Moed Katan 22B

ממעט, על אביו ועל אמו ⁠— ממעט.

reduce it. In the case of his father or mother, he must always reduce his business.

על כל המתים כולן, רצה ⁠— חולץ, רצה ⁠— אינו חולץ. על אביו ועל אמו ⁠— חולץ.

With regard to all other deceased relatives, if the mourner wishes, he may remove his garment from one of his shoulders, and if he wishes not to remove it, he need not remove it. However, in the case of his father or mother, he must always remove his garment from one of his shoulders.

ומעשה בגדול הדור אחד שמת אביו וביקש לחלוץ, וביקש גדול הדור אחר שעמו לחלוץ, ונמנע ולא חלץ.

There was an incident when the father of a leading authority of his generation died, and the authority wished to remove his garment from one shoulder. Another leading authority of the generation also wished to remove his own garment together with him, in order to join him in his mourning, but due to this the first person refrained and did not remove his garment, so that his colleague would not remove his garment as well.

אמר אביי: גדול הדור ⁠— רבי, גדול הדור שעמו ⁠— רבי יעקב בר אחא. ואיכא דאמרי: גדול הדור ⁠— רבי יעקב בר אחא, גדול הדור שעמו ⁠— רבי.

Abaye said: The leading authority of the generation mentioned here is R' Yehuda HaNasi, and the leading authority of the generation who was with him was R' Ya’akov bar Aḥa. And some say: The leading authority of the generation was R' Ya’akov bar Aḥa, and the leading authority of the generation who was with him was R' Yehuda HaNasi.

בשלמא למאן דאמר גדול הדור שעמו ⁠— רבי, היינו דנמנע ולא חלץ,

The Talmud examines this issue: Granted, according to the one who said that the leading authority of the generation who was with him was R' Yehuda HaNasi, this is the reason that he refrained and did not remove his garment from his shoulder. That is to say, R' Ya’akov bar Aḥa refrained from doing so because he did not wish to cause the Nasi to remove his own garment.