The Mitzvah of Visiting the Sick
16. A sick person is not told about the death of a loved one until he recovers. Even if he learns of it, keriah (a tear in his clothing) is not performed for him, and the deceased is not mourned in his presence. All these things can have a very strong effect on the sick person's condition and harm him.
17. If the illness is prolonged, visitors come to the sick person and try to help him remember who owes him money and from whom he himself borrowed money, so that if his condition deteriorates, they will know how to put his affairs in order. But this must be discussed very cautiously so as not to frighten him.
18. A sick person whose condition has deteriorated greatly, and whom there is reason to believe has very little time left to live, should recite vidui (confession). For one who confesses merits a share in the World to Come. This should not be done in the presence of children and women, so that their weeping or fear will not hasten his death. He is also told that he should ask forgiveness from those he has offended and those he has harmed. Death alone, without forgiveness, cannot bring atonement.
He is also advised to give tzedakah, and if he has not observed the commandments, it is considered a great mitzvah to help him repent and return to faith in the Creator.
19. If a seriously ill person cannot recite vidui aloud, he is told to do so in his thoughts. He should say the following: “Almighty God, God of my fathers, my life is in Your hands, and You can heal me. Grant me a complete recovery, but if I die, let death itself atone for my sins. And grant me a place in Gan Eden[1], so that I may continue to live in the World to Come, in the world of the righteous”.
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The Garden of Eden, where the souls of the righteous dwell.↑