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Aveiuls on Chanukah
Question
Dear Rabbi,
What are the Laws of Aveiuls on Chanukah?
Thanks
Answer
I will not go into full detail but I will outline the main points of Aveilut on Chanuka. Chanuka is not like a Yom tov inasmuch that it doesn’t cancel or delay Aveilut. All halachot of Aveilut are effective on Chanuka unlike Purim when Aveilut is not practiced in public.
However, at the burial ,"hespedim"= eulogies are not to be delivered as stipulated in the Gemara in Shabbat and Shulchan Aruch.(שבת כא:, שולחן ערוך סי' תר"ע). I remember clearly to this day, that when I was a child and I participated at the funeral of my grandfather z"l on the first day of Chanuka more than 40 years ago, the Rabbis repeated over and over that "hespedim" cannot be said.
In regard to the laws of Chanuka, the Avel lights Chanukka candles and says Shehecheyanu on the candles. There are different opinions in regard to saying Hallel. Some say that he should not say it at all while some say he should say it privately. (משנה ברורה תרפ"ג וגשר החיים פרק כ )
Besorot Tovot