A kohain must refrain from becoming tamei (טמא)-ritually unready and thus must avoid coming into contact either by touching or carrying the remains of a deceased. “Tumat met (becoming ritually unready by coming into contact with a dead body-gg) is also conveyed via "ohel," being under the same "roof" as the met. Tumat ohel occurs when the met and the person are both inside the same building or are both under the same tree or awning. (Technically, a tree does not always convey tumah [see Mishnah Ohalos 8:2 with commentaries; Rashba Niddah 57a; Rambam Tumat Met 13:2; SHA YD 369:1]. However, since the details of this very technical subject are beyond the range of our article, we are going to assume that the branches of a tree convey tumah [see Shu’t Melamed L’Ho’il, Yoreh Deah #132].) Thus, a Cohen must be careful not to pass beneath a tree that is also overshadowing a grave. Tumat ohel also occurs when a person is directly above or below (part of) a met, even if only to a small extent.” (https://www.yeshiva.co/midrash/6412) The only exceptions when a kohain may come into contact with the dead body are his closest relatives, mother, father, sister, brother, spouse, son, and daughter.
Dappim TB Moed Katan 5 and 6 discuss marking graves with plaster or lime so that the kohanim will avoid walking over the grave and inadvertently he and any terumah that he is carrying become tamai. The kohain must undergo a process to become ritually ready again (tahor-טהור) and the terumah must be burnt. To err on the side of caution, doubtful places must be marked so the kohain will avoid them.
“And these are the places of uncertain ritual impurity: Overhanging boughs, and protrusions, and a beit haperas. The Gemara explains: Overhanging boughs is referring to a tree that hangs over the ground next to a cemetery, and under one of its branches there might be a corpse. If there is a corpse there, the branch overhanging it creates a tent and therefore imparts ritual impurity to anyone who passes underneath. Protrusions is referring to protruding stones that jut out from a wall and are not flush with it, under which there might be a corpse. Once again, if the stones protrude over a corpse, they create a tent and impart ritual impurity to anyone who passes underneath.” Sefaria.org translations)
The Gemara teachers that three kinds of fields are called beit haparas; nevertheless, some of these fields don't need to be marked off. “Oholot 18:2–4): There are three types of beit haperas through which those who eat teruma and consecrated items are prohibited to walk: A field in which a grave was lost and its precise location is no longer known, a field in which a grave was plowed and bones may have been scattered about, and a weepers’ field.
The Gemara asks: What is meant by a weepers’ field? Rav Yehoshua bar Abba said in the name of Ulla: A field where those escorting the deceased would take leave of the deceased, handing the corpse over to those who would perform the actual interment. And what is the reason that one must be concerned about ritual impurity in a weepers’ field? Avimi said: It is due to the possible despair by the owners of recovering bones that the Sages touched upon it. There is a concern that in transporting the deceased from far away, a loose limb may have fallen from the corpse into the field, and unseen by those transporting the deceased, it was abandoned there. Since over time many corpses passed through this weepers’ field, it is assumed that ritual impurity might be found in many places throughout the field.” (Sefaria.org translation)
Finally, the Gemara defines what different configurations of stones with plaster on them means in terms of ritual unreadiness. “ he Gemara continues its discussion of marking graves. Rav Yehuda said: If one found a single marked stone, this indicates that the ground underneath it is ritually impure. If he found two marked stones, the following distinction applies: If there is lime on the ground between them, this indicates that the area between them is ritually impure and the two stones mark the boundaries of the impure area; and if there is no lime on the ground between them, this indicates that the area between them is ritually pure and each stone marks a separate area of ritual impurity.
“The Gemara asks: And is the area between them deemed ritually pure even though there is no sign of plowing having taken place between the stones? But isn’t it taught otherwise in a baraita as follows: If one found a single marked stone, this indicates that the ground underneath it is ritually impure. If he found two marked stones, then the following distinction applies: If there is evidence of plowing having taken place between them, the area between the two stones is ritually pure; and if not, the area between them is ritually impure.
“Rav Pappa said: The contradiction can be resolved by explaining that here, in the baraita, the case is where the lime used as a marker of ritual impurity had been poured on top of the stones, and it is spread thinly this way and that. In this case, if there is evidence of plowing having taken place between the stones, the area between them is ritually pure, as one can say that the lime was peeled off from the stones due to the plowing; originally the lime was only on top of the stones, to indicate that there is ritual impurity underneath them, but then fell into the area between them during the plowing. But if there is no evidence of a plow having passed between them, then it is most likely that the lime was meant to mark the ground between the stones, and the entire area between them is ritually impure.
"Rabbi Asi said: If only one border of a field is marked, it is assumed that the border itself is ritually impure while the entire rest of the field is ritually pure. If two borders are marked, it is assumed that they are both ritually impure while the entire rest of the field is ritually pure. If three borders are marked, it is assumed that the three of them are ritually impure while the entire rest of the field is ritually pure. If all four borders are marked, the borders themselves are ritually pure, while the entire field enclosed by the borders is ritually impure.
“As the Master said in the baraita: One does not distance the marker from the actual site of ritual impurity, so as not to cause a loss of Eretz Yisrael, i.e., not to increase the area into which people refrain from entering. Consequently, they marked all of the borders to indicate that the entire field is ritually impure.” (Sefaria.org translation)
Even today traditional kohanim are careful not to come into contact with a deceased body except for the above mentioned relatives. They will not attend a funeral at a funeral homes unless there is some halakhic provision available. Cemeteries now have fences around the border to warn the kohanim to stay out. Gravestones serve many purposes. The gravestone serves one of the purpose by taking the place of the lime or plaster.
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