תשובות בעת מלחמה (אנגלית), מיקומו של עורך הלוויה ליד הקברCollected Responsa in Wartime, Position of Individual Officiating At Grave
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1Question:
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2A chaplain says that he has always been accustomed to stand at the foot of the grave during the ceremony. In the army reservations the graves do not face east and army regulations seem to require that the chaplain stand at the head of the grave.
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3Answer:
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4Whether graves should be east and west and whether the head of the body should be towards the east or west or in any specified direction is a matter not of law but of minhag. Moses Sofer denies that the minhag has any basis in law, and he calls attention to the graves discussed in Baba Bathra, VI, 8, where the niches are cut in all directions.
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5There is therefore no objection in Jewish law to the chaplain conforming to army practice and standing at the head of the grave during the funeral service.