Take mourning rituals, for example. The familiar seven-day period of intense mourning, the shivah. Where did that come from?
The Rabbis of old grappled with this very question. "They lamented…there…," the text begins, hinting at the question: how do we know mourning lasts seven days? Rabbi Abba finds a hint in (Genesis 50:10), "He…observed mourning for his father for seven days." He makes a bold claim: we can derive a halakha (a point of Jewish law) from events that happened even before the Torah was given at Sinai!
But that's just one opinion. Reish Lakish, quoting bar Kappara, sees the source in (Leviticus 8:33): "From the entrance of the Tent of Meeting you shall not emerge seven days…" The idea is that just as the priests were consecrated for seven days, so too do we mourn for seven days. There's even a variation on this, referencing (Leviticus 10:7), connecting the seven days to the anointing oil and the mourning for Nadav and Avihu.
Rabbi Hoshaya takes a different tack altogether, pointing to (Leviticus 8:35): "At the entrance of the Tent of Meeting you shall remain day and night, seven days…" His interpretation? Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, observed seven days [of mourning] for His world, we too observe seven days for our brothers. Wait, God mourned? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi chimes in, saying that God mourned for the world for seven days before the flood, an idea alluded to in (Genesis 7:10)! It’s a pretty amazing concept, isn't it? That God Himself sets the example for mourning.
Then comes Rabbi Yoḥanan, bringing in (Numbers 12:12): "Please let her not be like a corpse…she shall be quarantined for seven days." He draws a parallel between the seven days of quarantine for Miriam and the seven days of mourning. However, one of the Sages shares this with Reish Lakish, who rejects it. Why? Because Reish Lakish argues that Rabbi Yoḥanan elsewhere compares it to confirmed leprosy, where the Torah doesn't explicitly mention a seven-day period. This is a classic example of rabbinic debate, where different interpretations and traditions are weighed against each other.
Rabbi Yirmeya and Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba, quoting Reish Lakish, bring in a verse from (Amos 8:10): "I will transform your festivals into mourning." The comparison is direct: just as festivals last seven days, so too does mourning. Rabbi Ḥiyya complicates things slightly by pointing out that Shemini Atzeret, the "eighth [day] of assembly," is a festival in and of itself, lasting only one day. The response? This applies to "distant tidings" – news of a death received long after it occurred, which only requires one day of mourning.
This leads to a discussion of "near" versus "distant" tidings and how long the mourning period should be in each case. Rabbi Abahu, quoting Rabbi Yoḥanan, says that "near tidings" are within thirty days, and "distant ones" are after thirty days. Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Yona, quoting Reish Lakish in the name of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, break down the mourning periods based on the phrase "The days of weeping of the mourning of Moses concluded." "Days" equals two, "weeping" equals seven, and "mourning" equals thirty. Or, depending on how you transpose it, days equal seven, weeping equals two, and mourning equals thirty.
There's even a discussion about how long a mourner should refrain from work. Bar Kappara says the most intense period of mourning is the first three days. He offers a striking image: for those three days, the soul hovers over the grave, believing it will return to the body. When it sees the face has changed, it departs.
And what about donning tefillin (leather phylacteries worn during prayer)? Rabbi Eliezer says one doesn't on the first day, but does on the second – unless a new person arrives to offer condolences. Rabbi Yehoshua says one doesn't on the first two days, and dons on the third, and a new visitor doesn't change that. The ruling of Rabbi Ze’eira follows Rabbi Eliezer regarding donning and Rabbi Yehoshua regarding removing.
Finally, the text addresses the question of mourning on Shabbat (the Sabbath). Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, quoting Rabbi Levi, points to (Proverbs 10:22): "The blessing of the Lord, it will enrich, without adding sadness with it." The blessing of the Lord refers to the Sabbath, and the "sadness" refers to mourning. Rav and Shmuel debate the specifics, such as whether it's compulsory or voluntary to turn around a torn garment or put on shoes. The story of Rabbi Meir greeting mourners on Shabbat is used to illustrate that there is no mourning on Shabbat.
So, what do we take away from all this? More than just the source of the seven-day mourning period, this passage reveals the rich tapestry of rabbinic thought. It shows how our ancestors debated, interpreted, and sought meaning in the sacred texts to guide their lives. It's a reminder that our traditions are not static, but rather the product of generations of thoughtful engagement with our heritage. And isn’t that something worth mourning – and celebrating?
“They lamented…there…” – from where is it derived that mourning is seven days? Rabbi Abba cites it from here: “He…observed mourning for his father for seven days” (Genesis 50:10), and we derive a matter [of halakha] from before the giving of the Torah. Reish Lakish in the name of bar Kappara cites it from here: “From the entrance of the Tent of Meeting you shall not emerge seven days…” (Leviticus 8:33)28Some suggest that the correct reading of the text references a different verse: “And from the entrance of the Tent of Meeting you shall not emerge, that you not die, as the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you” (Leviticus 10:7). This verse, stated to Aaron and his remaining sons after the death of Nadav and Avihu, is interpreted to mean that just as they were anointed with the anointing oil for seven days, they were to observe seven days of mourning for Nadav and Avihu (Etz Yosef). – just as you were anointed with the anointing oil for seven days, you, too, observe for your brothers seven days. Rabbi Hoshaya cites it from here: “At the entrance of the Tent of Meeting you shall remain day and night, seven days…” (Leviticus 8:35) – just as the Holy One blessed be He observed seven days [of mourning] for His world, you, too, observe seven days [of mourning] for your brothers, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He mourned for His world for seven days.29Before God destroyed the world with the flood, He observed seven days of mourning, alluded to in Genesis 7:10. Similarly, He commanded Aaron and his sons Elazar and Itamar to observe seven days of mourning in advance of the deaths of Aaron’s other two sons, Nadav and Avihu (see Jerusalem Talmud Moed Katan 3:5). Rabbi Yoḥanan cites it from here: “Please let her not be like a corpse” (Numbers 12:12); rather, “she shall be quarantined for seven days” (Numbers 12:14). Just as the days of quarantine are seven, so the days of mourning are seven. One of the Sages said this [statement] of Rabbi Yoḥanan before Reish Lakish, but he did not accept it. Why did he not accept it? He said: ‘There he treats it as quarantine and here he treats it as confirmed leprosy, as Rabbi Abahu came in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan and said: “Please let her not be like a corpse” – just as the days of a corpse are seven, so the days of a confirmed leper are seven.’30Upon the appearance of certain types of leprous spots, a priest will command that the individual go into quarantine for seven days. If the symptoms worsen, the individual will then be declared to be a confirmed leper (see, e.g., Leviticus 13:1–8). Reish Lakish did not accept the teaching reported in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan that treated Miriam’s leprosy as worthy of quarantine, which the Torah says is seven days, because he heard a different statement in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan that treated her leprosy as a case of confirmed leprosy, about which the Torah does not explicitly say that the term is seven days. It should be noted that halakha does not actually limit the term of a confirmed leper to seven days, and commentaries here interpret the statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan, based on the Jerusalem Talmud (Moed Katan 3:5), to mean that just as the days one is impure from a corpse do not count toward the days of a nazirite vow, the same is true of the days one spends as a confirmed leper (see Yefei To’ar; Etz Yosef; Maharzu). Rabbi Yirmeya and Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba in the name of Reish Lakish: “I will transform your festivals into mourning” (Amos 8:10) – just as the days of the festival are seven, so the days of mourning are seven. Rabbi Ḥiyya said: The eighth31Shemini Atzeret. is a festival in and of itself. If so, just as [Shemini] Atzeret is one day, so, mourning is so. They said to him: From here it is derived regarding distant tidings.32One who receives tidings that an immediate relative died a long time ago (the midrash will define how much time that is), observes mourning for only one day. So it is taught, near tidings have seven and thirty,33One observes a seven day period of intense mourning, followed by a less intense period of mourning for an additional twenty-three days, for a total of thirty days of mourning. a distant one does not have thirty and seven. There are some who teach: Distant tidings are after twelve months, near ones are within thirty. Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: The halakha is in accordance with the one who says: Near tidings are within thirty days and distant ones after thirty days. Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Yona in the name of Reish Lakish in the name of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi: It is written: “The days of weeping of the mourning of Moses concluded” – days – two, weeping – seven, mourning – thirty. There are those who transpose – days – seven, weeping – two, mourning – thirty. From this, [the mourning periods of] seven and thirty [days are derived], but what is two? It is that if he [the mourner] is extremely poor, on the first and second [days] he does not perform labor, but on the third, he performs [labor] privately, but they said: May a curse come upon his neighbors, who required him to do so.34His neighbors should have supported him so that he could observe all seven days of mourning without performing labor. Bar Kappara said: Even on the third [day] he shall not perform [labor] at all, because it is the intense period of mourning. Bar Kappara taught: The most intense time of mourning is only on the third day. For three days, the soul is hovering over its grave, believing that it will return [to the body]. When it sees that the radiance of the face has changed, it goes and leaves it. That is what is written: “But his flesh on him is painful, [and his soul mourns over him]” (Job 14:22). In the future, the mouth and the stomach will contend with one another. The mouth says to the stomach: ‘Everything that I stole and robbed, I placed in you.’ After three days [the stomach] bursts and says to it: ‘Here is everything that you stole and robbed,’ as it is stated: “The pitcher is broken at the spring” (Ecclesiastes 12:6). What about donning tefillin? Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Eliezer says: On the first [day of mourning] one does not don, and on the second one dons, but if a new face comes,35A visitor the mourner has not yet seen since the beginning of the mourning period. he removes them. Rabbi Yehoshua says: On the first and the second he does not don and on the third he dons, and if a new face comes, he does not remove them. If on the second day he does not don, is it necessary to say: One whose deceased is laid out before him is exempt…from prayer and from tefillin?36Mishna Berakhot 3:1. It is since it taught this it taught that.37Since the Mishna taught that he is exempt from prayer, it mentioned that he is also exempt from the mitzva of tefillin. The ruling of Rabbi Ze’eira: Rabi Yirmeya in the name of Rabbi Ze’eira and Mar Ukva in the name of Shmuel:38Some commentaries assert that the text should read: Rabbi Ze’ira said in the name of Rabbi Yirmeya in the name of Rav, and Rabbi Ze’ira said in the name of Mar Ukva in the name of Shmuel (see Etz Yosef). The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Eliezer regarding donning, and in accordance with Rabbi Yehoshua regarding removing. Rabbi Ze’eira raised a dilemma: What is the ruling for one to don on the second day in accordance with Rabbi Eliezer and what is the ruling to have Rabbi Eliezer like Rabbi Yehoshua not to remove?39Can one combine the leniencies of the two opinions and don tefillin on the second day and not remove them if a new person arrives? The midrash does not cite a resolution to this dilemma. From where is it derived that there is no mourning on Shabbat? Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi cites it from here: “The blessing of the Lord, it will enrich, without adding sadness with it” (Proverbs 10:22). “The blessing of the Lord, it will enrich” – “God blessed the seventh day” (Genesis 2:3). “Without adding sadness [etzev] with it” – this is mourning, just as it says: “The king is grieving [ne’etzav] over his son” (II Samuel 19:3). Rav said: [On Shabbat,] turning around and righting are compulsory, uncovering and putting on are voluntary. Turning the rip around, and righting the bed are compulsory; uncovering the head and putting on shoes are voluntary.40During the seven day mourning period, the mourner wears a torn garment and does not wear leather shoes. In Talmudic times, a mourner would also turn over his bed and cover his head as signs of mourning. Rav states that on Shabbat, one must turn the garment around so that the tear is not visible, and one must turn the bed right side up. However, although one may uncover the head and wear leather shoes on Shabbat, it is not obligatory to do so. Shmuel said: Uncovering, turning around, and righting are compulsory; putting on, conjugal relations, and washing are voluntary. Uncovering the head, turning the rip around, and righting the bed are compulsory; putting on shoes, having conjugal relations, and washing are voluntary. One student of Shmuel engaged in conjugal relations and went and washed. [Shmuel] said to him: ‘I said it to you as the halakha, did I, perhaps, say [it should be put] into practice?’41Although Shmuel held it was permitted for a mourner to engage in conjugal relations and to wash himself on Shabbat, he felt it was nonetheless inappropriate. He became angry at [the student] and [the student] died. Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta would relate the praise of Rabbi Meir before the residents of Tzippori. He said to them: ‘[He is a] great man, a holy man.’ One time he [Rabbi Meir] found them standing in a line on Shabbat.42To comfort mourners. He said to [the mourners]: ‘Greetings to you.’ They said to him [Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta]: ‘Is this the one whom you praise?’43One is ordinarily forbidden to extend greetings to mourners, so after Rabbi Meir did so, the residents of Tzippori asked Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta how he could have praised Rabbi Meir. He said to them: ‘Know how praiseworthy that man is, as he came to inform us that there is no mourning on Shabbat.’ Rabbi Hoshaya went to a certain place. He found them standing in a line on Shabbat. He said to them: ‘I do not know what your custom is; nevertheless, greetings to you, in accordance with the custom of our place.’ The two sons of Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi], one of them went out with his head covered and wearing shoes, and the other went out barefoot with his head uncovered.44Rabbi Guryon's brother was in mourning for one of his relatives. This occurred on Shabbat during the seven days of mourning. During the week, a mourner would ordinarily have his head covered and would not be wearing shoes. Rabbi Yona went to pay a visit to Rabbi Guryon’s brother.45He went to comfort the mourner on Shabbat. He came out to him wearing shoes. He said to him:46Rabbi Yona said to Rabbi Guryon’s brother, who had come out to greet him. ‘Tell Rabbi Guryon your brother that we do not learn actions from a small man.’47The fact that Rabbi Guryon’s brother wore shoes on Shabbat was not sufficient to establish that as the halakha, even if he did so on Rabbi Guryon’s instruction. Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa went to pay a visit to Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥiyya of Kefar Agin.48This occurred on Shabbat, while Rabbi Tanḥum was in his seven days of mourning (see Etz Yosef). He came out to him dressed in santroi. What is santroi? It is a garment that is not rent. [Rabbi Ḥanina] said to him: ‘Is this the way to act? Can this be?’ [Rabbi Tanḥum] said to him: ‘This is what Rabbi Yoḥanan would do.’ [Rabbi Tanḥum] said to him: ‘Pray for me.’ [Rabbi Ḥanina] said to him: ‘May this breach be broken.’ [Rabbi Tanḥum] said to him: ‘Do not say that,49That could be interpreted as having the breach broken into several breaches. but rather, may your breach be repaired.’ It is taught: A group and a family are comparable to a dome made of stones. If you remove one stone, all of it is destabilized. If you place one stone on, all of it is stabilized. So, all seven days, a sword is outstretched.50There is danger to the entire family during the seven days following the death of one member. Until thirty days it hovers, and it does not return to its scabbard until twelve months. Rabbi Elazar said: If a son is born in the family, it immediately eases. If so, why does one visit on Shabbat? Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Due to enmity.51One visits the mourner to prevent enmity by ensuring that the mourner will not feel that he is being overlooked.
