Which takes precedence, burying the mes or getting in touch with the two nearest towns to find out if they need to do the mitsvah eglah arufa? Does the mes still have to be exposed so they can measure to see which town is responaible for the burial? Thanks
Pat, Greenbelt, MD usa
According to the Rambam (Hilchos Rotzei'ach 9:1) the dead body stays unburied until they can gather everyone to measure for the Mitzvah of Eglah Arufah. This is the simple understanding of the Mishnah in Sotah regarding measuring from the person's nose etc. However, the Yerushalmi in Sotah (9:1) and the Tosefta say that he is buried, with markers being placed to indicate where these body parts were. The measuring is done from these markers.
All the best,
Yaakov Montrose