The Funeral
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It is a mitzvah to escort the deceased to the cemetery.
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One should walk along for at least a distance of 7-8 feet, (if he is unable to go to the cemetery).
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It is important that at least a minyan of ten are present at the cemetery, so that there is a minyan for kaddish.
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It is a great mitzvah to eulogize the deceased properly:
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by raising the voice and saying things that will cause the people to be heartbroken and to weep
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to mention the praises and good character traits of the deceased (without too much exaggeration, for that would be harmful to the speaker and to the deceased)
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It is a mitzvah to cry and mourn upon the passing of a righteous observant person. Hashem counts and treasures the tears of weeping for a righteous person.
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The primary objective of eulogy is to honor the deceased. We also speak about his parents and family. If the deceased left instructions that he prefers not to be eulogized, we omit the eulogy.
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A male kohen may not enter a cemetery or be in the same room with a deceased who is not related to him.
However, he may attend to relatives whom he is obliged to mourn for, except not to attend a sister who has been married.
At the cemetery, a deceased kohen is buried near the cemetery gates so that the relatives do not defile themselves from other graves.
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It is important that men and women do not mingle during the eulogies or funeral procession.
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