[HANASHIR:11032] shivah & purim

[WINSTON WEILHEIMER <nusach...>]

Dear Meris

may you be comforted amongst the mourners of our people.

I concur with Rabbi Schachet.  You have two responsibilites.  The first is 
to your family.  You should in every way attend to the needs of the family.  
Therefore shivah and other mourning observances as your family requires 
would come as a first priority.

However, even during mourning, the hearing of the megillah is an obligation. 
  If you were not in your position, and if a shivah night were to come on 
the night of the megilla reading, it would be permissible to attend the 
minyan at shul and listen to the megillah and say kaddish during ma ariv.

Therefore, with your second obligation as sheliach tzibur, you would not be 
in violation of the shivah obligations, to provide others with the 
opportunity to hear the book of esther.

With a heavy heart, your performance of  the mitzvah of reading the megillah 
so that others can fulfill their obligations does not mean that you have to 
enjoy or celebrate....merely that you allow others to do so will be 
sufficient...

just my 2cents worth

Rabbi Winston Weilheimer


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