שולחן ערוך יורה דעה · סימן של״ז

English

One who is sick and suffered a bereavement, must not be informed thereof lest his mind become unclear; nor is his garment rent; nor is it permitted to cry or make lamentation [for the dead] in his presence, so that his heart be not broken; and they silence the comforters in his presence. Yad, Ebel VIII, 4 and Kes. Mish. a.l.; Tur; T.H., derived from Sem. de R. Ḥiyya(H) I, 3. Not found in cur. edd. of Sem. W.G. a.l. Not only must he not be informed, but even if it became known to him, he is not instructed to rend garments, so as not to aggravate his condition — ShaK. This applies even to a case where one lost a parent and would have to recite Kaddish — Beth Hillel.