Reply To: Bais Aveil Question

Hey, Squeak: Your remark was uncalled for, but that doesn’t make you a bad person. I asked because I was sitting with the Aveil and someone came in and the Aveil INTRODUCED us so I offered my hand and said “Shalom Aleichem.” The guy looked at me like I was a gnat and then looked away. In a situation like that, if it’s only “not done” but it’s not a halacha, I would guess that it’s better to shake the guy’s hand than embarrass him and make him feel like an idiot. I realize that that was not the exact scenario that I presented in the question, but should it really matter?