The Luz Bone and Melaveh Malkah

The Luz Bone and Melaveh Malkah

Our Sages, of blessed memory, teach that there is a bone in the human body that does not decompose or succumb to decay. The holy Zohar teaches: “After a person has been consumed by the dust, and the time for the resurrection of the dead arrives, the Holy One, blessed be He, has ordained that around that bone which remains, something resembling dough or soft cheese will form, fluid like milk—a liquid purified with the transparent purity of that bone. Then that bone will dissolve, mixing with this milk-like substance, and afterward He will thicken it and give it form, like cheese that is solidifying. Then skin and flesh, bones and sinews will develop there, as it is written: ‘Did You not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese?’” (Zohar 221b–222a) According to the holy Zohar, this very bone is the Luz bone. The sages say in Bereishit Rabbah: “Hadrian, may his bones rot, asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah, saying: From what will the Holy One, blessed be He, cause a person to grow in the World to Come? He replied: From the Luz bone in the spine. He asked him: How do you know this? He replied: Have it brought, and I will prove it to you. They ground it in a millstone, but it was not crushed. They burned it in fire, but it did not burn. They soaked it in water, but it did not dissolve. They placed it on an anvil and struck it with a hammer—the anvil split and the hammer broke, but it was not damaged at all.” (Bereishit Rabbah 28:3) There is no absolutely certain knowledge of its precise location: whether it is at the top of the spine, at the base of the skull (where the knot of the head tefillin is placed), or at the base of the spine (where the coccyx is located). The body will “grow” from it and be restored when the dead are brought back to life—techiyat ha-metim—which will take place in the World to Come, after the coming of Mashiach. It is called either the “Luz bone” or the “Luz of the spine”. The gematria of the expression “etzem ha-Luz” (the Luz bone) = 248, corresponding to the number of limbs in the human body according to the Sages, each of which corresponds to one of the 248 positive commandments in the Torah. Thus, this one eternal bone may be said to contain all the organs and parts of the body. This eternal bone resembles the description of a DNA molecule—the human genetic code containing all the information about its biological nature. Interestingly, the word “etzem” (bone) in the language of the Torah means both “bone” and “essence” or “self”. From this single molecule, which embodies the essence of the organism, the entire person will return to life in the resurrection of the dead. The principal location of DNA in the body is the bone marrow, corresponding to the sefirah of Chochmah, concerning which it is said: “They will die, but not through wisdom (Chochmah)”. (Job 4:21) Even in physical death, this Luz bone not only does not die; on the contrary, it is destined to ensure the restoration of the entire organism. The gematria of another name for it—“Luz shel ha-shidrah” (the Luz of the spine)—is 882, twice the numerical value of the word “emet” (truth) = 441. The very concepts of eternity and truth point to the hidden, mystical meaning of the Divine Name “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” (I Am That I Am, who exists eternally), mentioned in the Torah. In the teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidut, the word “truth” points to eternal life, since truly authentic things have neither interruption nor end (that which has an interruption or an end—even after a very long time—is called “kazav” (falsehood)). Regarding the patriarch Jacob, whom the Torah calls “ish ha-emet” (a man of truth), the Talmud says: “Jacob our forefather did not die”. (Micah 7:2) The doubled numerical value of the word “emet” (truth) points to rising from the dust and eternal life on two planes simultaneously: the material and the spiritual. This corresponds to the opinion of Ramban that at the resurrection of the dead, not only the soul but also the physical body will live eternally. Segulot: 1. As a segulah at the conclusion of Shabbat, it is customary to touch the Luz bone with fingers moistened with wine from Havdalah. The Sages teach that the “Luz bone”, through which the resurrection of the dead will take place, is nourished only by the fourth meal—Melaveh Malkah. Since Melaveh Malkah is a meal signifying the escorting of the Sabbath Queen, if no one was welcomed and honored, then, understandably, there is no one to escort. The potential of the “Luz bone” depends specifically on this meal, which is why it is accorded such great importance. (“Or Yisrael” 3, 103; “Body, Mind, and Soul” by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh)