Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah Siman 345

Siman 345

Presented here for study, not as a practical ruling. The Shulchan Aruch rules by Sephardi custom, the Rema's glosses by Ashkenazi custom, and the Kitzur follows Ashkenazi custom. For a practical question, ask your rabbi.

א הַמְאַבֵּד עַצְמוֹ לָדַעַת, אֵין מִתְעַסְקִים עִמּוֹ לְכָל דָּבָר, וְאֵין מִתְאַבְּלִין עָלָיו, וְאֵין מַסְפִּידִין אוֹתוֹ, וְלֹא קוֹרְעִין וְלֹא חוֹלְצִין, אֲבָל עוֹמְדִין עָלָיו בְּשׁוּרָה וְאוֹמְרִים עָלָיו בִּרְכַּת אֲבֵלִים וְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא כָּבוֹד לַחַיִּים.
1 One who commits suicide wilfully is not attended to at all; and one does not mourn for him and no lamentation is made for him, nor does one rend [garments] or bare [the shoulder in mourning for him], but one stands for him in the line [of comforters], and one recites over him the mourners' blessing, and whatever [brings] honour [only] to the living [may be done].
ב אֵיזֶהוּ מְאַבֵּד עַצְמוֹ לָדַעַת, כְּגוֹן שֶׁאָמַר: הֲרֵי הוּא עוֹלֶה לְרֹאשׁ הַגַּג, וְרָאוּהוּ שֶׁעָלָה מִיָּד דֶּרֶךְ כַּעַס, אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה מֵצֵר, וְנָפַל וָמֵת, הֲרֵי זֶה בְּחֶזְקַת שֶׁאִבֵּד עַצְמוֹ לָדַעַת. אֲבָל אִם רָאוּהוּ חָנוּק וְתָלוּי בָּאִילָן, אוֹ הָרוּג וּמֻשְׁלָךְ עַל גַּבֵּי סֵיפוֹ, הֲרֵי הוּא בְּחֶזְקַת כָּל הַמֵּתִים, וּמִתְעַסְקִים עִמּוֹ וְאֵין מוֹנְעִין מִמֶּנּוּ דָּבָר. הַגָּה: מִי שֶׁגָּנַב וְגָזַל וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נֶהֱרַג בְּדִין מַלְכוּת, מִתְאַבְּלִים עָלָיו, אִם אֵין בּוֹ סַכָּנָה מִפְּנֵי אֵימַת הַמַּלְכוּת, וְלֹא מִקְרֵי מְאַבֵּד לָדַעַת (מהרי"ו סִימָן קי"ד).
2 Who is [considered] a wilful suicide? — For example, if one stated that he is going up to the roof-top, and they saw him go up at once in anger; or he was in distress, and [then] fell down and died, — [the law is that] such a person is presumed to have committed suicide wilfully. But if they discovered him strangled and hung upon a tree, or [they found him] killed and thrown upon his sword, he is presumed to be like all [other] dead, and they attend to him and withhold not from him anything. Rema: One who stole or robbed, as a result of which was executed by government law, is to be mourned for, if no danger will [ result ] through him on account of the fear of the government; and he is not designated a wilful suicided.
ג קָטָן הַמְאַבֵּד עַצְמוֹ לָדַעַת, חָשׁוּב כְּשֶׁלֹּא לָדַעַת. וְכֵן גָּדוֹל הַמְאַבֵּד עַצְמוֹ לָדַעַת, וְהוּא אָנוּס כְּשָׁאוּל הַמֶּלֶךְ, אֵין מוֹנְעִין מִמֶּנּוּ כָּל דָּבָר.
3 A minor who commits suicide wilfullly, is considered as though it were [done] unintentionally. And likewise, one who was of age, and committed suicide wilfully, [being under pressure, as [in the case of] King Saul, — [the law is that] they withhold not from him a thing.
ד מְנֻדֶּה שֶׁמֵּת, דִּינוֹ כִּמְאַבֵּד עַצְמוֹ לָדַעַת; אֵין קוֹרְעִין וְלֹא חוֹלְצִין וְלֹא מַסְפִּידִין עָלָיו, וּמַנִּיחִין אֶבֶן עַל אֲרוֹנוֹ. וְהָנֵי מִלֵּי בְּאַפְקִירוּתָא, כְּשֶׁעוֹבֵר עַל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה; אֲבָל בְּמָמוֹנָא, כֵּיוָן שֶׁמֵּת, פָּטוּר מִגְּזֵרָתָם, וְאֵין מַנִּיחִים אֶבֶן עַל אֲרוֹנוֹ, ומַסְפִּידִין אוֹתוֹ כָּרָאוּי.
4 An excommunicant who died, is adjudged as one who committed suicide wilfully. They rend no [garments], nor bare [the shoulder in mourning], nor make a lamentation for him, and they place a stone on his coffin. This ruling obtains in [a case where the person was excommunicated for] sheer contumacy, [i.e.,] where one transgresses the teachings of the Law [out of contempt], but in [a case where one was excommunicated because of refusal to pay] indemnities, — [the law is that] as soon as he dies, he is declared free from their decree, and they do not place a stone on his coffin, and they make a lamentation for him as is fit.
ה כָּל הַפּוֹרְשִׁים מִדַּרְכֵי צִבּוּר, וְהֵם הָאֲנָשִׁים שֶׁפָּרְקוּ עֹל הַמִּצְוֹת מֵעַל צַוָּארָם, וְאֵין נִּכְלָלִים בִּכְלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעֲשִׂיָּתָם, וּבִכְבוֹד הַמּוֹעֲדוֹת וִישִׁיבַת בָּתֵּי כְּנֵסִיּוֹת וּבָתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת, אֶלָּא הֲרֵי הֵם כִּבְנֵי חֹרִין לְעַצְמָן כִּשְׁאָר הָאֻמּוֹת, וְכֵן הַמּוּמָרִים וְהַמּוֹסְרִים, כָּל אֵלּוּ אֵין אוֹנְנִים וּמִתְאַבְּלִים עֲלֵיהֶם, אֶלָּא אֲחֵיהֶם וּשְׁאָר קְרוֹבֵיהֶם לוֹבְשִׁים לְבָנִים וּמִתְעַטְּפִים לְבָנִים וְאוֹכְלִים וְשׁוֹתִים וּשְׂמֵחִים. הַגָּה: הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר וְלֹא רָצָה לָשֵׂאת עִמָּהֶם בְּמִסִּים וְאַרְנוֹנִיּוֹת, מִתְאַבְּלִים עָלָיו (תשו' רַשְׁבָּ"א סי' תשס"ג) אֲבָל אֵין שְׁאָר בְּנֵי הָעִיר צְרִיכִים לְבַטֵּל מִמְּלָאכְתָן בִּשְׁבִילוֹ לַעֲסֹק עִמּוֹ (כֵּן מַשְׁמָע בנ"י סוֹף מ"ק).
5 All those who dissociate themselves from the practices of the community, viz., those people who have cast off the yoke of the precepts from their neck, and are not included within the community of Israel in the observance thereof, [nor] in [showing] respect [towards] the Festivals, [nor] in attending Synagogues and Study-Houses, but are as freemen for themselves, like the [people of] other nations [who have not accepted God]; and likewise, those who are apostates and informers, — [the law is that] for all these, one does not observe Aninuth or mourning rites, but their brethren and other relations put on white clothes and wrap themselves in white and eat and drink and rejoice. Rema: One who dissociates himself from [ the practices ] of the community and refuses to carry the burden with them of imposts and Arnona, is mourned for, but all the other townspeople are not required to abstain from work on account of him in order to attend to him.
ו קָטָן בֶּן שָׁנָה אוֹ שְׁנָתַיִם שֶׁהֵמִיר עִם אִמּוֹ, וָמֵת, אֵין מִתְאַבְּלִין עָלָיו וְעַיֵּן לְעֵיל סִימָן ש"מ (סָעִיף ה').
6 A minor [who is] one or two years old, who commits apostasy [along] with his mother, and [then] he died, is not to be mourned for.
ז מִי שֶׁנָּפַל בַּיָּם, אוֹ טָבַע בַּנָּהָר, אוֹ אֲכָלַתּוּ חַיָּה, אֵין מוֹנְעִין מִמֶּנּוּ דָּבָר.
7 One who fell into the sea or was drowned in the river or a beast devoured him, — [the law is that] one does not withhold anything from him.
ח אָרוֹן הָעוֹבֵר מִמָּקוֹם לְמָקוֹם, אִם שִׁלְדּוֹ (פֵּרוּשׁ הַשִּׁדְרָה וְצַלְעוֹתֶיהָ) קַיֶּמֶת, עוֹמְדִין עָלָיו בְּשׁוּרָה וְאוֹמְרִים עָלָיו בִּרְכַּת אֲבֵלִים וְתַנְחוּמֵי אֲבֵלִים, אִם יֵשׁ אֲבֵלִים שֶׁמִּתְאַבְּלִין עָלָיו; וְאִם אֵין שִׁלְדּוֹ קַיֶּמֶת, אֵין עוֹמְדִין עָלָיו בְּשׁוּרָה וְאֵין אוֹמְרִים עָלָיו בִּרְכַּת אֲבֵלִים וְלֹא תַּנְחוּמֵי אֲבֵלִים.
8 A coffin that passes [on its way] from place to place,—if the body, i.e., the spinal column and its ribs, is intact, they stand in the [comforters'] line and recite on account of him the mourner's benediction and offer condolence to the mourners, if there are mourners who mourn for him; but if the body is not intact, they do not stand in the [comforters'] line and do not recite the mourners' benediction, nor do they offer condolence to the mourners.
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