On Consoling Mourners

Fortunately, many of you might not be familiar with the customs of visiting people in a Shiva house. The following is a delineation of some of our customs:

Jewish law states that a visitor should not speak, and should just sit or stand quietly until addressed by the mourner. As we are not supposed to give any salutations, we will most likely just nod at you.

Sitting on low chairs, the mirrors covered, not wearing leather shoes, are just some of the customs we will be observing.

We are gathering to elevate the neshama (the soul) of Ari. Please talk about Ari. Stories, anecdotes and the like are all welcome.

This is a new process for most of us. Please don't feel embarrassed and don't hesitate to ask anybody about these rules or other questions. Hopefully, this will be a learning experience for all of us.

As we all know, we love a full house of people. But, visiting us should be the focus. The house should not be full of idle socializing; it's a time of profound reflection.

Finally, part of the shiva process is for us to have an adequate amount of personal quiet time so the immediate family can fully process their loss. To accomplish this, we reluctantly ask that you please refrain from visiting us from 1:30-3:00 p.m. each day. Your anticipated help with this is greatly appreciated.

Thank you- David, Debbie, Mayer, Josh & Zach

May the merit of your comforting be an aliyah for the neshama of
Aryeh Noam Chaim ben Dovid Yehudah

We will have minion each day (Monday, September 29 - Friday, October 4) at 7:45 a.m and 6:35 p.m.