[Avodah] dead-letter halakhot

[Jonathan Baker]

RZS:
> > And as long as we are talking about funerals, consider the halakha
> > that you're not allowed to deliver a eulogy on, e.g., Xol HaMo'ed. ?I
> > have never seen anyone behave as if this halakha existed. ?There is a
 
> Really?  I only remember going to one chol hamoed funeral, my great-aunt
> Shirley's, and there were no hespedim.  I can't speak for your experience.
> Note, though, that divrei kivushim are not hespedim, even if said at a funeral.

Did you go to Debbie's father's funeral?  It was Isru Chag Simchas Torah
in 1999, and R Hecht said something about not saying hesped because it was 
Isru Chag.  And then everybody gave eulogies.

I just took it as another example of the Jewish Disclaimer - as long as
we acknowledge that we're not supposed to do this, it's acceptable (if not
truly OK) to do it.  Similarly we say "Shabbos/YT hee miliz'ok" while calling
out for Divine aid for those who are ill.

Regarding suicides - when it happened to someone I knew, the family asked
the LOR, who said it was temporary insanity.  I gather this is the usual
excuse.

--
        name: jon baker              web: http://www.panix.com/~jjbaker
     address: jjbaker at panix.com     blog: http://thanbook.blogspot.com