1,289. Not Passing the Shovel

199:7 The practice when burying the deceased is to be careful not to take the shovel directly from another person's hand. Rather, one person puts it down and then another person picks it up.

199:8 After placing the deceased in the grave, the bier used to carry him should be turned over three times. This is because the numerical value (gematria) of the word for bier in Hebrew (mitah) is the same as the numerical value of the word for judgment (din; each word has a value of 54). This is a sign that judgment should be overturned in favor of mercy, and mourning should turn to rejoicing as per Psalms 30:12, "You have turned my mourning into rejoicing for me." We do not do this on days when Tachanun is not recited.