Halakhah for Megillah 3:3

וְעוֹד אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת שֶׁחָרַב, אֵין מַסְפִּידִין בְּתוֹכוֹ, וְאֵין מַפְשִׁילִין בְּתוֹכוֹ חֲבָלִים, וְאֵין פּוֹרְשִׂין לְתוֹכוֹ מְצוּדוֹת, וְאֵין שׁוֹטְחִין עַל גַּגּוֹ פֵרוֹת, וְאֵין עוֹשִׂין אוֹתוֹ קַפַּנְדַּרְיָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כו), וַהֲשִׁמּוֹתִי אֶת מִקְדְּשֵׁיכֶם, קְדֻשָּׁתָן אַף כְּשֶׁהֵן שׁוֹמֵמִין. עָלוּ בוֹ עֲשָׂבִים, לֹא יִתְלֹשׁ, מִפְּנֵי עָגְמַת נָפֶשׁ:

R. Yehudah said further: In a ruined synagogue, no eulogies are made, ropes are not twined [The same holds for all labors, but the twining of ropes requires a large space, and the space in a house of prayer serves this purpose], nets are not spread in it, fruits are not spread on its roof, and it is not used as a short-cut (kapandarya) ["kapandarya," acronymic for "Ademakifna dari, a'ol beha," i.e., "Instead of circling rows" of houses, I will take a short-cut through here.], it being written (Leviticus 26:31): "And I will make desolate your sanctuaries" — Though desolate, they retain their sanctity. If grass cropped up in it, it may not be torn out, so that they grieve, [remembering its former days and resolving to rebuild it if possible or (so that they grieve and) pray for its restoration. Therefore, only tearing out the grass and feeding it to animals or discarding it entirely is forbidden; but it is permitted to tear it out and leave it in its place, this sufficing for arousing grief.]

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