Strange argument about Meron

There is a strange argument going on regarding Lag B'Omer and Meron. The rebbe brothers, the Admorim of Toldos Aharon and Toldos Avraham Yitzchak, are kohanim. Their poskim are arguing whether or not kohanim are allowed to go to Meron, specifically on Lag B'Omer.

The issue is not the building containing the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai itself. Rather, the path up.

According to Rav Moshe Bransdorfer, a posek in the Toldos Avraham Yitzchak community, paskened that kohanim are not allowed to go to Meron. Any who do, should make their own bonfire at the bottom of the hill and not go all the way up. According to Rabbi Bransdorfer, the path, the whole mountainside actually, has graves underneath, all over the place. There is no way any kohein can go up. Even in spots where it is not definite, it has to be treated as problematic, as it is a safek d'oraisa, and there are graves all over so it has to be assumed even in "clean areas" as well.

Everyone else, especially in Toldos Aharon, is rejecting that opinion.

Very strange. Where have these graves been all along until now - why have they not been a problem?

Rav Stern, the Rav of the village of Meron, claims that there are no graves and there is no such problem. He suggests that there are "other motives" behind this.

Rav Stern's proof was that the gemara says when the Rashbi came out of the cave in Pekiin, he went to Tiberias and said because a miracle happened to him, he will perform a "tikkun". There in Tiberias, the road that kohanim need to circumvent because of questions of possible tumah, the Rashbi went and performed a tikkun to allow the kohanim to walk there.

Very strange.