1,254. How to Tear Kriyah

195:2 For deceased relatives for whom one must mourn, a person must tear his garment in front, near the neck. He must tear from the collar downwards, not across the garment. One must tear in a place where the garment is whole, not on the seam.

195:3 There are differences between the way one tears for a parent and the way he does for other relatives. For other relatives, one tears a handbreadth of his outer garment and that's enough. We don't tear more than this so as not to violate the prohibition of bal tashchis, i.e., against needless destruction. For a parent, however, one must tear all his garments down to adjacent his heart. We saw in 10:3 that the heart is opposite the bicep. This excludes one's undershirt, which is not torn. Similarly, a coat, which is only worn occasionally on top of other garments and sometimes one goes out without it, need not be torn. If one didn't tear all the garments that he is required to tear, he has not fulfilled his obligation. A woman, because of modesty, first tears her lower garment. She then moves the torn area to the side, and tears her outer garment so that the area of her heart should not be exposed. This is so even if she is wearing a slip because it would still be considered immodest.