Halakhah sa Genesis 23:4: Mishneh Torah, Reading the Shema & Gray Matter III

He who has been bereaved of a relative for whom he has to keep the period of mourning is exempted from reading the Shema till he has buried the body, as his mind is not free for reading it. A watcher, even if the body is not that of a relative, is exempt from reading the Shema. When there are two watchers, one watches while the other withdraws to another room and reads it. Then he returns and watches while his companion withdraws and reads it. So too, one who is engaged in digging a grave for the interment of a human body is exempt, for the time being, from reading the Shema.

Moreover, establishing a sort of Orthodox subculture is absolutely essential for cultural survival. Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik⁷In an essay entitled Confrontation. argues that we must follow the example of Avraham Avinu, who presented himself to his non-Jewish neighbors as a “stranger and a resident” (Bereishit 23:4). We believe that while on one hand we must be “residents” and integrate into the economic, scientific, and certain aspects of the cultural life in our country of residence, we also must be “strangers” and form our own “subculture” in order to survive in a country that is hospitable and inviting. Along with the creation of Orthodox shuls, schools, camps, and youth groups, the world of Jewish music has made an enormous contribution to the creation of this Orthodox subculture.