאֱסָף. Abraham also pleaded for death with his own lips, as it is said: What wilt thou give me, seeing I go hence childless (Gen. 15:2). Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace (ibid., v. 15). Isaac likewise sought death, as is said: That I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death (ibid. 35:29). Similarly, Jacob asked for death, as is said: Now let me die (ibid. 46:30). The Holy One, blessed be He, told him: You have said: Now let me die, but you will live seventeen additional years. After that time had passed he became ill and died.