Shulchan Arukh Yoreh De'ah · Siman 343

English

[As long as there is] a dead person in town [awaiting burial] all the townspeople are forbidden [to engage] in work. And whosoever Cur. edd. have שכל ‘for whosever.’ Tur. sees a corpse and does not attend to all its [burial] needs, is subject to be placed under a ban. quoted by Tur , derived from the following case recorded in M.K. ibid. : ‘R. Hamnuna once came to Daru-Matha; he heard the trumpet announcing a death in town, and when he saw that some people carried on their work, he said, Let the people be placed under the ban! Is there not a death in town? They then told him that there was an Association in the town. If so, said he to them, it is permissible for you to work.’ The law as set down here by Caro refers to any corpse. however, Yad, Ebel XIV, 10; BeHaG and Alfasi according to whom this is applicable only to a corpse where there is no one to look after its burial needs, the burial of which is a religious duty מת מצוה . However, if there are associations in town, each one of which attends to [the burial needs of] the dead on its [particular] day, it is permissible [for the others who are not required to attend to the burial needs, to engage in work] on the day which is not [appointed] for it [the association]. quoted by Tur , derived from the following case recorded in M.K. ibid. : ‘R. Hamnuna once came to Daru-Matha; he heard the trumpet announcing a death in town, and when he saw that some people carried on their work, he said, Let the people be placed under the ban! Is there not a death in town? They then told him that there was an Association in the town. If so, said he to them, it is permissible for you to work.’ The law as set down here by Caro refers to any corpse. however, Yad, Ebel XIV, 10; BeHaG and Alfasi according to whom this is applicable only to a corpse where there is no one to look after its burial needs, the burial of which is a religious duty מת מצוה . This applies only to the time when the [funeral] escort was not yet held, but during the [funeral] escort all must abstain from [work] quoted by Tur. Asheri M.K. III end and Ket. 17a, Tosaf. s.v. להוצאת המת . as will be explained infra. § 361, 2.

English

In a country town one must not extend a greeting of 'peace' to others whilst the corpse is in town. Gloss : So much the more that one must not extend a greeting of 'peace' to others when there is a corpse [ awaiting burial ] on the cemetery , c. 25 on the authority of Sefer Ḥasidim — G. Cf. B.Yos. a.l. This ruling is applicable even in a large city — ShaK. but when there is no corpse there, one may extend a greeting of 'peace' to others at a distance of four cubits from the grave . on the authority of R. Meir of Rothenberg — G.