Question of the Month:

Is it ok to visit a grave prior to the stone unveiling? I would like to visit my father's grave on Memorial Day but I am not sure if it is allowed.

Answer:

Yes it is allowed to visit a grave prior to the Unveiling. There is a prohibition of returning to visit the grave after the burial during Sheloshim, the first 30 days; but once you are beyond that point there are no further restrictions. In the Sephardic community they often do the Unveiling after Sheloshim as a way of marking it and showing that one can now visit the grave. However, in the Ashkenazic community it is most common to do the Unveiling around the first Yahrzeit as a way to mark it, but one need not refrain from visiting the grave during that year.