Dear Rabbi,
Is a mourner permitted to sleep in another house?
Thank you.
Shalom u’vracha,
A mourner should not leave his home throughout all seven days of mourning, so that he does not divert his attention from the mourning.
However, in a case of need—for example, when there is no place to sleep in the house where the shivah is being observed, or when he cannot fall asleep there because he is unaccustomed to sleeping in such a place—he may leave to sleep in his own home.
He should, however, be careful to leave at night and not during the day, and to travel alone or with one or two people, but no more, so that he will not be in the company of many people and divert his attention from the mourning.
With blessings for good tidings,
Salvations and consolation,
Rabbi David Ohayon
This response was translated automatically from Hebrew and has not yet been reviewed by a person. It may therefore contain inaccuracies and should not be considered a definitive reference.
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