Recommendations - Preparing the Home for Shiva

Preparing the Home for Shiva

When the mourners return from the cemetery after the burial, they go to the place where they will reside for the next seven days. It is worthwhile thinking ahead of time about which house to choose. The answer is sometimes obvious: in the deceased's home. There are sometimes a number of options, and it is best to choose the most convenient one. Take into account the proximity to the homes of the mourners and their guests, and the space available in the relevant home: whether it is large enough for those who will visit, to hold prayers, and for rest in mid-day. Some communities have the custom of building a mourners' tent next to the house by putting up a sheet for protection against the sun with chairs under it. Memorial candles and chairs should be brought to the selected dwelling, plus a Torah scroll, prayer books, and kipot if prayers will be conducted there. The dwelling should be arranged, and unneeded furniture and valuables liable to be damaged removed from it. Low seats should be prepared for the mourners. The custom is to cover mirrors in houses where mourning is taking place. It is not necessary to finish all of this before the burial but keep in mind that a stream of visitors is likely to begin immediately after the burial, and not every house is ready for visitors at any given moment.