[Avodah] Fw: Women at a funeral

[Prof. Aryeh A. Frimer]

    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]. 
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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 
  To: avodah ; Aryeh Frimer 
  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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