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Levaya: Difference between revisions
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→Honoring the Deceased at a Levaya
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# For someone who teaches Torah there is no maximum. For someone who learned Torah and Mishna the minimum honor he should receive is a levaya of at least 600,000 people escorting him.<ref>The Shach 361:3 explains that 600,000 people are needed to honor a person who learned Torah because just like torah was given with 600,000 men in attendance so too when a person who embodies Torah is taken from the world 600,000 people should be in attendance.</ref> Someone who didn't learn should have at the levaya the amount of people necessary to do the burial and no less than ten. <ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 361:1. The Tur 361:1 quotes Rav Neturay Goan as stating that the minimum for a levaya is ten people. The Tur explains that this is in order to have enough people for a line to comfort the mourners after the burial (shurah), Kaddish, and Birkat Aveilim. | # For someone who teaches Torah there is no maximum. For someone who learned Torah and Mishna the minimum honor he should receive is a levaya of at least 600,000 people escorting him.<ref>The Shach 361:3 explains that 600,000 people are needed to honor a person who learned Torah because just like torah was given with 600,000 men in attendance so too when a person who embodies Torah is taken from the world 600,000 people should be in attendance.</ref> Someone who didn't learn should have at the levaya the amount of people necessary to do the burial and no less than ten. <ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 361:1. The Tur 361:1 quotes Rav Neturay Goan as stating that the minimum for a levaya is ten people. The Tur explains that this is in order to have enough people for a line to comfort the mourners after the burial (shurah), Kaddish, and Birkat Aveilim. | ||
* Shulchan Aruch YD 361:1 writes that someone learning doesn't need to stop to check if there are enough people at the levaya as long as there are enough people to do the actual burial. The Shach 361:4 and Taz 361:1 explain that this only refers to someone who didn't learn Torah, however, for someone who learned since there needs to be 600,000 people in attendance the one learning can't assume that there is that already. Taz 361:1 writes that according to the Rama's minhag that we assume everyone learned Torah one does have to check unless someone teaching his students.</ref> | * Shulchan Aruch YD 361:1 writes that someone learning doesn't need to stop to check if there are enough people at the levaya as long as there are enough people to do the actual burial. The Shach 361:4 and Taz 361:1 explain that this only refers to someone who didn't learn Torah, however, for someone who learned since there needs to be 600,000 people in attendance the one learning can't assume that there is that already. Taz 361:1 writes that according to the Rama's minhag that we assume everyone learned Torah one does have to check unless someone teaching his students.</ref> | ||
# Someone teaching children shouldn't stop teaching for a levaya.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 361:1. The Rosh Moed Katan 3:61 quotes Rav Yom Tov Meyuni that someone who is teaching children Torah shouldn't stop for a levaya since the Gemara Shabbat 119b says that children learning Torah shouldn't stop for anything including the building of the Bet Hamikdash. Shach 361:6 cites this reason.</ref> | # Someone teaching children shouldn't stop teaching for a levaya.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 361:1. The Rosh Moed Katan 3:61 quotes Rav Yom Tov Meyuni that someone who is teaching children Torah shouldn't stop for a levaya since the Gemara Shabbat 119b says that children learning Torah shouldn't stop for anything including the building of the Bet Hamikdash. Shach 361:6 cites this reason.</ref> Nowadays we would interrupt teaching of children for a levaya of a great talmid chacham or important supporter of Torah.<Ref>Salmat Chaim 418, Chazon Ovadia (Aveilut v. 1 p. 307)</ref> | ||
# If there is no chevra kaddisha then everyone in the town has to stop their work in order to prepare the person for burial. However, if there is a chevra kaddisha who is in charge of that then people only need to come during the levaya to the burial. Someone learning should only stop his learning at the time of the levaya to the burial but not during the preparations for the burial.<ref>Moed Katan 27b, Tosfot Ketubot 17a s.v. lehotzat, Shulchan Aruch YD 361:2</ref> | # If there is no chevra kaddisha then everyone in the town has to stop their work in order to prepare the person for burial. However, if there is a chevra kaddisha who is in charge of that then people only need to come during the levaya to the burial. Someone learning should only stop his learning at the time of the levaya to the burial but not during the preparations for the burial.<ref>Moed Katan 27b, Tosfot Ketubot 17a s.v. lehotzat, Shulchan Aruch YD 361:2</ref> | ||
# Even if there are enough people available to do the burial if someone sees a levaya it is still incumbent upon a person to escort the deceased to the burial at least four amot.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 361:3, Pitchei Teshuva 361:2 citing Yad Eliyahu</ref> | # Even if there are enough people available to do the burial if someone sees a levaya it is still incumbent upon a person to escort the deceased to the burial at least four amot.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 361:3, Pitchei Teshuva 361:2 citing Yad Eliyahu</ref> | ||
==Process of Levaya== | |||
# The company at a levaya says the tehillim of “yoshev bseter eylon” (Tehillim 91) starting with the pasuk v’yahey noam and concluded at the words “ki atta Hashem machsi”.<ref>Chazon Ovadia (Aveilut v. 1 p. 302). The Chaye Adam (Nishmat Adam 5:2) writes that it is acceptable to read a half pasuk as part of tefillah and not kriyah. </ref> For a woman eshet chayil is also recited.<ref>Chazon Ovadia (Aveilut v. 1 p. 302)</ref> | |||
# At a levaya no one should walk in front of the coffin except for those carrying the coffin who need to be there.<ref>Aruch Hashulchan 358:5, Chazon Ovadia (Aveilut v. 1 p. 304)</ref> | |||
# The minhag of Yerushalayim is that the descendants of the deceased don’t join in the levaya, however, outside Israel the minhag is that they do join the levaya.<ref>Chazon Ovadia (Aveilut v. 1 p. 304)</ref> | |||
==Standing for the Levaya== | ==Standing for the Levaya== | ||
