A person hears that his brother died 25 days ago. What mourning period applies?
News received within 30 days is a 'proximate report' (shmu'ah kerovah). The mourner observes the full seven days and thirty days from the day he hears the news — as if it is the day of burial.
Question 2
A person hears of a death 35 days after it occurred. What mourning applies?
A distant report (shmu'ah rechokah) — received after 30 days — requires only one day of mourning. That one day serves simultaneously as the seventh and thirtieth days. No tearing of garments is required.
Question 3
For the first three days of shiva, where may the mourner go?
For the first three days, a mourner does not leave his home even to visit another house of mourning. From day 4 onward, he may go out but should sit with the mourners, not the comforters.
Question 4
When does the Kohen Gadol differ from a regular person in mourning practices?
The Kohen Gadol observes all mourning practices but three: he may not rend the upper garment, let his hair grow long, or follow the funeral bier in procession. The people come to comfort him in his home.
Question 5
When a king is in mourning, who enters to comfort him?
A king is comforted only by his servants and those specifically granted permission. Even then, they may speak only what he permits. He reclines on a dargesh (low couch) while all others sit on the ground.