Moed Katan

he does not minimizes it’; but for his father or mother he should minimize [his business].1 For all [other] dead, if he desires, he bares [his shoulder] and if he does not desire he does not bare it; for his father or mother he must bare [his shoulder].2 It happened once with a certain ‘great man of the generation’ whose father had died, that he desired to bare [his shoulder],3 and [another] ‘great man of the generation’ that was with him desired to bare his too, and on that account he [the mourner] refrained and did not bare [his shoulder].4 Said Abaye, The ‘great man of the generation’ referred to was Rabbi, and the [other] ‘great man of the generation’ that was with him was R. Jacob b. Aha [the elder]. Some say that ‘the great man of the generation’ was R. Jacob b. Alia and the [other] great man of the generation’ that was with him was Rabbi. Now it seems correct if Rabbi was the ‘great man of the generation’ that was with him [with the mourner], we understand why [R. Jacob b. Aha]5 refrained and did not bare [his shoulder and heart];6 but according to the [other] report that Rabbi [was the mourner] and that R. Jacob b. Aha was the ‘great man of the generation’ that was with him, why did not he [Rabbi] bare [his shoulder and both hands] as Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel [Rabbi's father] was the Nasi, and everybody should by rights have bared [their shoulders]!7 — This is difficult [to explain]. ‘For8 all dead one has his hair trimmed after thirty days; for one's father or mother [one lets his hair grow long]9 until his companions rebuke him. For all dead one enters a house of rejoicing after thirty days; for his father and mother [not] till after twelve months’. Rabbah b. Bar Hanah10 said:11 ‘And [one may go] to a joyous entertainment of comrades’.12 An objection was raised: ‘And [one may not go to a joyous [feast] as well as to [an entertainment of] rejoicing and to comrades [for] thirty days’!13 — This [divergence] presents difficulty. Amemar taught [his comments] on that [same] Baraitha thus: Said Rabbah b. Bar Hanali, ‘But [to go] to a joyous entertainment of comrades is allowed forthwith’.14 But then [in another version] it is taught: ‘[One may go] to a joyous [feast] after thirty [days] and to an entertainment of comrades [after] thirty days’? — This [discrepancy] is not difficult [to explain]; the latter [version] refers to a first15 [invitation to an] entertainment [of comrades], while the former [version] refers to a return entertainment16 [of comrades]. ‘For all17 [other] dead one makes a rent [in his tunic] of a handbreadth [in depth]; for one's father or mother [he rends his clothes] till he bares his heart [chest].’ Said R. Abbahu, What text is there [which teaches this]? Then David took hold on his clothes and rent them,18 and there is no taking hold [of anything] by less than a hand's breadth.19 ‘For all [other] dead one rends only the uppermost [garment] even though he be wearing [then] ten; but for one's father or mother one rends them all’. And [the rending of] one's undershirt is not indispensable, be it in man or woman; R. Simeon b. Eleazar says. ‘A woman rends her undermost garment and turns it [front to] back and then again rends her uppermost garment,20 For all [other] dead, if one desire he divides the [upper] selvage-border of his [garment],21 and if he does not desire he does not divide it; for his father or mother he must divide, R. Judah says, Any rending [of a garment] that divides not the selvage-border thereof is mere make-believe. Said R. Abbahu: What is the reason for R. Judah's [statement]? — The text: [And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof! And he saw him no more] and he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces.22 Once it says ‘and he rent them’ do I not know that he rent them in two? But [the addition of ‘in two’23 implies] that [at the rent] the garments appeared as if torn into two [separate] pieces.24 ‘For all [other] dead, one tacks25 the rent together after seven [days] and [completely] reunites [the edges] after thirty [days]; for one's father or mother one tacks it together after thirty [days], but never reunites [the edges]; a woman tacks it together forthwith, out of the respect due to her. When R. Abin came [from Palestine] he said as citing R. Johanan: ‘For all [other] dead, if one desires, he rends [his garment] with the hand, or if he desires he rends by an instrument; for one's father or mother one rends with the hand’. And R. Hiyya b. Abba said, as citing R. Johanan: ‘For all [other] dead [one rends] inside;26 for one's father or mother one rends outside’.27 R. Hisda observed: And the same rule obtains28 on the [death of a] Nasi. An objection was raised: ‘[Those other dignitaries]29 were not deemed equal to one's father or mother save in regard to re-uniting [the edges of the rent] alone’. Does not this [inequality] hold also for the Nasi?30 — No, the Nasi alone [is an exception].30 The Nesi'ah31 died. Said R. Hisda to R. Hanan b. Raba:32 Turn the mortar33 , upside down, stand on it and show the rending [of garmentsj to all the people! For a Hakam [sage]34 one bares [the hand and shoulder] on the right; for the Ab Beth din, on the left, and for a Nasi on both sides’. Our Rabbis taught: When a Hakam dies, his Beth Hamidrash is in vacation; when the Ab Beth din dies all the Colleges in his city are in vacation and [the people of the synagogue]35 enter the synagogue[s] and change their [usual] places: those that [usually] sit in the north sit in the south and those that [usually] sit in the south sit in the north. When a Nasi dies, all the Colleges are in vacation36 and the people of the synagogue enter the synagogue37 left hand are bared; for the Nasi both (shoulders and) hands are bared. It happened, when R. Eliezer died, that R. Akiba bared ‘both his hands’ (arms) and beat his breast till it was bleeding and he said: my father, my father, the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. (II Kings, II, 12). Sem. IX. Cf. infra 22b. R. Jacob's father, as this is provided for in the rules: ‘And if they (one's father or mother) seem not important (enough) for (the baring), he (the son) does lot bare himself even for his father or mother’. Sem. IX. It should be noted that R. Jacob's father was not a qualified Rabbi, and that if ‘Rabbi’ Judah, the Nasi did out of deference to R. Jacob b. Aha bare himself, it would cause adverse comment among those present at the funeral. On R. Jacob b. Aha's status, v. Shab. 31a and A. Hyman, Toledoth s.v. II, 774a. celebration. It is this taken by SBH p. 110. Generally, however, it is taken to denote an ordinary social repast shared with one's intimate friends. The import of Rabbah's observation is rather ambiguous and, accordingly, taken variously: — (a) A comrade's entertainment may not be attended until before the thirty days are over, as there is conviviality, eating and drinking; much less may one go to a joyous celebration, such as a betrothal, or marriage ceremony with music and singing. (b) That a comrade's entertainment which provides enjoyment for one's own boon companions should not be entered upon before thirty days; but at a religious ceremonious celebration, a marriage ceremony, a circumcision etc. one may attend sooner, especially if one does not join in the feasting. V. Tosaf., Asheri par. 41, Nahmanides (Torath ha-Adam) and Ritba. Ber. 46a and Ritba: ** — a ‘voluntary’ entertainment, which can be fixed for a later date. entertainment forthwith. So Han. 8b and Keth. 8a. of the Court and the Nasi. V. Hor., Sonc. ed. p. 101, nn. 6 and 8.