Joined: 06-23-2007 Posts: 39,335
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rfenst wrote: I'll research whether special circumstances apply. "Burial should take place as soon after death as possible; if not the same (or next) day, as described variously in the Hebrew Bible, then at most a few days later and only to allow close relatives to gather to pay their respects. In America, many Jewish communities limit the delay to three days at most. Although it is undesirable to postpone a funeral, burials should never take place on the Sabbath or on Jewish holiday."I don't think there is an exception to this custom. Nothing about delay for a famous or special person. I think that if I researched it more to see if there might be an exception for an exalted person, then I will look up whether there is delay allowed when, for example, a famous orthodox rabbi dies, and see if there is any analogy I can come up with... This is from Chabad, a highly credible source: It is a Biblical commandment to bury one's deceased immediately after passing, and it is forbidden to leave the deceased unburied overnight unless it is for his honor or to, obtain shrouds, arrange for a burial plot, gather family, etc.).
One may not put off the burial unnecessarily, for our sages state that the soul is in turmoil until the body is properly buried in the ground. Therefore, there needs to be a great sense of urgency to complete the burial as quickly as possible.
If the passing occurred in the morning, one should try to ensure that the deceased is prepared for burial and buried before dusk of the same day. If this is not possible, the burial should take place on the following day.
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