黑料社

What Do the Dead Know?

May 3, 2024 By Jonathan Boyarin | Commentary | Aharei Mot

This week鈥檚 Torah portion begins with the words 鈥渁fter the death,鈥� referring to the death of Aaron鈥檚 sons Nadab and Abihu. 聽I appreciate the chance to contribute this week鈥檚 commentary, since I鈥檓 currently teaching a course titled 鈥淒eath, Dying, and the Dead鈥� at JTS. Much of the course is about 黑料社 death rituals, but I also aim to convince my students that 黑料社ness per se is inconceivable without some notion of the continuing presence of the dead in the world of the living. The tradition for the most part seems to take this continued presence for granted, though questions arose about exactly how it manifests.