Moed Katan 21 - Rosh Chodesh Adar 1, February 2, 1 Adar I

Study Guide Moed Katan 21

This month’s shiurim are dedicated by Ruth Rotenberg in loving memory of her daughter Tanielle Miller, a"h, on her 17th yahrzeit and David Ze’ev Rotenberg on his recent passing. “Today we celebrate and commemorate Tanielle’s short and powerful life. She loved learning, Israel, and doing chessed. We are grateful to family and friends who have shared how they bring Tanielle's essence into their lives as an inspiration. David Ze’ev Rotenberg exuded warmth and love and was so proud to be living in Israel with his family around him. Thank you to Rabbanit Michelle Farber for making daf so inspiring and meaningful on a daily basis.”

This month’s shiurim are dedicated by Sharon Bartel and David Form in honor of their daughter Mia’s Bat Mitzvah and her siyum of Seder Moed. “We are so proud of you and are impressed by your amazing accomplishment. Thank you for giving your family and friends something wonderful to celebrate."

Rav Ashi questions Ameimar on the fact that he stood while tearing kriya - did you derive this from Job 1:20 where Job stood when he tore kriya, as also in the chalitza ceremony, it says one stands and says “I am not interested in marrying her” and yet, one is not required there to stand. Ameimar distinguishes between the two references. Rami bar Chama also derives it from Job, however, a different question is raised against it and it is learned in the end from King David. Could it be he was acting stringently and not according to the law? A braita lists what is forbidden to a mourner. Even though a mourner can’t learn Torah, if the community needs him, he can teach, like Rabbi Yosi in Tzipori. One cannot teach in that situation directly through a translator. Why? Can one wear tefillin during shiva? What is the tannaitic debate regarding this? What verses are used to probe each opinion? Once it is permitted to wear them, even if new people come who don’t know what day of shiva it is, can he can leave on the tefillin or does he need to remove them? This is also a subject of debate. According to who does Ulla hold? The Gemara tries to better understand what he holds. Rava holds that after the first day one can wear tefillin. How does that work with his psak about mourning before Yom Tov - that one needs three days in order for the holiday to cancel the mourning period? Other laws of mourning become more lenient after the first three days. In what way? One cannot greet others in the first three days. If so, how did Rabbi Akiva do that on the first day after his sons’ death? The Gemara brings a number of different sources that discuss different time frames for a mourner greeting others and others greeting the mourner and tries to reconcile the differences between them. After a certain amount of time passes - a year for a loss of a parent and thirty days for a loss of a different relative - it is not appropriate to console the mourner as it reopens the wound. But one can mention it gently without being explicit about it. If one relative finds out about the death a bit later than the other relatives, does that person count their own count of seven days or with the others? On what factors does it depend?