ANINUT

ANINUT (Heb. word from the root אוֹנֵן, onen), status of a bereaved person in the period between the death and the burial of a close relative. The onen is exempted from fulfilling certain religious duties such as reciting the Shema and the daily prayers, or wearing tallit and tefillin so as to enable him to make burial arrangements. The onen eats in solitude and should abstain from meat and wine (MK 23b; Sh. Ar., YD 341:1). During Sabbaths and festivals, however, the onen participates in the customary ceremonials such as Kiddush. Aninut is terminated with the burial which commences the official mourning period. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: H. Rabinowicz, A Guide to Life (1964), 30–33.