You Have Sat Too Long In the Valley of Tears

Royal sanctuary, royal city, arise and go forth from your overturned state

Too long have you dwelt in the valley of tears; God will have compassion on you

(5) One who buries his deceased relative three days before a pilgrimage Festival has the decree of the seven-day period of mourning, i.e., the halakhot and prohibitions associated with that period, nullified for him by the Festival. He is not required to complete this seven-day mourning period after the Festival. If one buries his deceased relative eight days before a pilgrimage Festival, then the decree of thirty days is nullified for him. The restrictions that ordinarily apply during this thirty-day mourning period no longer apply after the Festival. This is because the Sages said a principle with regard to this issue: Shabbat counts as one of the days of mourning, although one may not mourn on it and it does not interrupt the mourning period, which continues after Shabbat. The pilgrimage Festivals, on the other hand, interrupt the mourning period, so that if one began mourning before such a Festival, then the mourning period is canceled by the Festival. They do not, however, count. If one did not begin mourning before the Festival, or if his relative died during the Festival, then he is required to complete his mourning period afterward, as the days of the Festival do not count toward the requisite days of mourning.

(1) One who buries his dead before a Festival in a case where mourning takes effect upon him, and he observed [mourning rites] accordingly even one hour prior to the [advent of] the Festival, — [the law is that] the Festival interrupts the mourning and annuls for him the restrictions of the seven [days of mourning], and the Festival days are included for him in the counting of the thirty [days of mourning]; hence, there are seven [days] before the Festival and [in addition] the days of the Festival [proper], after which he completes the thirty [days]. This rule applies provided that he observed mourning rites at that moment, even if he observed only matters pertaining to private [mourning], e.g., [even if] he received near tidings on the Sabbath day which fell on the eve of the Festival, — [the law is that] although he observes [on the Sabbath] only matters pertaining to private mourning, the Festival interrupts [the seven and thirty days of mourning]. However, if inadvertently or wilfully he did not observe mourning [prior to the Festival], or it was close to nightfall, and [consequently], he was not able to observe [mourning rites], the Festival does not interrupt the mourning. And much more so if he was unaware of the person's death prior to the Festival, — [the law is] that the Festival does not interrupt [the mourning rites] save that he observes during the Festival matters pertaining to private [mourning] and [begins to] count the seven days [of mourning] after the Festival, and during those seven days his work is done [for him] by others, and his male and female servants do [work] privately indoors, for since he has already been suspended from work during the seven days of the Festival, although he was not suspended [from work] on account of the mourning, but [rather] because of the Festival, — yet, after all, [the fact is that] he [automatically] observed the law [similar to that] of mourning with respect to work [during mourning], — hence, we do not adopt any stringency in this matter as in the case of other mourning, and his work may be done [for him] by others; and throughout the Festival days the public busies itself with him to offer him comfort; hence, they do not busy themselves with him to offer him comfort after the Festival. However, the Festival enters into the counting of the thirty [days], for the law of thirty, viz., [with respect to the prohibition against] laundry work and hair-cutting, applies to the Festival [as well], and not only on account of the legal status of the Festival is he forbidden [to do] those things, but also because of the law of mourning, — for as far as the legal status of the Festival is concerned, he is permitted to put on new white laundried garments and he may cut his nails with a scissors [on Hol ha-Moed], and may rejoice at social gatherings, and [likewise] one arriving from beyond the sea or coming out of captivity and the others whom the Sages enumerated and permitted to cut the hair and to wash garments [on Hol ha-Moed], but with respect to the law of mourning one is prohibited against doing all these things as on a weekday.

(1) All are obligated on the three pilgrim Festivals in the mitzva of appearance, i.e., to appear in the Temple as well as to sacrifice an offering, except for a deaf-mute, an imbecile, and a minor; and a tumtum, and a hermaphrodite, and women, and slaves who are not emancipated; and the lame, and the blind, and the sick, and the old, and one who is unable to ascend to Jerusalem on his own legs. Who has the status of a minor with regard to this halakha? Any child who is unable to ride on his father’s shoulders and ascend from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount; this is the statement of Beit Shammai. And Beit Hillel say: Any child who is unable to hold his father’s hand and ascend on foot from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount, as it is stated: “Three times [regalim]” (Exodus 23:14). Since the term for feet is raglayim, Beit Hillel infer from here that the obligation to ascend involves the use of one’s legs.

(2) All who entered the Temple Mount entered by the right and went round [to the right] and went out by the left, save for one to whom something had happened, who entered and went round to the left. [He was asked]: “Why do you go round to the left?” [If he answered] “Because I am a mourner,” [they said to him], “May He who dwells in this house comfort you.” [If he answered] “Because I am excommunicated” [they said]: “May He who dwells in this house inspire them to draw you near again,” the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yose to him: you make it seem as if they treated him unjustly. Rather [they should say]: “May He who dwells in this house inspire you to listen to the words of your colleagues so that they may draw you near again.”