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Levaya: Difference between revisions
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→Honoring the Deceased at a Levaya
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There is an important rabbinic mitzvah to escort the deceased to his burial and to deal with all of the preparations for the burial.<ref>Brachot 18a, Shulchan Aruch 361:3</ref> It is included in ואהבת לרעך כמוך - Love your fellow like yourself.<Ref>Vayikra 19:18, Rambam (Avel 14:1)</ref> | There is an important rabbinic mitzvah to escort the deceased to his burial and to deal with all of the preparations for the burial.<ref>Brachot 18a, Shulchan Aruch 361:3</ref> It is included in ואהבת לרעך כמוך - Love your fellow like yourself.<Ref>Vayikra 19:18, Rambam (Avel 14:1)</ref> | ||
==Honoring the Deceased at a Levaya== | ==Honoring the Deceased at a Levaya== | ||
# All workers and professionals are supposed to stop their work to attend a levaya and there is no maximum amount of people attending the levaya at which point one would be exempt from attending the levaya. The only person for whom there is a distinction is someone who would otherwise be learning Torah.<ref>Ramban in Torat Haadam (p. 106) based on Yerushalmi Chagiga 1:7 cited by Bet Yosef, Shulchan Aruch YD 361:2</ref> | # All workers and professionals are supposed to stop their work to attend a levaya and there is no maximum amount of people attending the levaya at which point one would be exempt from attending the levaya. The only person for whom there is a distinction is someone who would otherwise be learning Torah.<ref>Ramban in Torat Haadam (p. 106) based on Yerushalmi Chagiga 1:7 cited by Bet Yosef, Shulchan Aruch YD 361:2 | ||
* The Netsiv (Emek Sheylah Chaye Sara 14:3, Vayechi 34:2) writes that someone who doesn’t see the deceased with the levaya doesn’t need to attend the levaya even if there isn’t enough people attending the levaya to honor the deceased. Chazon Ovadia (Aveilut v. 1 p. 298) writes that although it seems that other poskim disagree with the Netsiv it is acceptable to follow in order not to take time away from learning. The Chafetz Chaim (Ahavat Chesed v. 3 ch. 5) wonders why many people only participate in the levaya minimally and leave. </ref> | |||
# One should even stop learning in order to escort the deceased unless there are enough people escorting the deceased already to honor him.<ref>Gemara Megillah 3b, Rosh (Moed Katan 3:61), Shulchan Aruch YD 361:1</ref> | # One should even stop learning in order to escort the deceased unless there are enough people escorting the deceased already to honor him.<ref>Gemara Megillah 3b, Rosh (Moed Katan 3:61), Shulchan Aruch YD 361:1</ref> | ||
# 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. | ||
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# 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== | ==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> | # 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> | ||
