1,608. A Widow's Entitlements

Hilchos Ishus 18:2

Just as a widow receives her maintenance from her husband's estate, she is likewise entitled to clothes, household utensils, to continue living in the residence where she lived when her husband was alive, and to continue using the pillows, blankets and servants that she used when her husband was alive. If the house collapses, the heirs are not required to rebuild it, not even if the widow offers to pay for it herself. Similarly, she doesn’t have the right to repair or paint it of her own volition; she only has the right to live in it “as is.” If the heirs sell the house in which the widow is living, the sale is ineffective.

Hilchos Ishus 18:3

If the house collapsed or if her husband had been renting their home, then the heirs must provide the widow with living accommodations that are appropriate to her status. The maintenance and clothes that are to be given her must likewise be appropriate for her status. If the husband's status was higher than the widow’s, she is provided for according to the husband’s status because a woman’s status goes up to meet her husband’s if his is higher but it doesn’t go down if his is lower. This remains the case even after his death.