Rav Tzemach Mazuz: The Return of Hadar Goldin’s Body is Like a Torah Mantel
After eleven agonizing years, the remains of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, taken captive by the Hamas terror organization during Operation Protective Edge, were returned to Israel this week. Against the backdrop of this emotional national moment, the rosh yeshiva of Kisei Rachamim, Rav Tzemach Mazuz, devoted part of his weekly shiur to explain why the Jewish people are so deeply committed to bringing every fallen soldier to a proper Jewish burial.
Connecting the discussion to Parshas Chayei Sarah, Rav Mazuz opened with a question: why does the Torah spend twenty full verses describing the burial of Sarah Imeinu, while the deaths of other great figures such as Avrohom and Yitzchok are related in just a few? “Why,” he asked, “does the Torah elaborate so much on Avrohom’s negotiations with Ephron, the price, and the entire exchange? What does that matter to us?”
Citing classical commentaries, Rav Mazuz explained that this lengthy section teaches the holiness of the human body and the eternal nature of the soul. “A person is not like an animal,” he said. “When an animal dies, that’s the end. But a human being is made of two elements—the body, which is physical, and the neshamah, a breath of life from Hashem Himself. As Chazal say, ‘Man d’nofach midilei nofach’—when someone breathes into another, he gives of his own breath. The neshamah is literally a part of Hashem above.”
The rosh yeshiva offered a vivid parable: “People say, ‘I only believe in what I can see.’ But that’s foolish. Imagine a great machine in a factory running perfectly, and suddenly the power goes out—it stops. You don’t see the electricity, but without it, the machine is lifeless. So too the human body—it’s the garment of the soul. The essence of man is his neshamah. Since the body once contained that Divine spark, it is holy. It’s like the mantle of a Sefer Torah—when the Torah scroll is removed, the mantle itself remains sacred and must be treated with honor. You can’t just throw it away; it requires genizah. Likewise, the human body, which once housed a neshamah, possesses sanctity. That’s why autopsies are forbidden—the body is kadosh.”
Rav Mazuz continued, “This is why the Torah dedicates twenty verses to Sarah Imeinu’s burial—to instill in us faith in techiyas hameisim and the eternal life of the soul.”
Turning to current events, the rosh yeshiva referenced the long public struggle to retrieve the remains of soldiers held by Hamas. “Now, after a long battle, we’ve witnessed the return of our captured soldiers’ bodies. Even Jews who are distant from Torah and mitzvos feel deep pain about this matter. I ask: if they don’t believe in the afterlife, why should it matter to them where the bodies are buried? But it does matter—because deep inside, every Jew believes in olam haba, believes the neshamah lives on, and that the body that once held it is holy. That is why we fight to bring them home.”
Concluding his remarks, Rav Mazuz offered a heartfelt tefillah: “May we all merit to do teshuvah sheleimah, to believe fully in olam haba, to guard ourselves from sin, and to strive in the performance of mitzvos—so that we will have what to eat in the World to Come. Chizku ve’imtzu!”
{Matzav.com}
