Moed Katan Daf 25 מועד קטן דַף 25

The Mishnah on the bottom of Daf 24b stated: אין קורעין ולא חולצין ואין מברין אלא קרוביו של מת – No one does kriah, nor reveal their shoulders, nor is served a mourner’s meal, except the relatives of the deceased. After the Gemara clarifies that the Mishnah is not discussing a case of a Chochom or אדם כשר – an upright person who passed away, where there certainly is a chiyuv to do kriah for them, it questions the Mishnah in a case where one was standing there at the time the person passed, for it was taught in a Baraisa: Rebbe Shimon ben Elazar said: העומד על המת בשעת יציאת נשמה חייב לקרוע – One who stands by a dead person at the time the neshamah departs is chayav to do kriah. למה זה דומה – What is this likened to? לספר תורה שנשרף שחייב לקרוע – To a sefer Torah that was burned, where one who sees it happen must do kriah. Rashi explains that the Torah is called a ner – a lamp, as the passuk states: כי נר מצוה ותורה אור – For a mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is a light, and the neshamah is called a ner, as the passuk states: נר ה' נשמת אדם – The lamp of Hashem is the soul of a person. The Gemara answers that the Mishnah is not discussing a case where one was present when the soul departed.

The Gemara describes in detail the funeral and burial of Rav Huna. When he was brought up from Bavel to Eretz Yisroel for burial, the sages deliberated on a suitable location. They concluded, רב הונא ריבץ תורה בישראל ורבי חייא ריבץ תורה בישראל – Rav Huna disseminated Torah among Yisroel and Rebbe Chiyah disseminated Torah among Yisroel, therefore it is appropriate to bury Rav Huna in Rebbe Chiya’s crypt. Rashi brings the Gemara in Baba Metzia, where Rebbe Chiya declared, “I will make sure the Torah is not forgotten in Yisroel.” The Sages then needed to determine which Rabbi has enough merit to bring Rav Huna into Rebbe Chiya’s crypt, and Rav Chaga said that he would bring him in and is worthy enough to do so, for he had thorough knowledge of the Talmud when he was eighteen, and he was never a baal keri, and he was the shamash of Rebbe Chiya and is familiar with his great deeds. As an example, one time when Rebbe Chiya became aware that he was wearing his tefillin with the strap turned over, he fasted forty days to atone for it. The Gemara continues, describing how a pillar of fire almost consumed Rav Chaga when he entered and how he was saved when he raised Rav Huna’s coffin in front of it.

The Gemara brings several hespedim that were said over great sages. When Rebbe Yochanan passed away, Rebbe Yitzchak ben Elazar began his hesped as follows: קשה היום לישראל כיום בא השמש בצהרים – This day is a difficult for Yisroel as the day when the sun set at midday, as it is written: והיה ביום ההוא...והבאתי השמש בצהרים – And it shall be on that day…that I will bring down the sun at midday. And Rebbe Yochanan said that this is a reference to the day that Yoshiyahu Hamelech was killed when he was at the prime of his life.