I will start sitting shiva at my brother's house and conclude it in my own. Is it permissible to bring some of the food to my house?

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I hope that, in addition to your friends and family, you receive the support of a flesh-and-blood rabbi during this difficult time for you and your family.

 

The Talmud (Mo’ed Kattan 27b) records a prohibition against a mourner eating his or her own food at the first meal following burial. This meal, called the “se’udat havra’ah” in Hebrew, is provided by others in the community. This is done as a sign of concern and love for the mourner at such a difficult moment, and as a way to remind mourners that their own health must be maintained through eating, even when they may feel all consumed by grief.

 

Although a mourner may eat his or her own food after that first meal, it is common in many communities for friends and relatives to provide food for the entire week of shivah.  This food too is donated to the family in a spirit of compassion for the mourners with the understanding that the food is meant to be eaten and shared by all of the mourners.

 

Provided that your brother has no objections, I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to take food from your brother’s shivah to eat in your own home as you complete shivah there.

 

May God comfort you, and your brother, together with all of us who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.

 

 

First, condolences on the loss of your brother.  May his memory be for a blessing.

 

Your question is clearly time-bound so I will answer it as quickly as possible.  In a short answer, yes, you may bring the food to your own home.

 

The tradition of bringing food to shiva is rabbinic.  It is the 'Meal of Consolation' or the 'Meal of Condolence' and is practiced by every Jewish community (and, I suspect, every non-Jewish community, as well).  Bringing food is a natural (and, I believe, instinctive) reaction to show sympathy.  It is not surprising, then, that such a tradition became de rigueur in Jewish life.  

 

The tradition of bringing food is that the food is brought to the mourner, not to the mourner's house.  And, since the food was brought to you and your family at a shiva house, then it is logical that, should you move to another place to sit shiva, you certainly may take the food.  Of couse, if anyone else is sitting shiva in that house, the food must also be available for them, as well.

 

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In addition, I would like to add the following thought.  I attend many shiva homes, family celebrations, etc., and I am constantly amazed at the waste of food.  Should there be food left over from the function, I believe the concept of 'al tashchit' - do not destroy - can apply.  In other words, don't destroy something valuable when it can still be used.  Although it is customarily applied to things like flora and fauna, we can also apply it to food.  If there is food from shiva left over, is there any place you can donate it to?  Are there any needy people in your world that could use the food?  Though giving what's left of the shiva food to the needful has no textual basis (as far as I have come across), it may be a beautiful way to honor your brother's memory.

 

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May his soul be bound up in the bonds of eternal life and may his memory be for a blessing.