Torah Riddles Test #147

2.       Question: Why did Rabbeinu Tam just walk up to the bima for the third aliyah even though he was not called up for it on Shabbos when he was in the middle of shiva?

Background:

A. Learning Torah is one of the things forbidden to be done while mourning during shiva.

B. On Shabbos private mourning is observed, like no Torah learning.

C. Torah reading at minyan is considered learning Torah, hence a mourner should not get an aliya during shiva.

D. Rabbeinu Tam used to get the third aliyah every Shabbos.

 Answer: To not get an aliyah for Rabbeinu Tam would be observance of public mourning since he normally got one every Shabbos so he just went up on his own though the gabbai did not call him up so that he would not be publicly mourning on Shabbos which transgresses the honor of Shabbos. (See Yoreh Deah 400:1and the Rema says that for this reason if there are no other kohanim the mourner should be called up for the aliyah and also the Pischei Teshuva Yoreh Deah 399:1 says that a mourner can get an aliyah on Simchas Torah when every single person gets an aliyah for the same reason, that if he doesn’t then it will be obvious that he is in mourning and it will become public mourning which can’t be done on yom tov.)

Torah Riddles Test #146

1.    Question: Why does pesach or sukkos cancel the rest of Shiva and shloshim for a mourner even if he first hears about the burial on Shabbos and yom tov starts the next day?

Background:

A. The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 399:1) says that one who buries the dead before yom tov and is able to go through the process of mourning at least one hour before the yom tov has the rest of the week canceled by the yom tov. However if by accident or on purpose he does not mourn during that hour, and definitely if he was unaware of the death until after yom tov, then he has to mourn for 7 days after yom tov.

 B. Basic laws of mourning include no working, no showering or laundering.

 C. There is a prohibition of working and laundering during Shabbos, yom tov even on chol hamoed for the most part.

Answer: Since one is practicing acts of mourning during the yom tov by not laundering or working then it counts for both the yom tov and mourning and that is why mourning is canceled because it was fulfilled to an extent during the actual yom tov.