Hosting the shivah was a tremendouszechus, and I was honored to do it. At the same time, it was immensely stressful
The halachos of shivah are designed to give the avel the time they need to process their grief. But there are no halachos for those “standing shivah,” those who halachically don’t have to sit shivah, but are still in mourning for their loved one.
My husband, my newly widowed mother-in-law, and my brothers-in-law all sat shivah in my home when we lost the patriarch of my husband’s family, my father-in-law, Matthew Rosenblatt (Moshe Aharon ben Yehuda Zvi). I didn’t sit shivah — but to quote my friend Charna Grayman, I was “standing shivah,” supporting my husband and his family through their loss.
Hosting the shivah was a tremendous zechus, and I was honored to do it. At the same time, it was immensely stressful.
In under an hour, Misaskim of Maryland transformed our house into a place appropriate to sit shivah, complete with an aron kodesh to host minyanim. It was disconcerting for me and my children to have our space suddenly become Grand Central Station, with people constantly coming and going.
Create a free account to keep reading.
