[Avodah] Women at a funeral

[Samuel Safran]

Thanks.

I am aware of many of these sources but sources alone do not make
halacha -- lomudt does.  
It might be useful for the Israeli religious community to understand
what behavior is mandated
by halacha (e.g., separation) and what is aggadic.  For example, I
don't think the Rambam
paskens that women cannot participate in a funeral.  I realize that
some religious trends
do not want to differentiate between halacha and aggada-kabbala, but it
is worth reminding
the community that there are trends that do differentiate.  The
particular incident that I read
about (referenced in my email below) was particularly bothersome and in
my opinion lead to
a chilul hashem.

S 

>>> Esther and Aryeh Frimer <frimera at zahav.net.il> 3/29/2009 12:49 AM
>>>
    The prohibition of Women at the Beit haKevarot during a funeral is
based on the Zohar VaYakhel sec. 196 (haSatan merakeid...).  Shulkhan
Arukh Y.D. sec. 359, seif 1 indicates that there are different mihagim
about women coming to a funeral; and in seif 2 (based on the above
Zohar) writes that one should be careful that women should not come
particpate in the fumeral; Shach ad loc. subsec. 2. 
    The many communities throughout the world who are Meikel, Rely on
the Resp. Beit Lehem Yehuda, sec. 359 - particularly if men and women
remain separated.      
    The issue is Discussed in Pnei Barukh Chap. 5, Parag. 10, note 32.
See also Resp. Mareh haBazak II:94 and III:73. For a discussion of the
Resp. material, see at length the excellent review (in Hebrew) of R.
Mordechai Avadiel: 
http://upload.kipa.co.il/media-upload/kulech/kulech6581.DOC
    The issue of a woman giving a hesped, is related to the above as
well as to tsniut considerations/sensitivities. I remind everyone of the
furor when Rav Mordechai Eliyahu objected to a woman giving a shiur in
front of men.  The above Zohar seems to maintain that there is a
particular problem of Hirhur at a funeral.  
    Many stringent Hevra Kadishot will permit women to eulogise after
they have left [ - what you do when they are not around is not their
responsibility]. 

--------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Aryeh A. Frimer
Chemistry Dept., Bar-Ilan University
Ramat Gan 52900, ISRAEL
E-mail: FrimeA at mail.biu.ac.il
 



----- Original Message ----- 
From: Eli Turkel ( mailto:eliturkel at gmail.com ) 
To: avodah ( mailto:avodah at aishdas.org ) ; Aryeh Frimer (
mailto:frimera at zahav.net.il ) 
Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2009 8:33 PM
Subject: women at a funeral

see

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3693161,00.html 

is there any halacha (not minhag) against women speaking at a funeral?
In other places I have seen it

-- 
Eli Turkel
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