Cholent on Friday Night During Year of Mourning
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Question
A yeshiva student in his year of mourning for his deceased mother eats with his peers at the yeshiva dining hall throughout the week. Is it permitted for him to go out on Friday night to eat cholent with those same friends at a restaurant?
Answer
It is forbidden, but if it is necessary for his mental health, he should consult a sage. He is permitted to eat with his father and brothers.
Source
A meal of friends is a gathering where friends and loved ones come together, and therefore close family members can go out to a restaurant together, as it is not considered a gathering of friends but a family eating together like at home.
A yeshiva student is allowed to eat in the yeshiva with friends because it is his home, and the custom is not to eat only outside the home, but one cannot say that all the yeshiva students are his household members, and therefore he would be allowed to go out with friends to eat at a restaurant together, as this would be a large gathering of friends, and only close family members are allowed to go out to eat together, as it is not considered a gathering of friends.