- Shabbat and Holidays
- General Questions
- Family and Society
- Burial and the Cemetery
Question
Is it true that you aren’t supposed to visit graves on Saturday? And why?
If there is no son to say "kadish" for a father, can a close grandson say it instead?
Answer
In the Gemara is written that consoling the mourner is forbidden with a few bare exceptions. The reason is that on Shabbat a person should not upset himself. Visiting the cemetery is obviously depressing for a variety of reasons.
A grandson may say Kaddish for his grandfather even though his father is still alive, as long as his parents agree.
Rabbi Ro'i Margalit