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Parshat Emor prohibits Kohanim from engaging in physically harming their bodies upon experiencing the death of a relative, as it says, “They shall not make a bald spot on their head, nor shall they shave off the corners of their beard and they shall not make a wound in their flesh” (Vayikra 21:5). It is interesting to note that these three prohibitions also apply to every Jew (See Vayikra 19:27-28 and Devarim 14:1). Why repeat these prohibitions specifically for the Kohanim? Perhaps, if we can understand why the Kohanim must be cautioned against this practice, we can learn the essence of the prohibition.
According to Rav Hirsch, “Heathenism, both ancient and modern, tends to associate religion with death. The kingdom of God begins only where man ends. Death and dying are the main manifestations of divinity…He who bears on his flesh a mark of death – a symbol of death’s power to conquer all – and thus remains ever mindful of death, performs the religious act par excellence, and this especially befits a priest and his office. Not so are the priests in Judaism, because not so is the Jewish concept of God and not so is the Jewish religion. God, Who instructs the Kohen regarding his position in Israel, is a God of life. The most exalted manifestation of God is not in the power of death, which crushes strength and life. Rather, God reveals Himself in the liberating and vitalizing power of life, which elevates man to free will and eternal life. Judaism teaches us not how to die but how to live, so that even in life we may overcome death, an unfree existence, enslavement to physical things, and moral weakness. Judaism teaches us how to live every moment of earthly life as a moment of eternal life in the service of God; how thus to live every moment of a life marked by moral freedom, a life of thought and will, creativity and achievement, and also pleasure. This is the teaching to which God dedicated His Sanctuary and for whose service He consecrated the Kohanim, who teach the people the basis and direction of life…Hence, it is said to the Kohanim especially, ‘They shall not make a bald spot on their head, nor shall they shave off the corners of their beard and they shall not make a wound in their flesh,’ for they are not to bear upon themselves the symbol of death. Through their outward appearance they are to promote the power of life and not the power of death” (Commentary on Vayikra 21:5).
The Kohanim symbolize the essence of Judaism: a commitment to life. Thus, just as every Jew is prohibited against turning their bodies into testaments of death, the Kohanim are especially cautioned against this because they serve as the living embodiments of the highest values, ideals and moral choices of Judaism, and it is by their example that the people learn how to live good, honest, virtuous and holy lives, consistent with the Will of God. As representatives of the Divine, the Kohanim must model God’s desire for us all, and that is to live every day of our lives with these words upon our hearts: “I shall not die but live! And proclaim the works of the Lord” (Tehillim 118:17).
Shabbat Shalom!
- Rabbi Dan
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