I read somewhere that you can’t do this. Is there anything a person can do to purify themself.
Please provide sources.
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Welcome to Mi Yodeya Joshua. To prevent this question to be closed because it might be asking for a practical halachic advice, it is advisable to edit this question. You can ask if there are any sources that describes such and so etc... In this case, I would advise you to contact your local Rabbi. – Shmuel Oct 13 '22 at 15:27
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@Shmuel edited. – Joshua Oct 13 '22 at 15:30
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1Are you a kohen? I've never heard of this being an issue, besides that it is disrespectful. For a kohen, however, they are not allowed to become tamei meis (impure by a dead body). – ezra Oct 13 '22 at 15:36
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@ezra I thought this applied to everyone. I guess I am wrong. I am not kohen – Joshua Oct 14 '22 at 16:15
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- Why does he have to purify himself if he doesn't legit know that there's a Corpse there. How does he know. And besides, there has been no Parah Adumah to purify anyway.
– Nissim Nanach Oct 19 '22 at 16:29 -
- Follow the advice of a True Chakham who will tell him his practical advice.. "Tiberias had been built by Herod Antipas on a site where there were many tombs (Josephus, "Ant." xviii. 2, § 3), the exact locations of which had been lost. The town therefore had been regarded as unclean.
– Nissim Nanach Oct 19 '22 at 16:33 -
... Resolving to remove the cause of the uncleanness, Simeon (Rashbi) planted lupines in all suspected places; wherever they did not take root he knew that a tomb was underneath. ... https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13723-simeon-ben-yohai – Nissim Nanach Oct 19 '22 at 16:33
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As, Ezra stated in the comments (I've not seen that until I published this answer), if you are a Kohen, then this does not apply to you, since a Kohen is not allowed to become impure through this.
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 199:14 says:
It is forbidden to step upon graves because some Poskim maintain that it is forbidden to derive benefit from them. However, if you have to visit a certain grave, and have no way of getting there unless you step upon other graves, it is permitted.
Regarding washing after leaving a cemetry, see this answer.
The Magen Avraham (4:20) writes that you can wash yourself (netilat yadayim) after visiting a cemetry because there are bad spirits (שדים)
בין המתים. היינו בית הקברות (תשובת מהרי"ל סי' כ"ג) וכתב שיש ליטול קודם שיתפלל על הקברות ורוחצין שנית בשובו לחצר בה"ק שהשדים מלוין החוזרים ויש לרחוץ גם הפנים עכ"ל ע"ש:
See also: Mishnah Berurah 4:42:
and wash a second time upon returning to the courtyard of the cemetery, because evil spirits accompany those who leave. There are those who also wash their face at that time.
Shmuel
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