Moed Katan, Chapter 3, Mishnah 9 - the final Mishnah of Maseches Moed Katan. In the previous Mishnayos we dealt with the laws of a funeral and the practices of mourning on Chol HaMoed, and now the Mishnah seeks to clarify how those practices are affected by other, lesser festive days: Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim.
Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim:
The previous Mishnah explained what women were permitted to do in their mourning practices at the time of a funeral. Here the Mishnah rules that on Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim they "me'anos u'metapchos" - they wail and clap, unlike Chol HaMoed, where we limited what is permitted to them:
"me'anos" - calling out together in one voice.
"metapchos" - striking the palms of the hands, one hand against the other or upon the thigh.
But neither on Chol HaMoed nor on Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim are they permitted to lament. A lament, as will be explained shortly, is recited in a call and response manner.
After the burial:
Once the deceased has been buried, there is no more wailing and no more clapping, even on Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim, and certainly not on Chol HaMoed.
What is 'inuy' and what is 'kinah'?
The Mishnah now defines the two terms it has used:
Inuy (wailing) - "that they all call out as one": whatever they say or cry out, they do together.
Kinah (lament) - "one speaks, and they all respond": a recitation in the form of call and response, as in the verse in Yirmiyahu: "And teach your daughters wailing, and each woman her neighbor a lament." A lament by its very nature is recited in a responsive manner.
In the future to come:
As is the way of Mishnayos that conclude on a positive note, the Mishnah contrasts all of the above and ends with consolation: in the future to come, when Hashem will abolish the angel of death, it is said that death will be swallowed up forever, and Hashem will wipe away tears from every face.
Thank you for joining us for Maseches Moed Katan. We hope you will join us for the next tractate - Maseches Chagigah.