Mummification in Halacha

Question

I am a rov in a small city in the Southern USA and recently came across the following issue:

Someone in my congregation wants to make an open casket funeral. This means that during the funeral, the coffin will be open, so that the participants can see the body. I was able to find the following write-up about this procedure:

Embalming procedures are designed to position the body in a life-like way and preserve it for a funeral. You need to drain the blood and replace it with embalming fluid to keep the body looking fresh. You also remove blood and waste matter from the deceased's internal organs. In addition, you sew the lips closed in a precise manner that isn't visible to attendees of the funeral.

Either the funeral director or embalmer typically performs the cosmetic procedures necessary for presentation of a body. Depending on the cause of death, you may need to shape or reconstruct parts of the deceased's body. These procedures are usually done using substances necessary for molding, like wax, cotton, clay, or plaster of Paris. You also need to dress the deceased in the manner decided upon by the family.

Next, one applies makeup to the deceased's face. This application has few similarities to the way that you'd apply makeup to a living person. Cosmetic applications on a deceased person include stitching parts of the face that may be disfigured or administering hypodermic injections to parts of the face that look deflated. Heavier cosmetics may be needed to hide abrasions or discolorations that have occurred in the deceased's face during sickness or after death.

My question is: Does this mummification process and displaying the body present a problem in halacha? If it does, should I try and convince this member not to do an open casket funeral or should I stay quiet?

Rav Auerbach 

Your question touches upon a number of issues in both halacha and hanhagas hapsak, i.e., even when the halacha is one way, the actual ruling may differ depending on the nature of the situation and the people involved. Let us try and deal with each issue separately and then we will be able to get an idea of how you should act.

Mummification

The process you describe of how the dead body is embalmed is reminiscent of what Yosef did to Yaakov in Mitzrayim (see Bereishis 50:2). The poskim and commentators on Chumash differ regarding their understanding of what took place.

The Rashba (Shu”t 1:369) writes that one is permitted to do a full mummification, including cutting up the body and removing internal organs. This is not considered to be a disgrace to the body of the deceased.  The Radvaz (1:484) explains that the source of the Rashba's ruling is what Yosef did to Yaakov in Mitzrayim. A number of later poskim cite and agree with this ruling of the Rashba (Noda B'Yehudah, Yoreh Deah 2:210; Tzitz Eliezer 4:14). Based on this, they rule that there is no problem with mummifying a dead body. (This is unlike an autopsy, which is not performed for the honor of the deceased.)

On the other hand, some poskim forbid mummification (Shu”t Emek Halacha 1:48). They cite the Zohar (Vayechi 250b) and many of the commentators on Chumash who explain that Yosef did not do actual mummification on Yaakov, cutting up and removing internal organs, but rather embalmed him in oils and spices. According to this understanding, it is forbidden to cut up the dead body, and this may even include draining the blood and replacing it with embalming fluid as you mentioned in your description of what takes place before the open casket funeral.

These poskim add an additional issue, that mummification does not allow the body to rot, a process that is critical for the deceased to enter the next world. However, seforim say that the true methodology for performing mummification has been lost and we cannot extrapolate from what took place at the time of Yosef Hatzaddik.

Based on what I understand from your question, true mummification is not done. Rather, the blood is removed and it is replaced with embalming fluid. Since there are many poskim who permit the full mummification process, we certainly cannot forbid individuals from performing this semi-mummification process. (The blood removed from the deceased should be buried in the ground along with the body.)

Open Casket Funerals

The second issue you mention is more problematic. The Gemara (Moed Koton 27b) states that, originally, these open casket funerals were widespread. The mourners would see the face of the departed for one last time before burial. However, there was a problem. While the wealthier families were able to perform this, the poorer families, many of whom had died in a state of malnutrition, clearly looked undernourished, and it was a lack of honor to open up their casket. Therefore, the chachomim decreed to forbid this in all situations.

This ruling is cited in Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 253:1) and is not disputed by the poskim. In fact, my friend, Rav Bakshi-Daron, recently published a teshuvah about this issue, for it seems to be prevalent in Peru (Shu”t Binyan Tzion 4:64). He cites the above-mentioned ruling of the Shulchan Aruch as a reason to forbid the practice of open casket funerals.

Other Considerations

Even after we have determined that open casket funerals are a problem in halacha, a rov must still decide if it is worthwhile to make an issue out of this. At times, we must apply the principle of mutav sheyihiyu shogegim, i.e., it is better to stay quiet and not say anything so that the people involved will be considered unintentional sinners rather than intentional ones.

There are a number of other considerations that a rov must keep in mind here. Foremost, what will happen of you forbid this? Maybe this person or other members of the congregation will stop doing Jewish burials altogether and start performing cremation instead. This is much more problematic than the process you describe.

We can add that if possible, it is very worthwhile to try and steer them towards keeping the traditional burial process. History has proven that once Jews start deviating in these areas, they are on their way to dropping many other critical aspects of Judaism and, at times, going off completely.

As a rov, you should try and instill in your congregation what techias hameisim, resurrection of the dead, really is. You should cite sources from Chazal and from the Rishonim and Acharonim describing what it will be like. If they appreciate that making alterations to the deceased body might hurt them for eternity, they may think twice about it.

In summation, it is the job of a rov to have his finger on the pulse of what is taking place in his community. He should think very carefully before he issues a ruling to ensure that it is appropriate for the individuals he is dealing with.

It is always good to ask advice from other rabbonim, and I commend you for consulting me about this complicated and highly sensitive issue. May we all be zoche to arichas yomim, a long life, and to greet Moshiach and experience techias hameisim.