Tearing a Sweater in the Middle of Shiva for a Father
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Question
A mourner sitting shiva for his father, who tore all his clothes at the beginning of the shiva as required, now finds a cold day in the middle of the shiva and wants to wear a sweater. Does he need to tear the sweater?
Answer
Even though when changing clothes, the Shulchan Aruch rules that one must tear, if one adds clothes due to cold or similar reasons, there is no need to tear the sweater.
Source
The Orhot Chaim in the laws of mourning (Part 2, Siman 70, Seif 66) writes: "If he comes to change, he tears all seven days, but only if changing. However, if adding clothes due to cold, he does not tear. This is also the opinion of the Raavad and the author of the Shelman. When his mother died, he acted accordingly, and although the Meiri disagrees, since tearing is a rabbinic doubt, the poskim wrote that one can be lenient in this.