Commento su Sanhedrin 2:3
מֵת לוֹ מֵת, אֵינוֹ יוֹצֵא מִפֶּתַח פַּלְטְרִין שֶׁלּוֹ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אִם רוֹצֶה לָצֵאת אַחַר הַמִּטָּה, יוֹצֵא, שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ בְדָוִד שֶׁיָּצָא אַחַר מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְנֵר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם ג) וְהַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד הֹלֵךְ אַחֲרֵי הַמִּטָּה. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, לֹא הָיָה הַדָּבָר אֶלָּא לְפַיֵּס אֶת הָעָם. וּכְשֶׁמַּבְרִין אוֹתוֹ, כָּל הָעָם מְסֻבִּין עַל הָאָרֶץ וְהוּא מֵסֵב עַל הַדַּרְגָּשׁ:
Se uno dei suoi parenti muore, non lascia il portale del suo palazzo, [essendo umiliante per un re mostrare un volto triste al popolo]. R. Yehudah dice: Se desidera seguire la cucciolata, può farlo, vale a dire. (II Samuele 3:31): "E il re Davide camminava dietro i rifiuti". Hanno contrastato: lo ha fatto solo per placare la gente, [in modo che riconoscano che David non aveva consigliato a Yoav di uccidere Avner.] E quando gli danno il pasto del partecipante, tutti si siedono a terra e lui si siede sul letto.
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
When they feed him the funeral meal all the people sit on the floor and he sits on a couch.
Mishnah three discusses the procedures of mourning if a king’s family member dies.
This mishnah deals with funeral procedure when one of the king’s near relatives dies. Although there is no prohibition in the Torah against the king participating in funerals, the Sages did not think it respectful for a king to be seen in a state of mourning. Rabbi Judah again finds biblical precedent for the king to participate in the funeral (as he found precedent for the king to marry another king’s widow in mishnah two). When during the battles between the House of Saul and the House of David, Avner, Saul’s army commander, was murdered by Joab, the commander of David’s army for having killed Joab’s brother, David goes out after Avner’s bier. According to Rabbi Judah this is precedent for any king. The Sages reply to Rabbi Judah that David only did so to appease the people so that they wouldn’t say that Joab killed Avner with David’s permission. In other, normal, cases it is forbidden for the king to participate in the funeral procession.
When the people feed the king his funeral meal, they sit on the floor, to show their participation in his grief and he sits on a couch, since he is not allowed to truly mourn. Note that the high priest was allowed to sit on a low stool. The Sages were less concerned about the respect shown for the high priest than they were for the respect shown towards the king.