What Do You Say to Someone Who Is Dying?

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

Hi, this is Rabbi Wolbe with our question and answer series. [music] Hi Rabbi Wolbe, and thanks for reading this. My grandfather has a genetic condition that has him bedridden and emaciated. He's across the sea in Israel, and we don't have the money to all go visit him. So, my father himself usually goes once a year. He has the same inherited genetic condition, although it is not as bad. Whenever he goes to see his father, I know it must be terrifying. He looks at the image of what he thinks mirrors his the image of what he thinks mirrors his future, skinny limbs and dialysis, and worst of all, feeding tubes. He always comes home depressed and shaken. He doesn't know what to tell his father to give him a chizuk >> [snorts] >> when everything seems so hopeless, and I don't know what to tell my father. In general, what do you tell someone who is at death's doorstep that won't offend them or sound too cliché? Thanks again. Thanks again. Oh, boy. It's a rough question, isn't it? I mean, I was in South Africa once, and I was going around speaking and meeting with people, and they said, "Could you go and meet with this person? He has pancreatic cancer." As a rule, that's a death sentence. Usually lasts about 6 months. Alex Trebek lasted longer, but that was an exception. Yeah. Um, that's because he didn't know the answer to the question, "What is

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1. 0:00Hi, this is Rabbi Wolbe with our question and answer series. [music] Hi Rabbi Wolbe, and…
2. 0:33the image of what he thinks mirrors his future, skinny limbs and dialysis, and worst of…
3. 1:04Thanks again. Oh, boy. It's a rough question, isn't it? I mean, I was in South…
4. 2:05progressing all the time. There's always opportunities. You can never lose hope. You have to and…
5. 2:36And the fellow who locked him up said, "I'll give you off one day." And he…
6. 3:36That was uh from the uh the simcha, Art Raymond. Um the uh What was it?…
7. 4:06My mother was sick many years. Used to call up, I said, "Mom, how you doing?"…
8. 4:37Jews?" And Yisro said, "Be good to them." And Bilam said, "Enslave them." And Iyov said…
9. 5:40Hard to be enfeebled? Is it hard to to be sick? Sure. Can I guarantee you…
10. 6:11But better life, better the gift of life than anything at all. And the hissa comes…

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