No, no. I'm a lawyer and remember this from my Wills & Trusts class :)  Here you go: It means that the person who is DECEASED (the dead peerson) directs YOU to pay his/her "just debts"- that is, the debts that they owe out of THEIR money- NOT yours. If anything, an executrix gets a small percentage of the total estate! My friend got 3% of a $500,000 estate when her mother died last year- about $13,000. So, again, this means you pay the dead person's debts with THEIR money before the gifts in the will are passed to the heirs. This prevents a dead person from forgetting about their financial responsibilities- right? :) Hope that helps!