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Is this a problem for kohanim? The parks in question are Madison
Square Park, Washington Square Park, Union Square Park, and Bryant Park.
No, because they’re goyim
It is a problem in sanhedria park probably
There are at least six locations in Manhattan that once were Jewish cemeteries, but the bones were dug up and the land sold to developers. There are still three Jewish cemeteries in Manhattan, all maintained by the same congregation: Shearith Israel. The last burial was in the mid 19th century.
Is it permissible to dig up a Jewish cemetery to sell the land for profit?
ca: So?
Sam2,
So what?
Sam2: So, people tend to assume non-Jewish corpses are only metamei b’maga uv’masah, even though there are plenty of sources saying otherwise. I’m going to avoid speculating about why people think that.
Joseph: The question is, once it was done can kohanim go there?
Sam2: So, people tend to assume non-Jewish corpses are only metamei b’maga uv’masah, even though there are plenty of sources saying otherwise. I’m going to avoid speculating about why people think that.
Well, if you’re going to worry about that, then you have to wonder where the indigenous Native Americans buried their dead before the arrival of Europeans.
The Wolf
I agree with Wolf. That’s why the Gemara says (implies?) that it’s Assur for Kohanim to leave Eretz Yisrael. (Only slightly tongue-in-cheek here.)
I’m confused,
There’s tumas hatihom by goyim? Does this apply even to tumah through the overhanging trees or airspace over a grave and why or why not?
It is a minority opinion in the Gemara that non-Jews do not impart Tumas Ohel. It’s a pretty even split in Rishonim. People have different readings as to how exactly the Shulchan Aruch Paskens. All in all, it’s as much of an even split as you’ll find in any Sugya. But it’s pretty clear that at least Lechatchilah Kohanim should be Machmir on this.
“No, because they’re goyim”
See. Yoreh De’ah 372:2.
“then you have to wonder where the indigenous Native Americans buried their dead before the arrival of Europeans.”
See. Yoreh De’ah 372:1.
Rabbinically all of Shmutz laAretz is tamei – both the air and ground (Rambam Hilchot Tumat Met 11:1). According to the Gra (commentary on Sefer d’Tzeniuta, Likutim) for Jews it is one big cemetery.
Even in Eretz Yisroel this problem should exist, no?
It was inhabited primarily by Jews for almost a thousand years from Yehoshua’s conquest to the destruction of the First BHMK. They lived on the land, died there and were buried there. However, we don’t know where their cemeteries are, as none of them have survived to modern times*. They could be almost anywhere.
The Wolf
* And if you’re going to tell me that you *do* know of one or two… certainly there were many more than that that we don’t know about today.
Well, if you’re going to worry about that, then you have to wonder where the indigenous Native Americans buried their dead before the arrival of Europeans.
The Wolf
They didn’t bury them. They placed them on elevated platforms.
–source– the Lone Ranger, season 2, episode 14
They didn’t bury them. They placed them on elevated platforms.
–source– the Lone Ranger, season 2, episode 14
Heh. 🙂
In truth, however, I wouldn’t be surprised if customs varied from tribe to tribe and region to region (i.e. in some places they buried, in others they left corpses for exposure and in other places, used other methods). However, even if you discount the indigenous Native Americans, there are certainly early European cemeteries that have been lost over time in the city.
The Wolf
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