The Torah in the beginning of Parashat Emor (Vayikra 21:1) commands the Kohanim, “Le’nefesh Lo Yitama Be’amav” – that no Kohen is allowed to become “defiled” through contact with a human corpse. The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that as the Kohanim are chosen for the special role of ministering before G-d in the Bet Ha’mikdash, they are required to avoid Tum’at Met – the impurity caused by exposure to a dead body. This impurity is considered repulsive, and is the strictest form of Tum’a (impurity), and it is therefore not befitting a Kohen to be exposed to this form of impurity. The Sefer Ha’hinuch notes that although Kohanim are generally required to avoid Tum’at Met, an exception is made in the case of immediate family members. The Torah explicitly permits Kohanim to tend to the burial of immediate family members, even though they will then become Tameh. The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains this exception based on the general principle of “Deracheha Darcheh Noam” – that the Torah’s “ways are ways of pleasantness.” The Torah acknowledges the human need to weep and grieve over a deceased family member, and so it did not apply the prohibition of “Tum’at Kohanim” to cases of immediate family members who passed away. The Sefer Ha’hinuch writes that the Torah permits Kohanim “Le’hasbi’a Nafsham Be’bechi” – “to satiate themselves with weeping” over a deceased family member, recognizing that this is a basic human need which must be met. A human corpse transmits Tum’a in three ways. The first is “Maga” – direct physical contact. If a person touches any part of a human corpse – even a fingernail or tooth – with any part of his body – such as his hand, foot or tongue – he becomes Tameh. The second method is “Masa” – carrying a corpse, even if one does not directly touch it, such as if one carries a coffin or stretcher with a dead body. A form of “Masa” is “Heset” – causing a dead body to move without touching it, such as moving a rod when the other end is near a corpse, such that it causes the corpse to move. Another example is “Tum’at Bet Ha’setarim” – if a person carries a source of Tum’a under his arm, even though this does not qualify as “Maga” (because he touches the source of Tum’a with a part of the body that is normally concealed), he becomes Tameh. The third way by which one contracts Tum’at Met is “Ohel” (literally, “tent”) – by being under the same roof as a corpse. All people, utensils, foods and beverages that are under the same roof as a corpse become Tameh. Even if a person puts just his hand, or even just one finger, into the building where a corpse is situated, he becomes Tameh. One becomes Tameh even through contact with a portion of a corpse; a Ke’zayit of flesh from a human corpse suffices to transmit Tum’at Met. A complete limb (that is among the 248 limbs of the human body) transmits Tum’a even in a size smaller than a Ke’zayit. A piece of flesh or limb can transmit Tum’a in any of the aforementioned three methods – “Maga,” “Masa” and “Ohel.” Bones, too, can transmit Tum’at Met. There is some discussion among the Poskim as to whether the remains of a Sadik transmits Tum’at Met. One of the sources of this discussion is a famous comment in Tosafot (Ketubot 103b) that Rav Haim Kohen – a prominent Tosafist who was a Kohen – said that if he had been in the area of the funeral of his mentor, Rabbenu Tam (France, 1100-1171), he would have attended the funeral and involved himself in the burial. This might mean that in the view of Rav Haim Kohen, the remains of a Sadik do not emit Tum’a. However, some explain this remark based on the Halacha mentioned in the Talmud Yerushalmi that when a Nasi (head of the Sanhedrin) passes away, he is to be considered like a “Met Misva” – a deceased person with nobody to bury it. For a person of such stature, there will never be enough people to give him the respect he deserves, and therefore, just as a Kohen may bury a “Met Misva,” he may likewise attend the burial of a Nasi. Rav Haim Kohen may thus