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A Cohen finds a dead body in India

Should he bury it himself and become taamei OR Should he inform the nearby village who will then dispose of the body with idolatrous rituals.

The roots of the matter: Does the idolatrous nature of the village render it an invalid option? Does the answer change if the body is that of a Jew?

Clint Eastwood
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  • Why are those the only two options? – Double AA Dec 25 '13 at 17:41
  • Because those are the only ones I thought of. What other options should be considered? – Clint Eastwood Dec 25 '13 at 17:42
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    Running away. Paying someone to do it without idolatry. Burning it without touching it. – Double AA Dec 25 '13 at 17:44
  • Burning it is certainly a bad answer. That is actively dishonoring the body. Running away is not a good answer because there is a mitzva to ensure that the body is buried. Paying someone else to do it is the best of your answers but when I placed the scenario in India I meant it as an example of a place where the population was idolatrous. I would consider an idolater who violates his people's "mitzvas" for money to be unscrupulous. Also, this answer does not address the root of the question as to whether the dispensation to become taamei for a mes mitzva still applies. – Clint Eastwood Dec 25 '13 at 18:01
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    How is burning dishonoring the body? And even if it is, whence that you can't/shouldn't do that? Whence the alleged "mitzva to ensure that the body is buried"? Whence that paying someone to not violate a prohibition is unscrupulous? Moreover, whence that such unscrupulousness is forbidden? Finally, whence that any of the above problems (if shown to exist) are worse than the problems of becoming impure or allowing the idolatry to happen?? – Double AA Dec 25 '13 at 18:02
  • On Burning:see top answer for http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/593/cremations-for-jews
  • On Burial of Non Jews: http://www.dinonline.org/2013/03/10/mes-mitzvah-for-non-jews/
  • Since the person you pay is an idol worshiper, by performing a burial without the idolatrous rites would be a bad thing from his point of view.
  • It is not forbidden to entice a non Jew to perform an "aveira" of his religion, but I think this should be avoided. I am looking for an answer that doesn't resort to this.
    1. I don't know if any of the above problems are worse. That is the question!!
    – Clint Eastwood Dec 25 '13 at 18:18
  • tuma met is only by a jew i think – ray Dec 25 '13 at 19:25
  • You are thinking of The tuma that permeates a tent containing a dead body. That does not exist for a non jew (there are gemara opinions who hold that it does). Touching the actual body will transmit tuma. – Clint Eastwood Dec 25 '13 at 22:35
  • @ClintEastwood If you are asking about all that then why isn't it in your question??? – Double AA Dec 25 '13 at 23:28
  • Do you have reason to assume that he isn't obligated to perform the burial himself? – Seth J Dec 26 '13 at 00:20
  • Allow me to rephrase: Do you have a source to support the obvious assumption you're making that, if he can find someone to perform the burial (within x distance?), he is not obligated to be personally involved with the physical burial act and in fact it is better for him to seek this option? – Seth J Dec 26 '13 at 00:24
  • I don't assume that. A cohen doesn't have to do the burial if there is a suitable person nearby. I set up the question to imply that there are no ideal people for the burial: only the cohen and the idol worshippers. I am asking if the idol worshippers and their idol worship renders them so unsuitable that the cohen should bury the body himself. – Clint Eastwood Dec 26 '13 at 04:34
  • The question implies that it isn't ideal for him to perform it. Yet he is obligated to. I don't see how you are getting that he shouldn't just because someone else is nearby. What is considered "nearby"? – Seth J Dec 26 '13 at 13:49
  • Nazir 43b. If there are others around, then the situation isn't that of a mes mitzva and the cohen doesn't bury the body. The ideal person is someone who is allowed to become taamei and won't perform idolatry with it (or is a necrophiliac). In this manner, the cohen is not ideal. – Clint Eastwood Dec 26 '13 at 15:52