The Torah portion of Emor begins with mitzvot that apply to Kohanim such as who they may or may not marry and whose funerals they may or may not attend. In this context, the Torah also repeats several mitzvot that apply to other Jews as well. Specifically, the Torah says,
“They shall not make bald spots on their heads or cut the corners of their beards or make gashes in their flesh.” (Our sages say that the prohibition against bald spots and gashes is referring to ripping out one’s hair or flesh out of grief over a deceased relative.) These three negative commands apply to every Jew, as the Torah says,
“You shall not gash yourselves or shave the front of your heads because of the dead,” and,
“You shall not destroy the corners of your beard... You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead.”
The commentaries offer several explanations as to why these commandments are repeated again for Kohanim. Here are seven of them:
1) Not to Cause a Chillul Hashem
Rabbi Chaim Vital explains that, although these mitzvot apply to all Jews, it is especially important for Kohanim to observe them as not doing so is considered a chillul Hashem (desecration of G-d’s name) since they are G-d’s representatives in this world.
2) Kohanim’s Bodies Should be Healthy
The Ibn Ezra explains that it’s especially important that the Kohanim observe the mitzvot of not mutilating their bodies so they can serve G-d in the Beit HaMikdash in the most respectable manner. In the words of the Toldot Yitzchak, “The Kohanim are compared to a high and important minister for the king. It is not right that a person who is so beloved to the king should have gashes on his skin or torn hair.... One who is standing and serving the king should be nice-looking and elegant (and not appear before him with gashes or torn hair) .”
Based on this, some say that, although for the Jewish people at large the prohibitions against gashing one’s flesh and making bald spots are referring to doing so in grief over a deceased person, for Kohanim these are forbidden for any reason.
The Tur adds that since this reason applies only to male kohanim who serve in the Beit HaMikdash, these commandments are directed only to the males. (Although the commandments that are given to all Jews apply to both men and women.)
3) May Not Serve with a Mutilated Body
Taking this idea further, Rabbi Yosef Bechor Shor explains that these mitzvot are repeated for the Kohanim to teach us that if a Kohen rips his hair or flesh out, he may not serve in the Beit HaMikdash until the wounds heal and the hair grows back. As proof for this halacha (which isn’t mentioned in the Talmud), Rabbi Bechor Shor cites the verse in Ezekiel which says, “They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair go untrimmed; they shall keep their hair trimmed.” Based on this verse, the Talmud says that a Kohen who serves in the Beit HaMikdash with long hair has transgressed a negative commandment (although the sacrifice he offered is still valid). Since the verse in Ezekiel mentions both long hair and a shaved head, we can infer that a Kohen with a shaved head (e.g., a bald spot) may also not serve in the Beit HaMikdash.
4) No Excessive Grieving for a Kohen’s Close Relatives
The Seforno explains that although the Torah allows a Kohen to attend the funerals of his seven closest relatives, they must not grieve excessively by making gashes in their flesh or tearing out the hair of their heads or beards. (In this context, the prohibition against ripping out the beard is referring to doing so in the context of mourning for the dead rather than a regular haircut.)
The Kli Yakar adds that the Kohanim might think that the loss of their fellow Kohen is so tragic that they should be permitted to rip out their hair or flesh. (The argument that they might make is, “Since the world has been laid/ bare by the passing of this great person, I will mourn by ripping out hair, thus laying my head bare.”) As such, the Torah forbids them from doing so.
5) Don’t Replace the Funeral Ritual with a Gashing Ritual
Others suggest that the Kohanim, who may not attend most funerals, might instead want to vent their grief by gashing themselves or ripping out their hair, which is why the Torah forbids it.
6) Don’t Worship as the Pagans Would
In ancient days one of the rituals of the pagan priests was to gash themselves and draw their own blood. One such instance is recorded in the Tanach regarding the prophets of the Ba’al on Mount Carmel, as the verse says, “They gashed themselves as was their practice with swords and daggers until their blood flowed on them.” They would do so in order to mark their bodies as “belonging” to their idols.
(This is similar to the pagan practice of tattooing which “was the custom of the idolaters who would make marks on their bodies for the sake of their idols, as if to say that they are like servants sold to the idol and designated for its service.”)
Another form of self-mutilation practiced by the pagans was to rip out the hair of their head.
Shaving of the beard was also an idolatrous practice in ancient times, which is why, according to the Rambam, the Torah forbids it. (This practice resembles the ancient pagan ritual of cross-dressing as both involve a man trying to be like a woman.)
As such, some say that this verse is instructing the Kohanim not to gash their flesh, rip their hair, or shave their beards in the context of their Divine service as the pagan priests would do.
7) Kohanim Aren’t Exempt
In a similar vein, some say that the Kohanim might think that the mitzvot which distance us from pagan practices aren’t necessary for them since they devote their lives to G-d in the Beit HaMikdash. The Torah therefore explicitly forbids them from these activities as well.
May We Merit to See the Kohanim Serving in The Beit HaMikdash Speedily in Our Time!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMevorach!
Copyright 2024 by Rabbi Aryeh Citron
