One of the things mentioned by the Mishnah, in addition to the first ten items that were created erev Shabbat bein hashmashot, is the burial place of Moses – קבורתו של משה. What a strange thought! What the Tanna is trying to teach us, I believe, is how to stabilize our views and our assessments of our fellow men. He is trying to help us avoid succumbing to the danger of extremes in our evaluation of others, especially after they have died. Consider the extraordinary case of Moses. An unbiased reading of the Torah leads us to the startling conclusion that he was probably one of the most unpopular leaders in the history of mankind. His people were afraid of him and had little love for him. He literally had to force them out of slavery and into freedom. No matter what untoward event occurred, they blamed him. Jewish tradition even maintains that they accused him of some of the vilest crimes in the annals of mankind – not excluding adultery. He had to defend himself explicitly against implied charges of graft, bribery, and theft. This holiest of all men, this chief of all prophets, was treated with utter contempt and apparently without a shred of acknowledgement or appreciation of his unparalleled greatness. He was resented, disliked, hated. Yet as soon as he died, the Israelites experienced a sudden and radical change of heart. We are told that God Himself buried Moses and did not allow his burial place to be known – ויקבור אותו בגי... ולא ידע איש את קבורתו. Why so? Because, our Sages tell us, God was afraid that the sudden wave of admiration for Moses by the people would have evil consequences – the adulation might lead to idolatry and worship. God did not want Moses, the great teacher of monotheism and the great enemy of idolatry, to become himself an object of worship. So the feelings of the Israelites for Moses ran from one extreme to the other – from hatred to worship, from contempt to idolization. Before he died, they wished he would; after he died, they were di…

Whether we like it or not, Yizkor not only time think of beloved relatives, but also – of ourselves. This solemn moment we not only recollect, but also indulge: introspection. In recalling those whom we loved and no longer here, we aware of fact (to which we are sometimes oblivious in the rush of things) that: we are mortal ourselves. We remember: law of life that life must come to an end, eventually... Today we impress upon ourselves fact that we will not live forever – and therefore life we have left to ourselves (& may we... 120...) is all the more precious to us.

1. G's vol, like much of J lit, =inductv>dedcuctv (partculr t gen), teachg via case histories. 2. For future MDs, imp'ce, התמדה, keepg up w lit in field... 3. For all: note elmnt uncertnty – evn w best sci, exprtise. 4. Healing=sp/psych as well as physcl: Rambam – חולי נפש. 5. MD must combn profl comptnc+humn warmth (bed-side) א-ל מלך רופא נאמן ורחמן אתה – G tries f both! Read p. 160. 6. Sufferg: G: enigma. OK, but wrong (p. 146) "nt rationlzd by after-lf". שכר מצוה בהאי עלמאף עוה"ז פרוזדור לעוה"ב. Still, he's right ר' ינאי אין בידיני לא משלות הרשעים ולא...