If I as a kohain, being a passenger of a car, inadvertantly pass under a tree in full bloom whose branches extend into a Jewish cemetery is it considered as if I stepped into the cemetery itself or is the car considered a chatzitzah?
Answer
The car is not considered a mechitzah, and so it would be problematic to pass under the tree if the branch you pass under also extend over the graves . In the case of a non-Jewish cemetery, however, Minchas Yitzchak (4:31) writes that there is good reason to be lenient. Nonetheless, he advises that one close all the windows of the car when driving under the tree.
