Question:
is it permissable to use fenced in pathway to go to ohel of labavitch rebbi
for kohain?
Answer:
I cannot say definitively if you can or can’t go, as I have never seen it. However in general; if there is a fence that is 35 inches high (10 tefachim) that separates the any graves from the pathway, and there are no trees that hang over any part of a grave and the pathway, then it should be alright.
Also a Kohen may surely not enter the Ohel.
As a general rule it is advisable for kohanim to stick away from cemeteries, because for them it is fraught with the danger of mistakenly becoming ta
YD 371:5 indicates that even if there is a fence separating from the dead, one still has to stay at least 4 tefachim away. The Gra questions this assumption though.
Also, the Ohel is in Queens, not Brooklyn.
(from shulchanaruchharav.com/halacha/kohanim/)
The Ohel of the Rebbe is set up in a way that allows Kohanim to access the Ohel through a special path that contains dividers of ten Tefach on each side.
It is forbidden for Kohanim to extend their hand past these dividers.
The Kever itself is unroofed and is surrounded by a short wall [of at least ten Tefach] which is a distance of at least four Tefach from the grave. This allows the Kohanim to stand anywhere near the wall.
It is permitted for them to stand even in the front area of the Kever where the tomb stone is found.
Nevertheless care must be taken not to extend the hand past the wall surrounding the Kever. Thus when throwing the Pan one is to do so from behind the wall or give it to a friend to do so.
It’s unfair to quote that last website without at least quoting the first source from that article that states that the Chabad vintage custom is that a kohen Must be strict in this matter and should pour out the heart within view. Read the whole article listed above before you decide please.
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