Kohen (Cohen)

For other meanings, see Cohen (disambiguation)

Position of the kohen's hands and fingers during the Priestly Blessing.

A kohen (or cohen, Hebrew כּהן, "priest," pl. כּהנִים, kohanim or cohanim) has a special status in Judaism. A kohen is a direct male descendant of the Biblical Aaron, brother of Moses. Another term for the descendants of Aaron are the Aaronites or Aaronids.

During the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem, kohanim performed specific duties vis-à-vis the daily and festival sacrificial offerings. The Kohen Gadol (High Priest) played a special role during the service of Yom Kippur. Today, kohanim retain a distinct personal status within Judaism and are still bound by special laws in Orthodox and, to a lesser extent, in Conservative Jewish communities.

Biblical origins

The status of kohen was first conferred on Moses' brother Aaron and his direct male descendants (Exodus 28:1-4) as an "everlasting office." During the 40 years in which the Jews wandered in the wilderness and until the Temple in Jerusalem was built, the kohanim performed their service in the portable Tabernacle (Numeri 1:47-54. Their duties involved offering the daily and Jewish holiday sacrifices and blessing the people in a ceremony known as Nesiat Kapayim ("raising of the hands"), the ceremony of the blessing.

The kohanim assumed these same roles in the Jerusalem temple once it was established. They were divided into 24 work groups of seven to nine priests each. The groups rotated every Sabbath, but on the major biblical festivals all twenty-four were present in the Temple as pilgrims came from throughout the country to offer sacrifices.

Since Aaron was a member of the Tribe of Levi, all kohanim are Levites, but not all Levites are kohanim. The Levites, as distinct from the kohanim, provided a variety of other Temple roles, most notably providing music and psalms, and assisting the kohanim by washing their hands and feet before services, standing guard over the Temple Mount, construction, and maintenance. During the era of the Tabernacle, the levites were employed in caring for and transporting the Tabernacle between travel destinations.

Qualifications

In biblical and Temple times, kohanim could assume their duties once they reached physical maturity, usually associated with the age of 13. However, in later years kohnim normally begin serving at the age of 20 (Talmud Bavli:Hullin 24b, and Mishneh Torah:Hilchoth Klei HaMiqdash 5:15). There was no mandatory retirement age. Only when a kohen became physically infirm could he no longer serve.

Certain physical imperfections could disqualify a kohen from serving in the Temple. These blemishes include:

1. blindness
2. lameness
3. an excessively low nasal bridge
4. disproportionate limbs
5. a crippled foot or hand
6. eyebrows that grow profusely
7. cataracts
8. a white streak that transverses the white part of the eyeball and iris
9. certain types of boils
10. leprosy and other skin diseases
11. crushed testicles or castration

This, however, is not a comprehensive list (Leviticus 21:18-20). A kohen who was afflicted with one of these imperfections was held unfit for service. However, should it be a correctable imperfection, the kohen would become eligible for service should the defect be corrected. In addition, kohanim with these blemishes could be assigned to secondary roles in the Temple outside of performing the service itself.

Because they were excluded from the tribal allotments and therefore did not normally own large parcels of land, the kohanim were rewarded with 24 special "priestly gifts." These included portions of various offers of animal, grain, oil, and bread, the firstborn of any domestic kosher animal, the "first fruits," and the organs and skins of certain offerings.

Women were never allowed to serve in the Tabernacle or the Temple. Female relatives of kohanim, however, were permitted to consume or derive benefit from some of the priestly gifts. If a kohen's daughter married a man from outside the kohanic line, she was no longer permitted to consume these priestly gifts. Conversely, the daughter of a non-priest who married a kohen took on the same rights as an unmarried daughter of a kohen.

The High Priest

In every generation when the Temple was standing, one kohen would be singled out to perform the functions of kohen gadol (high priest). His main job was the Yom Kippur service. However, he also offered a daily meal sacrifice, and he had the prerogative to supersede any kohen and offer any offering he chose. A kohen gadol could only marry a virgin and was expected to be careful to retain his own moral and ritual purity. The office normally passed from father to son, most famously in the lineage of Zadok. However, in the later Second Temple period various high priests were appointed by both Jewish and non-Jewish political governors, becoming an issue of considerable controversy. Also in this period, the high priest sometimes served as the president of the ruling legislative council, the Sanhedrin.

Ritual defilement

The kohanim formed a holy order. For the purpose of protecting them against ritual defilement, the Torah imposed on the following rules for ritual purity, which are still maintained in Orthodox Judaism.

• Kohanim are forbidden to come in contact with dead bodies, nor are they permitted to perform the customary mourning rites. They are commanded, however, to become "defiled" for their closest relatives: father, mother, brother, unmarried sister, child, or wife.
• A kohen is forbidden to touch anyone or anything that has been made ritually unclean through contact with the dead.
• A male kohen may not marry a divorcee, a prostitute, a convert to Judaism, or a dishonored woman. Any kohen who enters into such a marriage loses his priestly status while in that marriage.
• Any children born of an union not permitted to a kohen are legitimate. However, these children and their offspring lose the status of kohenim.
• During the period of the Holy Temple, kohanim were required to abstain from wine and all strong drink while performing their priestly duties.

Exceptions to rules of defilement

The Talmud prescribes that if any kohen—even the Kohen Gadol—finds a corpse by the wayside, and there is no one else in the area who can be called upon to bury it, then the kohen himself must perform the burial (meis mitzvah).

The Talmud also orders the kohen to defile himself in the case of the death of a nasi (rabbinic leader of a religious academy). The Talmud relates that when Judah haNasi died, the priestly laws concerning defilement through contact with the dead were suspended for the day of his death.

Current status of rules of defilement

While all branches of Judaism which accept Halakha recognize the rules in principle, they differ considerably in their practical application.

• Haredi Judaism tends to interpret the rules strictly, and tends to resolve doubts in favor of preserving the purity of the priesthood. Haredi rabbis will often refuse to perform a prohibited marriage. The Israeli Rabbinate will also not perform such a marriage and hence a kohen cannot legally marry a divorced or converted women (etc.) in the State of Israel, although a foreign marriage would be recognized.
• Modern Orthodox Judaism recognizes the rules as being in full force, but often practices leniency with respect to some of the rules' strictures. Modern Orthodox Jewish rabbis will often perform a prohibited marriage, but will not recognize the husband or their offspring as qualified kohanim.
• Conservative Judaism has issued an emergency takanah (rabbinical edict) temporarily suspending the application of the rules in their entirety, on the grounds that the high intermarriage rate in its community threatens the survival of Judaism, and hence that any marriage between Jews is welcomed. The ruling declares that the offspring of Jewish marriages normally forbidden to kohanim are to be regarded as kohanim in good standing.

Kohanim today

Today, the status of kohen is assumed by any male Jew who has a demonstrable family tradition to that effect. Until the eighteenth century in Europe, nineteenth century in Yemen) many kohanim claimed to be able to trace their lineages back to a verifiable kohen such as Ezra. Today, families may verify their priestly lineage via the tombstones of deceased ancestors. In such cases, the symbol of the hands arranged for the priestly blessing, a time-honored engraving for the tombstones of kohanim, is acceptable evidence of kohanic status. Simply having the family name of "Cohen" (Cohn, Kogan, Kagan, Kohen, etc.), is not proof enough, as assimilation and intermarriage have conferred the name on many non-priestly individuals.

Orthodox Judaism maintains a hope for a restoration of a Third Temple in Jerusalem, and kohanim are regarded as having a status of waiting in readiness for future service in a restored Temple. Other denominations of Judaism have different attitudes towards kohanim, depending on their attitudes towards a future Temple worship.

In Orthodox Judaism and to some extent in Conservative Judaism, Kohanim maintain their special status in the following areas of modern life:

After the destruction of the Second Temple and the suspension of sacrificial offerings, the formal role of priests in sacrificial services came to an end, whether temporary or permanent. However, kohanim retain a formal and public ceremonial role in Orthodox and Conservative synagogue prayer services, which were established as a substitute for or reminder of the sacrifices themselves.

Every Monday, Thursday and Shabbat in Orthodox synagogues (and many Conservative ones as well), a portion from the Torah is read aloud in the original Hebrew in front of the congregation. On weekdays, this reading (aliyah) is divided into three; it is customary to call a kohen for the first reading, a Levite for the second reading, and a member of any other tribe of Israel to the third reading. On Shabbat, the reading is divided into seven portions; a kohen is called for the first aliyah and a levite to the second.

It is considered beneath the kohen's dignity to call him up for any of the other aliyot. In Orthodox Jewish circles, this custom has the status of law. The Conservative Rabbinical Assembly's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) has ruled that the practice of calling a kohen to the first aliyah represents a custom rather than a law, and that accordingly, a Conservative rabbi is not obligated to follow it. As such, in some Conservative synagogues, this practice is not followed.

All of the kohanim participating in an Orthodox prayer service must also deliver the priestly blessing, called nesiat kapayim, during the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. The text of this blessing is found in Numbers 6:23-27:

Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

The kohenim perform this rite by standing in the front of the synagogue and facing the congregation, with their arms held outwards and their hands and fingers in a specific formation. Part of this blessing (vss. 25-26) has been inherited in Christian tradition as well, in which a minister often delivers the blessing as a closing benediction before dismissing the congregation.

Some, but not all, Conservative congregations allow the daughter of a kohen (bat kohen) to offer the priestly blessing. The majority of Reform Jews and Reconstructionist Jews consider all rules and ceremonies regarding the priesthood to be outdated. Many consider it to be anti-egalitarian, and thus discriminatory against Jews who are not kohanim, as well as sexist by forbidding females to act as priests. Therefore the honors given to the kohan during the Torah reading and in the performance of the priestly are not observed in Reform or Reconstructionist Jewish communities.

Outside the synagogue, kohanim serve the distinction of leading the Pidyon Haben, the symbolic Redemption of the First-born ceremony for first-born male sons. This tradition is based on the Torah commandment, "and you shall redeem all the firstborn of man among your sons."

In Orthodox and Conservative circles, this ceremony is conducted as part of a festive meal. The kohen first washes his hands and breaks bread, then calls for the father and the baby. The baby is typically brought in dressed in white and bedecked with gold jewelry. The kohen then engages the father in a formal dialog, asking him whether he prefers to keep his money or his son. At the end of this exchange, the father hands over five silver coins, and the kohen blesses him and his son. The child of a kohen is exempt from the requirement of redemption.

According to the Conservative Jewish view, some rabbinic sources that allow women to perform this ritual, and thus a bat kohen may perform the ceremony for a newborn son. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews generally do not perform this ceremony.

Personal Status

Orthodox Jewish view

According to Orthodox Judaism, Kohanim are going to be needed again to perform their traditional roles in a future rebuilt Third Temple, and hence have a responsibility to stand in readiness, including maintaining their prescribed qualifications to the extent possible under diaspora conditions. Because of this requirement, according to Orthodox Jewish practice, modern-day kohanim are obligated to guard against ritual defilement as prescribed by the Torah. In order to protect them from coming into contact with or proximity to the dead, Orthodox cemeteries traditionally designate a burial ground for kohanim which is at a distance from the general burial ground, so that the sons of deceased kohanim can visit their fathers' graves without entering the cemetery. They are also careful not to be in a hospital, airplane, or any enclosed space where dead bodies are also present.

Modern-day kohanim are also prohibited from marrying a divorcee (even their own divorced wife), a woman who has committed adultery, been involved in incest, or had relations with a non-Jew. In compliance with Talmudic law, they also may not marry a female convert, out of concern for what may have occurred to her while she was a gentile. A born-Jewish woman who has had premarital relations may marry a kohen if and only if all of her partners were Jewish.

A child of a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father, while halakhically Jewish, is prohibited from marrying a kohen, by rabbinic law.

In addition to the numerous restriction placed on Kohanim, they are also considered to be, in a distinct way, superior to the average Jew. The average Jew (a Yisroel) exemplifies this special sanctity of the Kohen over himself by showing him honor. Examples of such honor include the following....

The Kohen is called to read the Torah before a Yisroel. The Kohen is given the option to recite blessings before the Yisroel. A Yisroel is expected not to ask a Kohen to perform menial tasks for him- such as pour him a drink or fetch him a towel; for tasks such as these are seen a degrading and are unfit to be performed by one whom possess the special sanctity of a Kohen. If a Kohen requests that a Yisroel perform such tasks, the Yisroel is expected to oblige.

However, nearly all Rabbinic authorities accept the fact that in the next world (which is eternal), as apposed to this world where people are born inherently unequal, a persons status is determined by his effort alone.

So too, the honor due to a person who studies the Torah(Old Testament)and the Talmud(Jewish Oral Law) exceeds that due to a Kohen.

In addition, according to the vast majority of Rabbinic authorities, the honor given to a Kohen and Torah scholar are intended solely for the benefit of the person who is giving the honor; as apposed to the one who is receiving it.

"Better off a man be strangled by his placenta at birth than study Torah for the sake of honor" - Perkey Avot (Ethics of our Fathers)

Regarding Kohanim it is said- "You think I am giving you authority? I am giving you servitude!"- Mesillat Yesharim (Path of the Just)

Conservative Jewish view

Conservative Judaism believes in a rebuilt Temple, but does not believe in restoring the system of korbanot that the Kohanim used to perform in days past, and hence does not believe in a need for Kohanim to perform their traditional roles. Accordingly, Conservative Judaism holds that while, in general, Jewish law is still binding, the restrictions against whom a kohen can marry are no longer applicable today. The movement allows a kohen to marry a convert or divorcee for these reasons:

• Since the Temple in Jerusalem no longer extant and korbanot should not be restored, kohanim are no longer needed to perform Temple services in a state of ritual purity.
• The priestly status of most modern-day kohanim is doubtful at best. The frequent persecutions and expulsions of Jews throughout history have caused kohanim to lose track of their genealogy.
• Because the intermarriage crisis among American Jewry is an extreme situation, the Conservative movement feels it must support the decision of two Jews to marry.

Reform and Reconstructionist Jewish views

Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism consider halakhah no longer binding, and believe the entire ancient sacrificial system to be incompatible with modern sensibilities. They also believe that caste or gender-based distinctions such as having a caste of kohanim with distinct roles and obligations derived from heredity is morally incompatible with the principle of egalitarianism.

Lineage of priests in the Torah

King Melchizedek of Salem, identified by Rashi as being Shem the son of Noah by another name, is the first person in the Torah to be called a Kohen (Genesis 14:18).

When Esau sold the birthright of the first born to Jacob, Rashi explains that the Priesthood was sold along with it, because by right the priesthood belongs to the first-born. Only when the first-born (along with the rest of Israel) sinned at the Golden calf, the priesthood was given to the Tribe of Levi, which had not been tainted by this incident.

Moses was supposed to receive the priesthood along with the leadership of the Jewish people, but when he argued with God that he should not be the leader, it was given to Aaron.

Aaron received the priesthood along with his children and any descendants that would be born subsequently. However, his grandson Pinchas (Phineas) had already been born, and did not receive the priesthood until he killed the prince of the tribe of Simon and the princess of the Midianites (Numbers 25:7-13). Thereafter, the priesthood has remained with the descendants of Aaron. However, when the Messiah comes, there is a tradition that it will revert back to the first born. ^{[citation needed]}

Female Kohen

Both Orthodox and Conservative Judaism regard a Bat Kohen (daughter of a Kohen) as having a special sanctity and status deriving from the Talmud. (One passage of the Talmud, Yevamot 68b, uses the term kohenet, female Kohen, but bat kohen is used elsewhere.) The Talmud prohibits a Bat Kohen from offering sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem and exempts her from many of the prohibitions associated with a male Kohen. It does permit her to have a variety of rights and privileges of Kohanim, including the right to eat certain portions of sacrifices, to receive tithes and other priestly gifts, and to receive redemption money from the Pidyon HaBen ceremony.

Orthodox Judaism retains the view that the privileges and status of Kohanim stem primarily from their offerings and activities in the Temple. Accordingly, in Orthodox Judaism only men can perform the Priestly Blessing and receive the first aliyah during the public Torah reading, and women are generally not permitted to officiate in a Pidyon HaBen ceremony. However, the question of what acts (if any) a Bat Kohen can perform in an Orthodox context is a subject of current discussion and debate in some Orthodox circles.

Conservative Judaism, consistent with its view that sacrifices in the Temple will not be restored and in light of many congregations' commitment to gender (but not tribal) egalitarianism, interprets the Talmudic passages involved to permit elimination of most distinctions between male and female Kohanim in congregations that retain traditional tribal roles while modifying traditional gender roles. The Conservative movement bases this leniency on the view that the privileges of Kohen-hood come not from offering Temple offerings but solely from lineal sanctity, and that ceremonies like the Priestly Blessing should evolve from their Temple-based origins. (The argument for women's involvement in the Priestly Blessing acknowledges that only male Kohanim could perform this ritual in the days of the Temple, but that the ceremony is no longer rooted in Temple practice; its association with the Temple was by rabbinic decree; and rabbis therefore have the authority to permit the practice to evolve from its Temple-based roots). As a result, some Conservative synagogues permit a Bat Kohen to perform the Priestly Blessing and the Pidyon HaBen ceremony, and to receive the first aliyah during the Torah reading.

The law committee of the Masorti movement (the equivalent of Conservative Judaism) in Israel has ruled that women do not receive such aliyot and cannot perform such functions as a valid position (Rabbi Robert Harris, 5748). Therefore, not all Conservative congregations or rabbis permit these roles for Bnot Kohanim (daughters of priests). Moreover, many egalitarian-oriented Conservative synagogues have abolished traditional tribal roles and do not perform ceremonies involving Kohanim (such as the Priestly Blessing or calling a Kohen to the first aliyah), and many traditionalist-oriented Conservative synagogues have retained traditional gender roles and do not permit women to perform these roles at all.

Because Reform and Reconstructionist temples have abolished traditional tribal distinctions, roles, and identities on grounds of egalitarianism, a special status for a Bat Kohen has no significance in these movements.

The kohen gene

Recently the tradition that kohanim are descended from a common ancestor was supported by genetic testing . Since all direct male lineage shares a common Y chromosome, testing was done across sectors of the Jewish population to see if there was any commonality between their Y chromosomes. There was proven to be certain distinctions among the Y chromosomes of kohanim, implying that many kohanim do share some common ancestry. The information was also used (perhaps prematurely) to support the claim of the Lemba (a sub-Saharan tribe) that they were in fact, a tribe of Jews.

Cohen as a surname

The status of Kohen in Judaism has no necessary relationship to a person's surname. Though it is true that descendants of kohanim often bear surnames that reflect their genealogy, there are many families with the surname Kohen (or any number of variations) who are not kohenim nor even Jewish. Conversely, there are many kohenim who do not have Kohen as a surname.

There are numerous variations to the spelling of the surname Kohen. These are often corrupted by translation or transliteration into or from other languages, as exemplified below (not a complete list).

• English: Cohen, Cahn, Conn, Conway, Cohan, Chaplan (Cohan is also an Irish surname and Conway is also a surname of Welsh origin)
• German: Kohn, Kuhn, Kahn, Cön/Coen, Katz (name) (a Hebrew abbreviation for Kohen Zedek (כהן צדק) i.e. "righteous Kohen" or "righteous priest")
• Dutch: Cohen, Conklin, Kon, Katten (translated as "Kohen"), Käin/Kaein
• French: Cahen, Cohen, Caen
• Italian: Coen, Sacerdote, Sacerdoti (Italian for "priest")
• Spanish: Coen, Cohen, Koen, Cannoh, Canno, Canoh, Cano
• Russian: Kogan, Kagedan (in Hebrew, this name is spelled "kaf-shin-daled-nun" and is an acronym for "Kohanei Shluchei DeShmaya Ninhu," which is Aramaic for, "priests are the messengers of heaven")
• Serbian: Koen, Kon, Kojen
• Polish: Kaplan (loanword into Polish for "priest")'
• Portuguese: Cunha
• Turkish: Kohen
• Arabic: al-Kohen
• Ancient/Modern Hebrew: Kohen, Hakohen, ben-Kohen, bar-Kohen
• Others: Maze (acronym of mi zerat Aharon, i.e. "from the seed of Aaron"), Azoulai (acronym from ishah zonah ve'challelah lo yikachu, meaning "a foreign or divorced woman he shall not take;" prohibition binding on Kohanim), Rappaport, Shapiro, Kahane, Quinn (Gaelic or English), Kohanchi (Persian). ^{[citation needed]}

However, by no means are all Jews with these surnames kohanim. Additionally, some "kohen"-type surnames are considered stronger indications of the status than others. "Cohen" is one of the hardest to substantiate due to its sheer commonality.

Seder

One common interpretation of the practice of having three pieces of matzah on a Seder plate is that they represent Kohen, Levi, and Yisrael (i.e., the priests, the tribe of Levi, and all other Jewish people).

Outside Judaism

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives legal right of kohen to constitute the Presiding Bishopric under the authority of the First Presidency (Doctrine and Covenants 68:16-20). When and where Church kohanim are not available, Melchizedek Priesthood holders substitute. To date, all men who have served as the Presiding Bishop have been Melchizedek Priesthood holders, and none have been publicly identified as kohanim. See also Mormonism and Judaism.

References in popular culture

The positioning of the kohen's hands during the Priestly Blessing was Leonard Nimoy's inspiration for Mr. Spock's Vulcan salute in the original Star Trek television series. Nimoy, raised an orthodox Jew (but not a kohen), used the salute when saying "live long and prosper."

Furthermore, the Star Trek Symbol is the same shape as the negative (air) space created between the Kohein's thumbs and forefingers, which some Kohanim touch while doing the Birchas Kohanim (Priestly Blessing). (There is some dispute as to whether or not to touch thumb to thumb and forefinger to forefinger while doing the blessing.

On the other hand, Robin Williams' characterization as extra-terrestrial Mork (in the American sitcom Mork & Mindy) included a salutation with a position of his hands (along with the words: "Na-Nu, Na-Nu") which was very similar to kohen's hands.

See also

• Cohen (disambiguation) (Kohen)

Kohn(Cohn), Kuhn(Cuhn), Kahn(Cahn), Kogan(Kohan, Kogan), Kagan(Cahan, Kahan), and Schiff

• Jewish view of marriage
• Wicked Priest (ha-kōhēn hā-rāšhā')

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Isaac Klein A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, p.387-388. (Conservative view prior to takkanah on Kohen marriages.)
• Isaac Klein Responsa and Halakhic Studies, p.22-26. (Conservative view prior to takkanah on Kohen marriages.)
• K. Skorecki, S. Selig, S. Blazer, R. Bradman, N. Bradman, P. J. Waburton, M. Ismajlowicz, M. F. Hammer (1997). Y Chromosomes of Jewish Priests. Nature 385, 32. (Available online: DOI | Full text (HTML) | Full text (PDF))
• Proceedings of the CJLS: 1927-1970, volume III, United Synagogue Book Service. (Conservative)
• Mishnayoth:Seder Nashim. Translated and Annotated by Philip Blackman. Judaica Press Ltd., 2000. pp. 134-135

External links

• Genetic Genealogy: Aaron and the Cohen Model Haplotype
• The Laws of Birchat Kohanim - the Priestly Blessing Chabad.org
• The Jewish Priest, the Kohen and Kohanim from the Jewish Knowledge Base
• soc.culture.jewish newsgroups FAQ Question 9.1: How does a rabbi differ from a priest?
• Holy Matrimony? All about the Kohen or Jewish priest's prohibitions in marriage.
• The Cohen-Levi Family Heritage

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