[Avodah] Kohanim in Cars in Cemeteries

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Jul 20, 2008 at 12:42:21AM -0400, Joshua Meisner wrote:
: According to the Rambam, Hil. TM 20:1, there are only three things that can
: be matzil against tum'as ohel: Tzamid p'sil, Ohalin, and Belu'in.
: 
: Acc. to Ch. 21, Tzamid p'sil (which would be negated by an open window) only
...

Something I saw on the blog HaProzdor (*) is that the author made
pretty much the same point (verbatum even!) and added this addendum
yesterday:
> Update, 7/20: There are numerous fascinating articles on the issue of
> kohanim in airplanes available online, including this one by R' Daniel
> Wolf of Yeshivat Har Etzion and an article in Tradition by R' JD
> Bleich (only available to subscribers). To summarize a few points: The
> Rashba paskens like the opinion on Eruvin 33b which says that an ohel
> zaruk is a valid ohel, but Rambam and Tosefos argue. The P'nei
> Yehoshua and Shevus Yaakov hold that even the opinion which says that
> it's not an ohel zaruk is only based on a rabbinical decree, so that
> there would be a basis to be lenient in a case of doubt, but there
> wouldn't seem to be any doubt to base such a leniency on. There's also
> an interesting discussion regarding whether or not the aluminum that
> comprises the bulk of most planes is m'kabel tum'a (machlokes Rashi
> and Rambam regarding whether the list of metals in this week's parsha
> is exhaustive) and, were aluminum not to be m'kabel tum'a, whether the
> steel bolts, rivets, etc. that hold together the plane (ma'amid) would
> still render it m'kabel tum'a and whether the plane's seal satisfies
> the requirements of tzamid p'sil.

(* Which is also by RJM, <g>.)


Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Despair is the worst of ailments. No worries
micha at aishdas.org        are justified except: "Why am I so worried?"
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