Moed Katan 20 - Rosh Chodesh Adar 1, February 1, 29 Shvat

Study Guide Moed Katan 20

Today’s learning is dedicated to Rabbanit Michelle Farber by the thousands of students around the world in honor of your birthday… בת חמישים לעצה. In Masechet Shabbat, you taught us that מֵילָתָא אַלָּבֵישַׁיְיהוּ יַקִּירָא. Fine wool is precious to she who wears it. That is, a student loves the teachings of her teacher. Rabbanit Michelle, we are honored and lucky to learn from you daily, we treasure and love all of your teaching. May we grow in learning with you from year to year for many more years to come. Happy Birthday!

According to Raba, if one is buried on the holiday, shiva starts after, but shloshim starts after the burial. Abaye raises a question on Raba from two different tannaitic sources. One is answered but the other difficulty remains. In the Tosefta, there is a tannaitic debate between Rabbi Eliezer and the rabbis regarding how many days of mourning does one need to observe before the holiday for shiva to be canceled by the holiday - three days or one hour? Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel also debated this issue. Amoraim also debate according to which opinion do we rule. Mourning being seven days is derived from the holidays that last seven days. Why is it not derived from Shavuot which is one day? One who hears about a relative who died a while ago, does one sit shiva for a week and observe shloshim or does one only observe one day of mourning. This is also a debate among tannaim. Is a distinction made between a parent who died and other relatives for whom one generally sits shiva? What is considered ‘a while ago’ - shemua rechoka? What if it was within the time when one heard but it was a day of the holiday when one can’t sit shiva and when the holiday ends it is beyond the designated time? What if it was Shabbat? Does one tear kriya in a case of shemua rechoka? Can you have kriya in a case where there aren’t seven days of shiva? Are the two inherently connected? For which relatives do people sit shiva? It is learned from people that a kohen cannot become impure to; however, two additional cases were added - siblings who share the same mother (not father) and one’s sister who is married. There is a tannitic debate regarding shiva for relatives of those relatives. Is it only when in the presence of the relative? What does one do when one’s in-laws die? What is the difference between that case and one where one’s brother-in-law dies? Ameimar stood while tearing kriya when his son was sitting shiva.