mourning: Recent Episodes
Rabbi Haim Ovadia
Is it mandatory for a Cohen to become impure when a relative dies? Stories of religious zeal and legal disputes.
Why are Cohanim not allowed to contract impurity? Why did people sit Shiva for more relatives in the past?
Are women not allowed to go to the cemetery? Why do some people prevent the children of the deceased man from going into the cemetery?
The rabbis warn against harsh criticism and punishment which could push teenagers to desperate actions.
In this session we discuss what was the reaction in antiquity to suicide. We discuss the cases in Tanakh and rabbinic literature, as well as situations where one is required to sacrifice his life.
Mourning before Someone dies. The way the rabbis understood pregnancy terms and preemies. Morning for a non-Jew.
Avel Rabbati is sido called Massekhet Semahot, Celebrations, a euphemism which hides its fearsome nature. It deals with laws of dying, death, mourning etc. In this session we segue from the text, which deals with the legal status of a dying person, into the area of bio-ethics.