עברית
Women
Is a Woman Permitted to Enter a Cemetery?
Question
Hello esteemed Rabbi,
I read a story in the Hidabroot magazine on Shabbat about a segulah for finding a decent match, which is to go pray at the grave of the Or HaChaim and take a small stone from the grave to keep in one's pocket, and when one is blessed, to return the stone to the grave and give thanks for the blessing.
1. As a woman, is there any issue with entering a cemetery?
2. Is there any halachic issue regarding taking a small stone from the cemetery and carrying it with me?
I would appreciate an answer. Thank you very much!
Answer
Good week,
1. A woman is permitted to enter a cemetery; however, when she is menstruating, there is a recommendation (not a prohibition) that she does not enter (see Sefer Taharat Habayit Part 2, Siman 12, Section 44).
The recommendation to avoid entry applies even when the grave is isolated (like the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai) and is not within the cemetery grounds (response from Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, may he live, as noted in Sefer Daas Notzach Part 1, page 246).
Those who are stringent about not entering a cemetery are doing so specifically during their menstrual period, but during the days of counting seven clean days, it is permissible (Taharat Habayit there).
2. Apparently, there is no prohibition against taking such a stone (see Sefer Segulot Raboteinu, pages 322-323).
Best wishes,
Hillel Meirs
