- It is a mitzvah to bury the deceased in the ground.
- A wooden coffin is used but it is preferable to minimize the wood and even the shrouds, so that the deceased is closer to the ground.
- The deceased is placed on his back as one who is sleeping.
- We ask forgiveness from the deceased in case we did not show the proper respect.
- It is customary not to hand the shovels from one person to another to show that we do not hand sadness to other people, but rather the shovel is put down and then taken from the ground.
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One may not act in a light-headed manner in the cemetery, which includes:
- not to eat or drink there (it is also improper to smoke at a cemetery. [Yalkut Yosef])
- not to engage in business matters
- not to take a shortcut through a cemetery
- It is generally forbidden to reopen a burial plot after it has been closed.
Burial
