Search results for: ""Shiv'a""
Torah Study during Shiv'a
A mourner during shiv'a may not study Torah, other than:
- Laws of mourning (aveilut), and
- Whatever is permitted to study on Tish'a b'Av.
Note This restriction ceases if a Jewish festival occurs during shiv'a.
Marital Relations during Shiv'a
A mourner may not have marital relations and may not touch his or her spouse affectionately during shiv'a.
Bringing Food to Shiv'a House
Bringing food to a shiv'a house is a non-binding custom, not a halacha. Some people have the custom for all seven days.
Mourners' Leaving the Shiv'a House
Mourners should not leave the shiv'a house even if they do not have a minyan there.
Note There are some exceptions for extreme conditions, including medical reasons. A rabbi should be consulted.
Ideal Location of Shiv'a
The ideal place to sit shiv'a is the home of the dead person, but any practical location is permitted.
Washing, Haircuts, Shaving during Shiv'a
An avel may not wash, shave, or get a haircut during shiv'a (for more details on haircuts, see Haircuts during Shloshim).
Tefilin: First Day of Shiv'a
Mourners do not wear tefilin on the first day (the day of burial), but do wear them after the first day.
No Make Up for Mourner
A mourner should refrain from wearing make up during shiv'a.
Kri'a: How Often for a Parent
When mourning for a parent, you must tear kri'a throughout the shiv'a week whenever you change shirts, so it is best to change garments as little as possible! You must wear the torn garment during the entire week of shiv'a. Coats do not require kri'a.
Note Wearing a torn black ribbon pinned to a garment does not fulfill the requirement of kri'a.
Children and Kri'a
When a parent has died, the children must tear “kr'ia,” that is, tearing any garments that they wear during shiv'a.
Clothing during Shloshim
Do not wear newly purchased clothing during the first 30 days of mourning (shloshim). You may wear new clothing from the end of shiv'a if someone else wears them somewhat before you do.
Note Restrictions on newly purchased clothing end after:
- the year of mourning for those mourning for parents, and
- 30 days for those mourning for other relatives.
Leather or Synthetic Shoes in Halacha
In Jewish law, only leather shoes are considered to be “shoes” for purposes of the Nine Days, mourning, Yom Kippur, shiv'a, or ritual impurity. Non-leather shoes may normally be worn during those periods.
Onen Traveling with Body
An onen who accompanies a body to a foreign country for burial may have two extra days (or more) of onenut. If the onen then returns home and joins other mourners in the shiv'a house, the onen may end shiv'a with the other family members. (For more details, see When Shiv'a (and Shloshim) Starts: Normal Days .)
Haircuts during Shloshim
Do not get a haircut for the first 30 days of mourning. When mourning for parents, a mourner's hair should grow for three months from the last haircut but not for less than 30 days from the time shiv'a began. This applies to men and women, except if the woman needs to cut her hair for immersing in the mikva.
Bathing during Shloshim
For the first 30 days, a mourner should not bathe for pleasure in hot water and should only wash hands (to elbows), face (to collarbone), and feet (to the knees). If sweaty, smelly, or dirty, he or she may wash other body parts even during shiv'a. Lukewarm water may be used after shiv'a ends.