Said R’ Meir: At a time when a person suffers, what expression does the Shechinah use? So to speak, “I am burdened by my head; I am burdened by my arm.” If the Omnipresent is pained so for the blood of the wicked which is spilled, how much more so for the blood of the righteous.  Not only this, but anyone who leaves his deceased [relative] overnight trans-gresses a negative commandment. If he left him overnight for the sake of his honor, in order to bring him a casket or shrouds, he does not transgress. They do not bury him in his ancestral plot. Rather, there were two cemeteries set aside for the court; one for those who were beheaded or strangled, and one for those who were stoned or burned.

[When] the flesh has decomposed, they gather the bones and bury them in their place. The relatives come to inquire after the welfare of the judges and the witnesses, as if to say: We have nothing in our hearts against you, because you have judged correctly. They do not mourn, but they grieve, for grieving is only in the heart.