I came across the following on TorahWeb's site concerning watching the Pope's funeral on TV. This opinion is from the Roshei Yeshiva at YU. I was wondering if anyone has heard similar (or dissenting opinions) from other segments of the Orthodox world:

Regarding the upcoming papal funeral TorahWeb's Rabbinic Board (Rabbi Michael Rosensweig, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rabbi Mayer Twersky, Rabbi Mordechai Willig) would like to inform the public of the following.

In 1963 Rav Soloveitchik zt”l reacted to reports of Jews watching television coverage of President John F. Kennedy’s funeral service. At that time the Rov was distressed and stated that, according to Halachah, it is forbidden for a Jew to watch such a religious funeral service.

Well it is hard to analyse that terse announcement.

The question if television is actually seeing something. I don't know anyone who says you are fullfilling the requirement of hearing the megillah or blowing shofer from a television picture. On Kol Esha there are varying opinions but most take a lenient view.

As for observing non-jewish rituals, we have the Rabbis of Rome listening indirectly to the mass to pick up some ideas on musical arraingement and we have all the shailot and teshuvat dealing with social activities which take place in a church (usually AA meetings). I presume that it is forbidden to watch a religious service as a method of doing a funeral service. However, if you are observing because you want to know what non-jewish ritual to avoid (like reading the book of nabeteans), if you are studying it for background for understanding a sugiah (section of the talmud), if you need to do repairs, or if you are the Chief Rabbi of Israel, I would think the proscription is not absolute.

Aryeh Shore

If watching the funeral of a non religious matter was forbidden according to Rabbi Solovetchick then the rules of fortiori would dictate that the funeral of the Pope is certainly forbidden.

Whether someone liked or disliked the Pope, watching a religious funeral of the leader of Catholicism is paying homage via a medium of a religious practice. I fully understand the TorahWeb's Rabbinic Board. If anything, it almost seems unnatural for a practicing or non practicing Jew to watch.


I don’t think the participation of shofar listening and megilah reading via TV is akin to that of the funeral. Listening to the shofar and megilah has technical issues that does not let one fulfill the mitzvah through these mediums. One immediate problem comes to mind is that you are hearing the sounds of the phone and not the shofar blower. As far as the Kol Isha and most poskim taking a lenient view – that’s a heavy statement that requires a bit of backup.

Rav Yoseph Henkin did not see a problem with the voice of a woman on the radio. His grandson R. Yehuda Henkin thinks this would apply to television as described in Bnei Banim.

The Chief Rabbi of Israel is attending the funeral.
There is a big difference between observing a religious ceremony for a purpose and just observing a religious ceremony for no reason. The latter applies to most people and would be forbidden. It is similar to touching a woman by a physician as opposed to just touching a woman.

Aryeh Shore



Aryeh Shore

I agree with Shragie that this situation is not similar to fulfilling an obligation where the actual voice is required. The issue, as I understand it is viewing the icons and religious symbols of the church. At the JFK funeral (although I couldn't find the source when I looked for it last night - I think it is in one of Rav Schacter's seforim about the Rav, maybe Nefesh HaRav?) The issue seemed to be viewing the inside of the cathedral.
In a similar vein the Rav and many of the YU rabbis would advise their students not to take art courses that would study medieval art - as it focused on church symbols - which the Rav felt was problematic.

In the end the Chief Rabbis decided not to attend, albeit other reasons. So, it seems that they do not concur with the Rav's analysis.

It would not have been politically correct for the official chief rabbis of Israel (a political rather than Torah-based function) to explain that they were refraining from participation in a Xtian service for the real reasons. So they found other excuses, which in my opinion were rather transparent.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Laser,

Laser, I had considered that as well. But they did send a representative to the funeral. So, if they felt that it was asur - they could not have done that. Perhaps Pesach preparations were not the real reason, but it seems that they didn't feel it was a clear-cut violation of halacha.

If I were a cynic, I would say that it reminds me of those rabbanim who give hekhseherim but will not eat the products that they themselves certify.

That is, the rabbanut was wiling to send **someone else**, just not one of them. Have they come to grips with the prohibition of Xtian religious expression?

The explanation is always that "I maintain certain stringencies for myself, but I don't force them on others."

Really!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Laser,

i heard the next pope is gonna be jewish. if he is can we watch his funeral?

What about the fact that the Pope's body was on display for all to see? Jewish funerals aren't allowed to be open-coffin or involve a body out in the open, like the Pope's laying-in-state, so does this mean we cannot watch a laying-in-state or open-coffin funeral on TV, as halakha states that open-coffin funerals allow the body to be mocked in its helpless state meaning we shouldn't partake in them?