1,279. Leaving the Deceased Overnight

198:3 We are not permitted to let a deceased person remain unburied overnight as per Deuteronomy 21:23, "His body shall not remain overnight...you shall surely bury him the same day." If one let the deceased remain overnight for the sake of his honor, such as to acquire a coffin or burial shrouds, or to wait for relatives or the eulogists to arrive, then it is permitted. This is because the Torah only prohibited delaying burial when done in a way that is disgraceful to the deceased but not when done for his honor. Similarly, if a body is found and the deceased's identity is unsure, it is permitted to leave him unburied overnight until witnesses or his wife can be brought to identify him.

198:4 Generally speaking, striving to bury the deceased quickly is considered praiseworthy. With one's father or mother, however, whom one is required to eulogize and mourn greatly, rushing to bury them is considered disgraceful. The exception is on erev Shabbos and erev yom tov, or if rain is falling on the casket.