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Question: May an aveil who is sitting shiv’ah in the house of the deceased (or of another aveil) return to his own home at night to sleep? May he attend shul if there is no minyan at the beis aveil?

Question: When does aveilus start for mourners where the deceased is taken from the United States and buried in Israel?

Question: Should the brachah upon seeing Jewish graves be recited by relatives and friends of the deceased who attend the burial?

Question: Should a burial be delayed more than one day in order to enable a close relative to attend the burial?

 Short Answer: A burial should not be delayed even until the night or next day. However, many poskim allow delaying a burial less than 24 hours in order to enable additional relatives to attend.

Question: What is the proper date of the first yahrzeit, the date of death or the date of burial? 

Short Answer: The Mishnah B’rurah rules that the yahrzeit is observed on the date of death in all years. However, many poskim, including Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, disagree and rule that where the date of burial is three (or possibly, even two) days after the date of death, the first yahrzeit is observed on the date of burial and all subsequent yahrzeits are observed on the date of death.

[In response to numerous people requesting articles on Aveilus, we present this series. May the learning of these laws be a z’chus for arichas yamim and good health for all.]