Pouring out the water – Ask the Rabbi
Q. Why is it customary to pour out the water from vessels in a house where a person has died?
A. There are several theories.
A prosaic explanation is that this is an indirect way of making it known that a person has passed away. This was considered better than to spread the bad news by word of mouth.
Some link it to an episode in the wilderness: when Miriam died her well stopped flowing.
A person’s life is like a flowing well and death deprives the world of the person’s vitality.
