When Branching Out can have Grave Consequences

From the Mighty Pen of Chutzpahdick

‘Kohanim – proceed further at your peril! ’ (or similar words) screamed the conspicuous red notice at Stock Road Jewish Cemetery. Alarmed, Chutzpahdick, on a visit to the gravestones of his dear parents stopped almost dead in his tracks, wondering what mortal danger he faced. The answer soon became clear: pesky tree canopies were now overhanging some graves as well as parts of the Avenue of Remembrance. Bad news, it seemed, for Kohanim, who were strongly advised not to walk underneath tree canopies which also overhang gravestones. This effectively meant a long journey around to reach the gravestones in order to avoid these recently identified hazards.

Armed with this new information, Chutzpahdick doggedly returned the next day, wearing a small rucksack containing bottled water, and a prayer to ward off dangers along the way. Off he set, conscious all the time of the need to keep one eye downwards to avoid earthly hazards (uneven ground caused by rabbit burrowing) as well as one eye upwards to avoid this newly identified spiritual variety of hazard. Alas, upon getting closer to the graves, it became apparent that the offending tree canopy actually spanned both some of the graves themselves as well as the path, effectively preventing his access to the front of the graves. A more ingenious solution to this problem was therefore required. Too early to shed leaves, the tree canopy had instead thrown down a gauntlet.

Fortunately, if we are able to conceptualise and construct an Eruv to allow for carrying on Shabbat, it should not be too difficult for Chutzpahdick to overcome a few domineering tree canopies, which clearly have no sense of decorum and for whom the concept of inclusivity is totally alien. All that is required is for a tiny closed in vehicle about the size of a bubble car, solely for the use of Kohanim, to be parked discretely toward the back of the prayer hall. Being electric, there would of course need to be a charging point, and only Kohanim would be given the vehicle start up code. The roof of the vehicle and its closed in nature would thereby constitute a physical barrier between the Kohan inside and the tree canopy above. Surely this would be as halachically acceptable as the Kohanim’s prayer room where Kohanim are physically divided from the deceased person in the adjacent room.

As an interim measure, however, new technologies could easily be harnessed to help the beleaguered Kohanim. This could involve the use of drones, whereby Kohanim can inspect the graves of their loved ones using a drone mounted camera close up to the grave, while they carefully stand a safe distance away from any threatening tree canopies. With a minimum of skill required, the drone could also be used to place a stone on the gravestone whilst the operator recited suitable berachot governing the use of drones in Jewish cemeteries.

Or maybe Southend Council could simply cut back the problem trees, although they may well ask how they came to be situated so near to gravestones (or where gravestones were planned to be) in the first place.

<TOP>