Q. Re- question 1561 where we wrote; “The Torah rules (Bereshis 9:5 ), “the blood of your own lives I will demand of you.” (Baba Kama 91b) and looses his part in Olam Habaah, therefore Shulchan Aruch (Y. D. 345: 1) rules that one who commits suicide in principle is denied the after-death honors and privileges of aveilus (mourning): No keria or rending of clothes and eulogies are offered for the deceased, and burial in the main section of the Jewish cemetery is normally not allowed.”
If the deceased is an uncontrite murderer, is there any difference in conduct towards the deceased? Or is a suicide worse than a murderer of others, and why?
A. The “uncontrite” murderer, we assume means incorrigible or one who did not do teshuva. In principle, as we mentioned; “Halacha considers suicide to be tantamount to murder.” In practice however, a murderer can repeat his sin many times as opposed to a suicide. More so, most often suicides are committed by individuals in a mentally unfit state. As we wrote; There are also many specific Halachos that define who in fact committed suicide and who did not, therefore, a competent Rabbi should be consulted.
Horav Shlomo Miller’s opinion is similar. However, the Rov added that from a different angle, a suicide can be seen as more severe, since we would consider someone murdering a close relative such as his father as more evil and heinous than killing a stranger.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a
Important Numbers
