Women at the cemetery – Ask the Rabbi
Q. Is it true that women should not go to a funeral?
A. This is a widespread view but it is more an emotional than halachic issue.
Some people have the feeling that women are too emotional to face the harsh reality of a cemetery, but this applies to anyone, male or female. Being shaken by attending a funeral can make men terribly distressed, not just women.
One of the few halachic aspects of the problem relates to a pregnant woman being at the cemetery. The question is whether the pregnant wife of a kohen may go to the cemetery: if her baby is a boy, does this mean that a male kohen has wrongfully been near a grave?
