The Lips that Move When Rabbi Sheshes learned that his attendant, Rabbi Eidi, stated in the Yeshiva some words of Torah he had heard from him, without quoting them in his name, he was upset. David's prayer was that words of Torah should be repeated in his name after his death, for when the teachings of a deceased Torah sage are repeated in his name, his lips move in the grave. Rashi explains that this movement of the lips is considered as a virtual experience of life, and thus achieves the goal of living in both worlds at the same time. Some of the classical commentaries are reluctant to explain this movement of a bodily part in the grave in a literal fashion and prefer to relate to it as a purely spiritual experience of the soul. Maharsha, however, offers an approach allowing for literal interpretation of this statement.
Human speech is soul energy generated by bodily organs.
Virtuous speech, such as words of Torah, creates a spiritual energy. When those words are repeated in the name of their originator, this energy activates its creators in both worlds - the soul in the World to Come and the organs of speech in this world, even through they are in the grave. Just as placing a finger on such grapes immediately causes wine to flow from them, so do the lips of the Torah scholar lying in his grave begin to move when the words of Torah quoted in his name activate them. All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission.