More Discussions for this daf
1. Freeing one's self 2. Afflictions of Love 3. Tenth son
4. Davening 5. Aba Shaul was upset for only two things in his life 6. Keri'at Shema Al ha'Mitah
7. Exemptions to the Bedtime Shema 8. Yisurim Shel Ahavah 9. The tooth borne by Rebbi Yochanan
10. Reference Gemara 11. Forced to sell 12. Al Tikrei
13. correction Afflictions of Love 14. Loss of Children 15. Olam HaBa
16. TALMID CHOCHUM 17. Rav Yochanan and the bone of his tenth son
DAF DISCUSSIONS - BERACHOS 5

Eliyahu Shmuel asked:

Why does R' Yochanan say he has the bone of his tenth son? Isn't the body to be buried intact? Also, wouldn't carrying a piece of a body make one impure?

Eliyahu Shmuel, Guelph, ON Canada

The Kollel replies:

Rashi explains that R. Yochanan is speaking about a tiny bone less than the size of a barley. He obviously says that to answer your Kashyos. We know that a bone of that size is not subject to Tum'ah. By the same token presumably, it does not need to be buried together with him either.

According to the Aruch (see Mesores ha'Shas), the bone in question was a tooth, which, as the Rashbam in Bava Basra explains, is not not subject to Tum'ah once it has been detached from the corpse (and the assumption that we made above concerning burial will apply here too).

Kind regards

Eliezer Chrysler.