A Sign of Mourning

The sages taught [the following baraita: When] a sage dies, his study hall ceases [its regular study as a sign of mourning over him. When] the president of the court dies, all of the study halls in his city cease [their regular study, and everyone] enters the synagogue and changes their places [there as a sign of mourning over him]. Those who [ordinarily] sit in the north [should] sit in the south, and those who [ordinarily] sit in the south [should] sit in the north. [When] a nasi dies, all study halls cease [their regular study. On Shabbat,] the members of the synagogue enter the synagogue [for public Torah reading, which requires a congregation of ten], and seven [people] read [from the Torah]. And [then] they leave [and pray on their own]. R. Joshua ben Korḥa says: [It is] not that they stroll [afterward] in the marketplace, [but] rather they sit [at home] in silent [mourning].