Ethical Will History

Ethical wills are an integral part of ancient Jewish history, dating back to Medieval times. In their initial form, they fell under the broad umbrella of Hebrew ethical literature, a large body of literary work which sought to apply the theological, psychological, and anthropological principles of several Jewish philosophies (notably Kabbalah and Ashkenazi Hasidism) to the lives of ordinary Jews. However, they differ from the larger body of ethical literature in that the former gives a great deal of attention to the theoretical concepts underpinning behavioral instructions, whereas ethical wills impart mostly practical advice. 

Many of the first ethical wills were written as poems, often in the form of a father speaking on his deathbed to his sons. Others are described in the literature as letters written by a father who is far away from his family (probably on the battlefield) in anticipation of his imminent death. In many of these letters, each paragraph begins with the words “my son,” followed by instructions for living an ethically and morally correct life. One of the most famous of these ancient wills was written by the Jewish scholar Judah ibn Tibbon to his son, Samuel, before his death somewhere around 1180 A.D. Titled “A Father’s Admonition”, it is over 50 pages long and covers a wide range of topics, from the importance of scholarship to the proper care of the poor and the sick. One famous passage reads “Avoid bad society, make thy books thy companions, let thy book-cases and shelves be thy gardens and pleasure-grounds. Pluck the fruit that grows therein, gather the roses, the spices, and the myrrh. If thy soul be satiate and weary, change from garden to garden, from furrow to furrow, from sight to sight. Then will thy desire renew itself, and thy soul be satisfied with delight.” 

After the 13th century, ethical wills began to gain popularity among many Eastern European Jews, and the custom was adopted by several prominent Jewish families. Among the most prominent was the Horowitz family, who lived mostly in Prague in the 16th and 17th centuries. The elder Horowitz, Abraham, wrote one of the most famous ethical wills, a text which later became known as “Yesh Noḥalin.” His son Jacob added his own insights to the book, and later, Jacob’s son Shabbetai Sheftel Horowitz did as well. 

During the Holocaust, ethical wills became a tool used by Jews facing execution at the hands of the Nazis to write final messages to their families and communities. One of the most famous of these was written by Zippora Birman, a member of the Jewish Underground who died in Poland in 1943. The message called for  “Vengeance, vengeance— with no mercy, with no sentimentality,” a sentiment echoed by many of the ethical wills that now reside at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum and Memorial in Israel.

Today, the tradition of ethical wills is carried on by many Jewish families. Known in modern-day Hebrew as “tz’va’ot,” they have been embraced by both the Orthodox and Reform Jewish communities as a way to pass on personal values and beliefs, the traditional teachings of Judaism, and the importance of maintaining a Jewish identity in an increasingly secular world. 

Sources

“Ethical Literature”. Jewish Virtual Library. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ethical-literature 

“What is Kabbalah?” Reform Judaism. https://reformjudaism.org/beliefs-practices/spirituality/what-kabbalah 

“Medieval Sourcebook: Jewish Ethical Wills, 12th & 14th Centuries”. Fordham University. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/jewish-wills.asp 

“Memoirs of Zipora Birman regarding her experiences in Vilna”. EHRI. https://portal.ehri-project.eu/units/il-002798-4019542-3714570?dlid=eng-m_11_eng 

“Yad Vashem Video”. My Jewish Learning. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/yad-vashem-video/