Questions tagged [kohen-priest]

A patrilineal descendant of the biblical Aaron, a male kohen (plural kohanim) could serve in the Temple in Jerusalem when it was standing; various other laws apply to kohanim also, male and female.

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3 answers
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Did people who were not priests ever enter the Tabernacle?

Is there any mention in the Tanakh of people who were not priests entering the Tabernacle? Leviticus 17:5 says that the people were to bring their sacrifices to the priest at the entrance of the tent ...
2 votes
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Validity and legitimacy of a non-Kosher High Priest

IIRC, in the second half of the Second Temple, starting with the Hasmonean revolt, many High Priests were either illegitimate (breaking Zadok's lineage), self-proclaimed, Sadducees, or appointed by ...
1 vote
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Can a Kohen be a vegetarian or vegan?

It's my understanding that eating meat for a Jew is optional. We are not commanded to eat meat but if we have the desire we may do so as long as it follows kashrut restrictions. On the other hand, are ...
3 votes
2 answers
152 views

When the Leviim guarded the temple, did they sit down?

In Tamid 25b, at the end of the explanation for the term "היו עליות", Rashi writes that no one, except from members of the House of David, could sit down in the Azarah. The Cohanim stood &...
7 votes
2 answers
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Relations among King David, the Sanhedrin, and the high priest

Do we have any historical source that discusses the relations among King David, the Sanhedrin during his reign, and the high priest during his reign? Were they on friendly terms? Was there a power ...
6 votes
3 answers
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How could Yochanan Kohen Gadol abolish the wakers?

The mishnah (Maaser Sheni end of 5:15 and Sotah 48a) lists 5 edicts of Yochanan Kohen Gadol including the abolishing of the "wakers" - the singing by the Levi'im in the Beit HaMikdash of Psalm 44:24 - ...
1 vote
2 answers
104 views

Is there anything in Jewish texts says Israel must be theocratic?

Is there anything in Jewish texts says Israel must be theocratic?
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1 answer
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Understanding a Gemara in Pesachim

In the Gemara, Mascheta Pesachim it brings a case on daf 9b which I am rather puzzled, baffled with regards to what the case is. The Rashi which is at the top of Daf 9b I also find puzzling. Who is ...
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129 views

Marriage between Shifcha and Kohanim

I know Kohanim have certain restrictions on whom they may marry. My question is, are Kohanim restricted onto a Shifcha?
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1 answer
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Does a Kohen have to give "Chalah" from his own dough? What about "Terumah" from fields that his wife inherited from her family?

Since a Kohen is the recipient of "Chalah" that a non-kohen separated their dough, does a Kohen have to still separate the "Chalah" portion from the dough and give it to himself? ...
4 votes
1 answer
372 views

What should the Gabbai say when calling up the Cohen when there is no Levi?

I've recently attended minyanim with no Levi and each time, the Kohen was called up twice. The confident Gabbaim seem to just declare 'Bimkom Levi' whilst the less confident ones just mumble. 'Bimkom ...
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How many times did the Kohanim carry the Aron?

We know that it is a mitzvah for the Kohanim to transport the Aron. Do we know how many times this mitzvah was performed?
5 votes
1 answer
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What did it use to mean for a kohen to get a second aliyah?

If there is no levi present in the synagogue, the second aliyah is given to the kohen who received the first aliyah. (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 135:8) Now, originally only the first and last olim ...
1 vote
2 answers
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Who must wear special clothing?

In Exodus God gives instructions in detail for the clothes the kohanim must wear. But neither the patriarchs nor Moses nor the 70 elders were instructed to wear anything special. Why the difference?
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Could a Kohen Gadol retire?

Related to this question. Could a Kohen Gadol retire from his position?1 Despite being old and blind, Eli continued on as Kohen Gadol until his death. Could he have theoretically quit had he wanted to?...
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2 answers
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Why do kohanim always chant in a terrible monotone? [duplicate]

I am not sure if it is just me, but it seems that there is never a melodious chanting of birchas kohanim, but rather is always a mixture of many toneless voices, as if they are tone-deaf. Is this for ...
2 votes
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Order of parents' names for kohen on gravestone

I can't find examples of gravestones (matsevot) with both parents' names in Hebrew. For a kohen, the options seem to be Ploni ben Almoni ha-kohen v'Almonit which I don't especially like, as it makes ...
1 vote
2 answers
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Proving you are a kohen

When you ask a rabbi to perform a life-cycle ceremony, he will frequently ask for proof that you are Jewish (birth certificates, ketubot, certificates from other rabbis, etc.) But do you ever have to ...
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2 answers
378 views

Why are there no high priests today?

What happened in history so that there are no-longer high priests? If succession for the role is by descendant of Aaron, what conditions prevent a new high priest from existing.
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Aeroplane flying over a cemetery as ohel

For those who argue that a Cohen can fly over a cemetery in an aeroplane because the floor of the ‘plane functions as an ohel and blocks the impurity from reaching the passengers, how do they avoid ...
3 votes
2 answers
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People with defects and their role in serving

Parashat Emor teaches (Vayikra/Leviticus 21:17) something about a kohen with a 'מום' (blemish, defect, deformity, disability, handicap) isn't allowed to serve in the Holy Temple. But without the ...
0 votes
1 answer
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High priest’s death pardoning criminals?

A Christian was telling me that in ancient Israel there was some rule about banishment and high priests, that Jesus is the ultimate high priest, that his death released everyone from sin. What - if ...
11 votes
1 answer
920 views

How did the Kohanim eat in the Azara?

As far as I know, it was forbidden to sit in the Azara unless you were a king descended from David. So it seems the Kohanim must have been forced to stand while eating their portions of the Kodshei ...
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How do rappaports trace themselves back to Aron Hakohen? [closed]

I had a Rappaport friend once who told me that he can trace himself back to Aron Hakohen. I am looking on Geni.com through various Rappaports who are Master Profiles and searching for the connection ...
7 votes
4 answers
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Could a Cohen burn a body to escape the impurity?

Excuse the extreme hypothetical, but: If a Cohen were locked in a room with no windows and a dead body, and just so happened to have lighter fluid and a pack of matches (and there were small holes in ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Lent half a shekel to a kohen, or gave as a present?

In Masechet Shekalim (1:6) וְאֵלּוּ שֶׁחַיָּבִין בַּקָּלְבּוֹן, לְוִיִּם וְיִשְׂרְאֵלִים וְגֵרִים וַעֲבָדִים מְשֻׁחְרָרִים, אֲבָל לֹא כֹּהֲנִים וְנָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים וּקְטַנִּים. הַשּׁוֹקֵל עַל יְדֵי ...
2 votes
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How much help can a kohen's wife get

At the very end of Orach Chaim 128:45, the Rema says: אסור להשתמש בכהן אפי' בזמן הזה דהוי כמועל בהקדש אם לא מחל על כך It is forbidden to be serviced by a Kohen even in our current time......
2 votes
1 answer
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Under what circumstances may one ask a Kohen to do a task for a non-Kohen?

I understand that a non-Kohen should not ask a Kohen to do a task for him. It is quoted in hewikipedia האיסור להשתמש בכהן הוא איסור להשתמש בכהן כפועל או בעבודה כל שהיא, אפילו עבודה קלה. סיבת ...
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Why didn't the Kohanim wear Tzizis?

The Kohen Gadol wore 8 garments, and regular Kohanim wore 4. Why wasn't tzizis one of their required garments? Also, did they have to fulfill the mitzvah of tzizis before or after their daily service, ...
11 votes
1 answer
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How are we to understand Malchi-Tzedek, non-Jewish priest of God?

Malchi-Tzedek is a gentile priest who worships God. I initially read this as just saying God is not exclusive (it says somewhere in Nevi'im that God also has covenants with other peoples), but today ...
5 votes
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How to refer to a Kohain with suspended privileges in prayer

When a Kohain chas v'Shalom marries a divorcée or convert, halacha requires us to suspend his privileges - he may not receive the first aliyah during the Torah reading, duchen, etc, until such time as ...
3 votes
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Did Sadducees contribute to halacha? [duplicate]

We know that Sadducees served on the Sanhedrin and even became high priests. [Yoma 19b] They did not believe in the afterlife or the resurrection of the dead, but this does not mean their ...
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Is there a timetable of the Yom Kippur Avodah available?

I'm trying to get a sense of how long each part of the Kohen Gadol's day was. I have the impression that the (outer) Musaf offering took much longer than the Torah reading, but I have no idea how much ...
7 votes
1 answer
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"Priests" prior to Aaron

We know there were gentile priests prior to the establishment of the Kohens. Melchizedek is an example. In Shemot 19, there are two verses that refer to "priests" prior to the giving of the Torah. ...
11 votes
2 answers
258 views

Why didn't kohanim undress themselves?

The mishna, Tamid 5:3, indicates that those kohanim who had gotten dressed for the day's work but were not needed for it would be stripped of their kohen-clothes by the Temple workers. My kid asked: ...
3 votes
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How many Cohanim and Levi'im worked in the Temple daily?

How many Cohanim and Levi'im worked in the Temple daily (excluding supporting professions, like preparing woods or oils) and how many of them stayed there for sleep?
2 votes
1 answer
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What happens to Converts and Chalalim once the Moshiach comes?

As per the answers to this question, there is a general consensus that when Moshiach comes, we will find out who belongs to what tribe, and the 12 tribes will revert to their original landholdings. We ...
2 votes
3 answers
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Does Ezekiel 44:22 contradict the Torah?

Ezekiel 44:22 states: "Neither shall they [the priests] take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, and a widow that is the ...
11 votes
1 answer
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Maharshal's position about the status of Kohanim today

R Shlomo Luria, in Yam Shel Shelomo Bava Kamma 5:35, discusses the status of property nowadays declared by its owner cherem for Kohanim. He takes a strong position against the validity of modern ...
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Can/may a kohen gadol become a nazir?

A nazir may not take haircuts (usually for a 30 day period) and a kohen gadol must take haircuts weekly (Taanis 17a, 3/4 down the page). Can/may a kohen gadol become a nazir? If so, how does that ...
1 vote
2 answers
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Shatnez and Leviticus 16,4-23-32

I have a question that I'm trying to understand and I would like a logical and coherent explanation. 1) In Leviticus 16,4-23-32 the priest (also Aaron) God indicates to them to dress only in linen ...
3 votes
5 answers
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Why there was no railing on the 5m high Mizbeach?

While looking at drawings of the Temple's Altar, I was impressed by its dimensions: up to 5m (16ft) high and 15m (100ft) wide. Here's a pretty truthful depiction (courtesy of WIKI) that gives an idea ...
7 votes
1 answer
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Two types of kohanim; are there any practical differences between them?

Peninim on the Torah says: Thus, the Kehunah, which he (Pinchas) received as a reward, was a totally new Kehunah, not connected with that of Aharon HaKohen. Are there any practical differences ...
4 votes
3 answers
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Since Pinchas was a Cohen why was he allowed to kill Zimri and Cozbi?

Since it says in the Torah that a Cohen is prohibited from being around dead people, then how come Pinchas who was a Cohen was permitted to kill Zimri and Cozbi. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak ...
6 votes
3 answers
480 views

How was Elazar HaKohen allowed to marry the daughter of Puti (Yisro)?

Rashi (quoting Sanhedrin 82b) states that Pinchas' mother was the daughter of Puti (Yisro). We know that a kohen may not marry a convert (Shulchan Aruch Even Haezer 6,8), and if a kohen does marry a ...
7 votes
2 answers
263 views

Kohain First questions

1)Is there a Din that a Kohain must be allowed to cut you online in a supermarket because of "Vkidashto"? 2)Do they go first when it comes to Davening when there are two Chiyuvim? 3)When you learn ...
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Should one learn the commentary of a Kohen first, before a Yisrael's and there's an obligation of V'kidashto? [duplicate]

If one is learning Shulchan Aruch for example, Should one learn the Sha"ch before the Ta"z since he's a Kohen and there's an obligation of V'kidashto or does that obligation only apply to an instance ...
2 votes
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During the Second Temple period, did the High Priest wear an additional crown on their headdress?

The High Priest's headdress was to be made of fine linen on which a gold plate was attached: 36 You shall make a frontlet of pure gold and engrave on it the seal inscription: "Holy to the LORD." 37 ...
1 vote
2 answers
138 views

Measuring Levi's cities

The Torah says that the cities of Levi'im must have surrounding areas of either 2000 or 3000 Amahs. However, I didn't see how those cities' sizes were determined in the first place. How Levi tribe (...
1 vote
1 answer
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Can a father ever be the Kohen at his sons Pidyon Haben?

I'm looking for a scenario where a father can potentially be the Kohen for his own son's Pidyon Haben. Normally, this would be impossible, because a Kohen is pattur from Pidyon Haben. Is there any ...

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