oomis,
Thank you. I wish I didn’t “know” so much about the topic. And thank you for taking the time to make that comment.
jphone,
I have seen many men come in and say the Posuk. However, one must know the mourner before paying a neighborly Shiva visit to someone of the opposite gender. There is a big difference between coming in after sitting with the men (or women) and saying the Posuk to the woman (or man), and coming in for a Shiva “visit”.
Furthermore, there is a difference between a Rav (or similar) coming in to console the mourner, even sitting down for a lengthier amount of time, and a neighbor or acquaintance of the opposite gender coming in. I’m sorry that I don’t have the right words to describe why this is so; this entire subject is getting to me in the wrong way, and I’m out of words. Perhaps someone else can do a better job of explaining this, or perhaps everyone will argue and say it isn’t so. Regardless, I would hope only those who have unfortunately experienced sitting Shiva, and live among circles in which gender is separation is the norm (I don’t mean impersonal purchases at the grocery counter) would comment one way or another on this particular question. The second criterion is not intended to be arbitrarily exclusive, but is simply a recognition of the psychological fact that those who don’t see any problem with personal intergender communication altogether will not be able to differentiate the subtle nuances here of whether or not its appropriate, just like I would not have the know-how to comment on any dynamic or appropriateness of interaction in the Satmar sector.
I still hope that potential Shiva visitors use sensitivity when determining whether to visit, regardless of the outcome of this thread.
For selfish reasons, it’s better for me if I don’t comment on this particular topic anymore, so if I don’t answer someone, please don’t be offended.