Mourning Customs

Found 3 Search results

1. The One Who Mourns For Himself

   Prof. Jonathan Grossman

   This article examines the impurity and process of purification for the metzora. The laws of the metzora are reminiscent of the laws of mourning; he "buries" himself outside of the camp and mourns for himself. The purification process is a rebirth, symbolizing a brand new entry into the world and a desire to return to life.

2. The Storm (Part 11)

   After Eliyahu's Ascent (I)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   The act of rending by Elisha is an outward manifestation of his sense that something inside has been rent; part of his own personality has been lost. A rending that is never sewn together expresses mourning that has an element of permanence to it. The image of Eliyahu will continue to accompany Elisha, his heir and successor, throughout his prophetic career. In all of his future actions, he will have Eliyahu in mind, and all of his aspiration will be to follow in the footsteps of his master and to realize his legacy, revealed to him as he witnessed him being carried up in a storm to heaven.

3. Rav Soloveichik on Metzora and Mourners

   Rabbi David Silverberg