Parshas Emor
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
Since the beginning of our weekly parshah (see Leviticus 21:1-24) deals extensively with the laws pertaining to kohanim (Jewish priests), I thought it would be the right place to share with you ten things you might not know about our “priestly” fellow Jews:
(1) The main job of the kohanim [a subset of the Levites] is to serve the Jewish people – whether by performing the Temple service in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem on their behalf, or primarily by teaching them Torah and instructing them in mitzvah observance. As Maimonides writes in Mishneh Torah Laws of Sabbatical and Jubilee Years (12:13): “Why did the Levites not receive a portion in the inheritance of Eretz Yisrael and in the spoils of war like their brethren? Because they were set aside to serve G-d and minister unto Him and to instruct people at large in His just paths and righteous judgments, as [Deuteronomy 33:10] states: "They will teach Your judgments to Jacob, and Your Torah to Israel." Therefore they were set apart from the ways of the world. They do not wage war like the remainder of the Jewish people, nor do they receive an inheritance, nor do they acquire for themselves through their physical power. Instead, they are G-d's legion, as [ibid.:11]: states: "G-d has blessed His legion" and He provides for them, as [Numbers 18:20] states: "I am your portion and your inheritance."
(2) In case you’re wondering how exactly the kohen and his family are going to live if he has no job …not to worry! Pirkei Avos (“Ethics of the Fathers”) 6:6 teaches that there are twenty-four gifts, or matnos kehunah, that the Torah confers upon the kohanim, see Talmud Chullin 133b and Bava Kama 110b.
Here is a list of all the gifts:
~ From the Temple service the kohanim receive parts of (1) an animal brought as a chatas (sin offering); (2) a bird brought as a sin offering; (3) an asham (guilt offering); (4) an asham brought in cases of doubt; (5) a communal shelamim offering; (6) the log of oil brought along with the meal offering of a metzora; (7) the remainder of the omer); (8) the two loaves offered on Shavuos; (9) the showbread; (10) the remainder of all menachos.
~ Of those things eaten in Jerusalem they receive (11) bechor; the firstborn animal which is offered in the Temple; (12) bikkurim – first fruits; (13) the breast and hind leg of the todah (thanksgiving) offering and four of the forty breads that are offered with it; parts of the ram offered by a nazirite along with a bread and a wafer from the offering; (14) hides of offerings.
~ They also receive the following ten items: (15) terumah (approximately a fiftieth of the crops); (16) the terumah taken by the Levites from the maaser they receive; (17) challah (from dough); (18) the first shearings of wool; (19) the right foreleg, jaws, and maw of an ox, sheep, or goat slaughtered for non-sacrificial purposes; (20) the money offered in redemption of a firstborn; (21) the sheep offered in redemption of a first-issue donkey; (22) an ancestral field which was not redeemed by its owner before the Jubilee year; (23) a field which was consecrated for the benefit of the Kohanim; (24) property stolen from a proselyte who dies before it is returned. If he has no living relatives it is given to the Kohanim.] Food enough for yuh??
(3) The kehunah (priesthood) was not such an exclusive club as one might think. As Maimonides writes (ibid.): “Not only the tribe of Levi, but any one of the inhabitants of the world whose spirit generously motivates him and he understands with his wisdom to set himself aside and stand before G-d to serve Him and minister to Him and to know G-d, proceeding justly as G-d made him, removing from his neck the yoke of the many reckonings which people seek, he is sanctified as holy of holies. G-d will be His portion and heritage forever and will provide what is sufficient for him in this world like He provides for the priests and the Levites.29 And thus David declared [Psalms 16:5]: "G-d is the lot of my portion; You are my cup, You support my lot."
(4) Technically, however, the only way to ‘become’ a kohen is to have been born to a father who was a kohen. As the following well-known joke illustrates:
A man walks into the rabbi’s study, visibly distressed. “Sit down,” says the rabbi. “What troubles you?” “Rabbi,” he begins, “I’d like to make a major contribution to the synagogue, and in exchange I’d like for you to make me a kohen.” The rabbi responds, “‘I’m delighted by and grateful for your generous gift. However, I’m unable to make you a kohen.” Immediately, the man offers to double his gift. Again the rabbi shares that he’s unable to make the man a kohen. The man offers to double his gift again, and again the rabbi indicates that he cannot make him a kohen. Finally, the rabbi asks, “Why, my friend, is it so important to you to be a kohen?” “Well, rabbi,” says the man, “my father was a kohen, and so was his father before him. I’d like to be a kohen as well!”
That said, there is a Halachic question today regarding the pedigree and lineage of kohanim. Recent studies have revealed a kohen gene which seems to lend support to the traditional view that all kohanim indeed descend from Aaron, the High Priest and brother of Moses. [For more on this interesting topic, read this fascinating article: The Cohanim - DNA Connection at https://aish.com/48936742/ ]
(5) Every kohen is holy, because he was sanctified with the sanctity of Aaron, the High Priest (as the kohanim themselves say when they recite the Priestly Blessing just before blessing the Jewish people.) Now I know what you’re thinking …you know a kohen who is a real jerk! So how can all kohanim be considered holy?
Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin ZT”L addresses this question in his amazing work Tzidkas HaTzaddik #61. He writes that indeed all priests are holy as long as they descend from Aaron. And even if a particular kohen you know doesn’t seem to display even the tiniest bit of holiness in the way he leads his life, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have it in latent potential … “For it is not as man sees – man sees what his eyes behold, but G-d sees into the heart” (Samuel II 17:7)
(6) Due to the intrinsic holiness of the kohen, he is forbidden to marry a divorcee, but he may marry a widow. He is also forbidden to marry a convert. He cannot marry a girl who had relations with a gentile. He can’t marry a zonah or a chalalah etc. etc.. [Some of these laws seem harsh and restrictive, yet they are necessary. If anyone has questions about all these relationships that are forbidden to a kohen, it might be a good idea for you to speak to a rabbi or otherwise knowledgeable Jew … or do some serious research on wiki.]
(7) The Talmud in Kiddushin 70b quotes Rabbi Elazar who says: If you see an insolent priest, do not speculate about him that he may be of flawed lineage, since it is stated: “For your people are as those who strive with a priest” (Hosea 4:4), which indicates that kohanim have a reputation for being argumentative. .The Ksav Sofer in Parshas Pinchas explains this seemingly derogatory statement made by the Talmud against kohanim as follows: G-d purposely created the kohanim with this “argumentative spirit” as they were to be the spiritual leaders of every generation and would therefore be called on to take a strong stand when arguing with those who are committing wrongdoing. Of course, once the kohanim already have this arguing spirit inside them, it can be overused or abused, which explains why the kohanim are sometimes more strong-willed and argumentative than others.
(8) As we no longer have a Temple in Jerusalem, a lot of the Biblical mitzvos we once had are presently not applicable. However, the kohanim among us still have the Biblical obligation to bless the Jewish people with the Priestly Blessing) – every day inside Israel and only on Jewish festivals outside Israel [see Numbers 6:22-27]. The blessing that the kohanim recite before blessing the congregation ends with the word b’ahavah, with love, which indicates that during the priestly blessing the priests are to feel love for the congregation. This is based on a teaching of the Zohar (Naso 147b) that any kohen who does not have love for the congregation, or for whom the congregation has no love, may not raise his hands to bless the congregation.
(9) Some of you non-kohanim might be thinking that all this has nothing to do with you since you’re not kohanim … but you would be wrong and I will tell you why. You see, the Jewish people – all of us – are referred to in Parshas Yisro (see Exodus 19:6) as a Mamleches Kohanim, a “Kingdom of “Priests”. This means that the entire nation of Israel is to be dedicated to leading the world toward an understanding and acceptance of G-d’s mission – much as our own kohanim are to be dedicated to bringing us closer to Torah study and mitzvah observance.
(10) Maimonides writes in Mishneh Torah (11:1) “In the future, the Messianic king will arise and renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty. He will build the Temple and gather the dispersed of Israel. Then, in his days, the observance of all the statutes will return to their previous state. We will offer sacrifices, observe the Sabbatical and Jubilee years according to all their particulars as described by the Torah”. The Chafetz Chaim (who was a kohen) used to say that because we believe that the Messiah is coming soon and can even come suddenly (and we will once again offer sacrifices), we need many Jews, and especially kohanim, to be well educated in the laws of the Temple service so that the Jewish people will know exactly what to do when the Temple is rebuilt. Otherwise the kohanim will want to perform the Temple service as is their duty – but they won’t know how to do it – to their great embarrassment and shame!
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=710