The Importance of Sitting Shiva in the Deceased's Home
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Question
Is there significance in the mourner sitting shiva specifically in the deceased's home?
Answer
There is significance in praying in the deceased's home, specifically if the deceased was over one year old and passed away at home. However, if they passed away in a hospital or were less than one year old, there is no need to pray in their home, and thus one can sit shiva anywhere they wish.
Source
Rema, Siman 384, Seif 3: "And it is a mitzvah to pray the morning and evening prayers in the place where he died, even if there is no mourner, as this brings comfort to the soul (AZ)." Rabbi Akiva Eiger wrote there: "In Chidushei HaGershoni it is written that in Kol Bo it says not to pray in his home if the deceased was less than one year old." In Chochmat Adam, Sha'ar HaSimcha, Klal 165, Seif 11, it is written: "And Ramban wrote that the mourners need to mourn in the place where the soul of the deceased departed, because in that place the soul of the deceased mourns, and there it needs to be comforted, and the main comfort for the soul is prayer. Nevertheless, it seems to me that it is permitted at night to go to sleep in their homes." This implies that the main requirement is specifically in the place where the deceased died, not in their home.
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