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When does Shivah start and end?

by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg

  

Library » Life Cycle » Death » Mourning | Subscribe | What is RSS?

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Shivah begins as soon as the burial is completed,1 and it lasts for seven days. However, these are not seven complete days. The day of the burial counts as a full day, even if the burial took place moments before the end of the day,  and since we employ the Halachic rule: miktzat hayom k'kulo ("part of a day can be considered as a full day"),2 shivah concludes after the morning prayers of the final day of shivah.

For example, if the burial was on Tuesday afternoon, the shivah concludes the following Monday morning.

Festivals:

If the funeral was on Yom Tov3 or Chol Hamoed, shivah begins after the conclusion of the holiday. Thus, if, for example, the funeral was held on the first day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot, the shivah begins nearly a week later: 

In Israel, it begins on the day after Simchat Torah and lasts for seven days. In the Diaspora the Holiday lasts one day longer than in Israel, and that last day is actually a Rabbinical addition.4 No public display of mourning is practiced on this added day. However, since this added day is not part of the biblically mandated holiday, it does count as part of the seven days of shivah.5 So, using, the abovementioned example, after Simchat Torah the mourners sit six days of shivah (rising from shivah on the morning of the sixth day).

If the shivah is interrupted by any of the major biblical holidays -- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover or Shavuot -- the shivah is terminated at the onset of the holiday, and does not resume afterwards. Thus if the funeral is on the day preceding a holiday, the entire "shivah" lasts for only a few hours. 

See also "For whom does one sit Shivah?" and "What are the do's and don'ts for sitting Shivah?"

Footnotes

  • 1. If a mourner will not be present at the burial, depending on various factors, the shiva may begin even before the burial. A rabbi should be consulted in such an instance.
  • 2. Bear in mind that the Jewish calendar day starts and ends at nightfall.
  • 3. In certain communities funerals are held on Yom Tov.
  • 4. See http://www.askmoses.com/article/410,494/Why-do-we-add-extra-holiday-days-outside-of-Israel.html
  • 5. And the laws of mourning that pertain to private life do apply on this day, as they would on Shabbat during Shiva. See http://www.askmoses.com/article/165,2093701/What-are-the-rules-for-the-Shabbat-during-Shiva.html

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Torah
Torah is G–d’s teaching to man. In general terms, we refer to the Five Books of Moses as “The Torah.” But in truth, all Jewish beliefs and laws are part of the Torah.
Passover
A Biblically mandated early-spring festival celebrating the Jewish exodus from Egypt in the year 1312 BCE.
Halachic
Pertaining to Jewish Law.
Rosh Hashanah
The Jewish New Year. An early autumn two day holiday marking the creation of Adam and Eve. On this day we hear the blasts of the ram's horn and accept G-d's sovereignty upon ourselves and the world. On Rosh Hashanah we pray that G-d should grant us all a sweet New Year.
Sukkot
A seven day autumn festival commemorating the miracle of the Heavenly Clouds which enveloped the Jews while traveling in the desert for forty years. On this holiday we dwell in makeshift booths and shake the Four Species.
Yom Kippur
Day of Atonement. This late-autumn high-holiday is the holiest day of the year. We devote this day to repentance and all healthy adults are required to fast.
Simchat Torah
An extremely joyous one-day autumn festival following the holiday of Sukkot. In Israel it is the eighth day of Sukkot, outside of Israel it is celebrated the next day, the day after Shmini Atzeret. Every Sabbath we read a portion of the Torah. On this holiday we celebrate the completion of the yearly cycle.
Chol Hamoed
(lit. "mundane [days] of the festival"), the intermediate days of the Festivals of Passover and Sukkot. On these days many of the holiday work restrictions are lifted.
Shavuot
Early summer festival marking the day when the Jews received the Torah at Mount Sinai in the year 2448 (1312 BCE).
Yom Tov
Jewish Holiday.