Cremated ashes
Shalom and thank you for your question. It is actually a complicated question, involving the status of cremated ashes in Halacha, Jewish law. Are cremated ashes considered to be human remains, subject to the various Jewish laws that concern human remains – which need to be given respect, since the human body was created ‘in the image of G-d’. (Genesis 1:26)?
Halachic authorities are divided in their approach to this sensitive question. The Talmudic sage Rabbi Eliezer is of the opinion that cremated ashes do not in fact constitute ‘human remains’. Furthermore, the Talmudic sage Reish Lakish explains, based on discussion among the sages, that even the ashes of an entire body do not constitute human remains, and thus do not cause ritual impurity, UNLESS a skeleton is present. Conversely, the sage Rabbi Yochanan maintains that even if a skeleton is not present but the ashes are from an entire human body, they do cause impurity.
The Halachic conclusion based on this discussion is that if a skeleton is present there is ritual impurity just as for a regular corpse. If however the body has been burnt beyond recognition, there is no ritual impurity.(Maimonides laws of ritual impurity 3 9: Tosafot Sukkah 25 B, and more…) There are Halachic authorities who rule according to the sage Rabbi Yochanan, that even if no skeleton is present, the ashes of an entire body cause ritual impurity.
Since there are Halachic authorities who maintain that the ashes do not cause impurity when the body is burnt beyond recognition, it appears that Cohanim in the position that you describe have a Halachic safety net. In other words, when they travel without knowing of the existence of cremated ashes, they need not be concerned about having been exposed to impurity.
In the case of an actual corpse present in the plane, this is an entirely new discussion.
It is important to point out that, as it says in tractate Avot (also known as Ethics of the Fathers) a person should establish a connection with a Rabbinic authority, and have a good friend/mentor. “Make for yourself a Rabbi and acquire for yourself a friend” (Avot 1:6). This means that we need to make sure that we are in an environment where guidance is available, and we have at least one friend or mentor who shares our goals and can act as a sounding board for sharing life’s dilemmas with. It is even better if there is a whole social framework of people who are interested in living within the framework of Jewish law and the spirit behind the law. In today’s world so many questions arise like the one you asked and much much more. Then, when a person is contemplating a flight, a move, a job change, a change in marital status, he/she is not alone in handling their decisions.
