The gemara says that they brought a box of bones into the shul to examine whether it had a spine from 1 or 2 corpses. Now tosfos explains that the bones would not be metamei now, since the ribs where broken off, and the spine must have majority of its ribs still attached to be metmei. The case, they explain is where it was in a kever(so that even thought the ribs are detached, it is metamei since it is together with the spine) and a nazir passed over it and we now want to know if that nazir is tamei. If this is the case, why did they specifically put the box of bones in an open space in the shul so that it isn't metamei beohel? Since the ribs are broken and it isn't in the kever, it doesnt have the ability to be metamei!
I came up with the following solution, and would like to run it by the Rav, and if the Rav saw any mefarshim talk about this, I would really appreciate hearing what they answer: Perhaps, we must say the case is where there was a 1/4 kav of bones in the box. Now the nazir would still potentially be tamei from the spine+rib in kever tumah (if they determined it came from one spine) but he would not have to shave/forfeit days for the next 1/4 kav of bones as the shiur must be 1/2 kav. But the 1/4 is still metamei beohel so they had to put it in an open space in the shul. Once again, this is just my thought but I would love to here what the Rav thinks.
Thank you and all the best.
Elisha Yagudayev, Flushing , United States
The Arzei ha'Levanon gives an answer which is fairly similar to yours, Elisha. He writes that there was only 1/4 of a Kav of bones there. However, below on 52b, Rami bar Chama asked what is the Din if there is 1/4 of a Kav from the skull or backbone? It could be that it is only necessary to have 1/2 of a Kav from other bones, while the skull and backbone may have a more stringent Halachah and 1/4 of a Kav may be sufficient to obligate the Nazir to shave. This question was not answered.
It may be that the doubt of Rami bar Chama had already arisen in the days of the doctor Todos. This is why it was necessary to put the bones in an open space, because otherwise there would be a doubt about whether the Nazir must shave. On the other hand, it was necessary to know whether or not the skull and spine were intact, because if they were, then a Nazir who stood over them when they were in the Kever would certainly have to shave.
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom