Touching a dead body

ewwpeas20

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 12:29 am

I saw an Instagram video from YWN of a mourner laying upon a dead sibling in grief. Can someone please clarify for me the halachos of touching or handling the dead?

Last edited by ewwpeas20 on Mon, Apr 10 2023, 1:04 am; edited 1 time in total

ewwpeas20

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 12:54 am

Blessing1 wrote:

The body was fully wrapped and covered.

In this case it is allowed? There is a comment saying that it’s not kovod hameis.

ewwpeas20

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 12:55 am

Stars wrote:

Why in the WORLD are they showing things like that Punch

So disrespectful

100%

giftedmom

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 1:24 am

Stars wrote:

Why in the WORLD are they showing things like that Punch

So disrespectful

This
People have no shame

Karnash

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 1:38 am

No, it was not disrespectful, it was heartbreaking. This was at the funeral of the 2 sisters who were murdered in a terrorist shooting. One of the younger sisters hugged the body in her grief.
Halachically, there is no problem touching a body. You are טמא מת. So are we all. You wash your hands when leaving a cemetary.

Einikel

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 1:39 am

Karnash wrote:

No, it was not disrespectful

I think she meant that Yeshiva World posting these pictures was disrespectful.

curlyhead

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:14 am

When someone just lost someone they are not thinking the halachos. They are not going to look it up when they are in so much grief and emotional pain. Give them a break.

zoom

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:22 am

ewwpeas20 wrote:

I saw an Instagram video from YWN of a mourner laying upon a dead sibling in grief. Can someone please clarify for me the halachos of touching or handling the dead?

Delete

Last edited by zoom on Mon, Apr 10 2023, 9:11 am; edited 1 time in total

ewwpeas20

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:37 am

curlyhead wrote:

When someone just lost someone they are not thinking the halachos. They are not going to look it up when they are in so much grief and emotional pain. Give them a break.

Excuse me but I am allowed to be curious. I am in no way invalidating how they are supposed to grieve. My question is legit because at most the mourners stand near their deceased parents, wives, husbands, and children at the l’vaya. Until today, I never saw someone laying directly on their loved one in their grief.

zoom

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:40 am

curlyhead wrote:

When someone just lost someone they are not thinking the halachos. They are not going to look it up when they are in so much grief and emotional pain. Give them a break.

Del

Last edited by zoom on Mon, Apr 10 2023, 9:12 am; edited 1 time in total

WitchKitty

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:47 am

As far as I understood, we are supposed to have as much kavod hameis as possible. Which means burying them as Halacha says, and preferably not doing anything else, including touching or kissing them.
But grief is grief, and sometimes it's too hard not to do something which isn't an actual Halacha.

Chayalle

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 7:11 am

I don't know. My father is a pretty big stickler for Halacha, and I've been told he practically knows Mishna Brurah by heart. When my mother AH passed away, I didn't make it to the hospital in time - I came when she was already gone (some of my siblings made it). My father took me in to her and I said my goodbyes, including touching her. If it wouldn't have been permissible, there's not a shred of doubt in my mind that he wouldn't have allowed it.

shabbatiscoming

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 7:16 am

zoom wrote:

My heart breaks for them.
We need Moshiach now!!

I agree with what youre bringing up but they are not the typical yeshivish crowd that maybe you and I are.

Nothing wrong with that, we are one big family.

It might be better to discuss this issue with someone in real life.
You do have a point.

Im sure you didnt mean to be rude, but what I bolded is rude. Grief is grief is grief, for soneone who is nog religious to someone dati leumi, to someone chassidish or as you put it "yeshivish".
They were a learned family. Please dont assume that because they werent yeshivish they didnt know halacha.
Their grief overtook them. Understandably.

5mom

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 7:30 am

There's no halacha against touching a dead body in a respectful way, provided you are not a kohen.

It is against halacha to mourn excessively, but what constitutes excessive mourning is almost entirely dependent on social norms.

Just because the op isn't used to this form of saying goodbye doesn't make it wrong or disrespectful. It's different from what she knows.

zoom

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 7:58 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Del

Last edited by zoom on Mon, Apr 10 2023, 9:13 am; edited 1 time in total

PinkFridge

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 8:43 am

ewwpeas20 wrote:

This might have been a different kind of levaya. Rachmana litzlan.

PinkFridge

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 8:44 am

zoom wrote:

I feel disrespectful for mourners to say this.
But, halochos still apply.

My father said the halochos are what saved him when his fathee died young.
That, and his Rov who held his hand all the way.

And they might not have been told this in advance.
And then, once it happened, wise people might have thought, better not to tear them away but be gentle, and explain later. I don't know. Hashem yishmor that no one else ever be in such a tragic, acute situation again.

ETA: I don't know what the halacha is. I assumed that there might be a halacha or inyan not to touch the meis.

Last edited by PinkFridge on Mon, Apr 10 2023, 8:45 am; edited 1 time in total

PinkFridge

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 8:45 am

Chayalle wrote:

Maybe before the tahara is different.