Siman 358

It is a known matter that one who is engaged in a mitzvah is exempt from a mitzvah. Therefore, the bearers of the casket, and their replacements, and the replacements of their replacements—since there is no strength to carry the entire way and therefore they switch from these to those—whether those who are before the casket or those who are after it, since the casket has need of them, meaning that these carry and those rest, these rest and those carry, and so on continually until the casket reaches the cemetery—all of them are exempt from the recitation of Shema, and from prayer, and from all the mitzvot. However, the rest of those escorting who do not carry the casket are obligated. And even though escorting the deceased is also a mitzvah, nevertheless, there is no fixed measure for this, and they escort for four amot and go, and recite Shema and pray. And it has already been explained in Orach Chaim siman 72. And it is simple that if there are enough for the carrying of the casket who will carry it from those who have already prayed—the others should go to pray even though they desire to carry the casket.

Therefore, one must be careful not to take out the deceased close to the time of the recitation of Shema, as long as there is no time to bury him before the time for the recitation of Shema arrives. But if they have begun to take him out – they do not stop in order to recite, even if the time passes, for the reason that has been explained. And ab initio, one should wait to bury him until they estimate that most of the people in the city have already prayed. And there is no distinction in this between the recitation of Shema of Shacharit and that of Arvit. And there are those who are lenient regarding that of Arvit, since its time is all night ex post facto. And furthermore: in order not to come to "bal talin." And know that "bal talin" is only when they delay him the entire night and bury him during the day. But when they bury him at the end of the night – he does not transgress "bal talin." And even though there are those who disagree on this, nevertheless, such is the primary ruling.

And know that in Berakhot (Berakhot 19a) we say that for an important person, they may take [the deceased] out even initially close to the time of Kriyat Shema. And for Rav Yosef, they took him out close to Kriyat Shema, see there, in order to show his importance, so that they should not occupy themselves even with a mitzvah before his removal. The poskim omitted this. There is one who wrote the reason: because he holds that it is not the halacha, and it is merely a rejection (Bach). The difficulty is evident. And it seems to me the reason: because in several matters where it is stated in the Shas that an important person is different—we do not practice so, because we do not hold ourselves to be important. Such as regarding their cooking in a matter that is eaten as it is raw, where we say an important person is different (Moed Katan 12b). And so too in mourning regarding the business of a partnership, we say that an important person is different (Moed Katan 11b). And with us there is no distinction, and therefore here too they omitted this. And the matter is a kal vachomer: for if regarding a stringency we are not concerned for it, all the more so regarding a leniency (and so wrote the Taz in Orach Chaim siman 72).

It is stated in the Yerushalmi that those who carry the bier are forbidden from wearing sandals, lest the sandal of one of them break and the mitzvah be nullified. This applies when there are specific pallbearers for this purpose. However, whenever everyone carries it, we are not concerned for this, for if it breaks for one of them, another will carry it. And now we are not careful in this for two reasons: for even if one of the pallbearers is unable to carry, one of the rest of the people will go and carry (Nekudot HaKesef). Furthermore, this is not applicable to us at all, for with them, whose sandals were with straps, we are concerned for the breaking of a strap, which is not the case with us, as there are no straps in our shoes. And there is no concern at all in this, and such is the common custom.

Our teacher, the Rema, wrote: There are places where the custom is that the mourners exit first from the house, and the relatives and the bier follow them. And those who are distant place the deceased on the bier, and the mourners and the relatives take the bier upon their shoulders, and afterwards the rest of the people. Thus far his words. And in the name of Rabbi Yehuda HeChasid, the Rokeach wrote: that when they take the deceased out of the house—one must be careful that no person exits first before the deceased (Be'er Heiteiv). However, the attendants who are required to exit beforehand—there is no concern. And one should not place the coffin of a deceased person upon another coffin that already contains a deceased person, and there is danger in this (ibid.). And he further wrote that some say that when they arrive with the deceased at the gravesite—they halt it every four amot before it is buried. And so they are accustomed nowadays to halt it two or three times before they recite Tzidduk HaDin over it. And on days when they do not recite Tzidduk HaDin—there is no need to halt it. Thus far his words. (Because many spirits of impurity are around the deceased, and through the halting they are diminished. And on a day when Tzidduk HaDin is impossible—there are not so many spirits. So wrote the Levush and the Shach, and one should not elaborate on this. Examine carefully and you will find it simple.)