[Avodah] Kohen Gadol

[Zev Sero]

Cantor Wolberg wrote:
> I've always been puzzled that a Kohen Gadol could not even become tamei 
> through the death of the seven krovim.
> Yet, if the KG came upon a meis, he was required to contaminate himself 
> because of meis mitzvah.

What's not to understand?  When the KG's relative dies, there are many
others available who will take care of what needs to be done.  Even if
he has no siblings with an equal duty, "vechol beit yisrael" will surely
share in his grief and not allow his parents to remain unburied.  So he
can't make himself tamei.  But if he finds himself in a situation where
if he doesn't do it nobody will (whether it happens to be his relative
or not), how can he walk past and leave a Jew lying there?

-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                     - Margaret Thatcher