Chapter 194 – Dying Person and Watching the Body
194.1) Do not touch a dying person as it might hasten his demise.
194.2) If the house catches fire, you may move him.
194.3) Make sure that no limb hangs off the bed.
194.4) Once the person is in the throes of death, no one present at the beginning of the throes should leave.
194.5) Place a light feather on the person’s nostrils after his departure to test that he is indeed dead.
194.6) All present at the death of another should rend their garments.
194.7) Close the eyes of the dead.
194.8) Keep the person covered when you move him from his bed.
194.9) Pour out any water in vessels in proximity to where the person died.
194.10) A person watching the body need not read the Shema (three portions of the Holy Scriptures in Deuteronomy and Numbers; one of only two prayers that are specifically commanded in Torah) and the Shemoneh esreh, or observe any of the precepts of the Torah.
194.11) Do not eat in the room where the deceased lies.
194.12) Do not move the corpse on the Sabbath.