Kohen (, ; , ) is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. They are traditionally believed, and halakhically required, to be of direct patrilineal descent from the biblical Aaron (also Aharon), brother of Moses, and thus belong to the Tribe of Levi.
During the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem (and previously the Tabernacle), kohanim performed the Temple sacrificial offerings, which were only permitted to be offered by them. Following its destruction, it seems that most of them joined Synagogal Judaism before adopting gradually Rabbinic Judaism, other types of Judaism. Today, kohanim retain a lesser though distinct status within Rabbinic and Karaite Judaism, including certain honors and restrictions.
In the Samaritan community, the kohanim have remained the primary religious leaders.
Name The word kohen originally derives from a Semitic root common at least to the Central Semitic languages. In the ancient polytheistic religion of Phoenicia, the word for priest was khn (). The cognate Arabic word (kāhin) means "priest".كاهن in English
The noun kohen is used in the Bible to refer to priests, whether Jewish or pagan (such as the kohanim of Baal or Dagon),Verses that use the term to refer to non-Aaronides include: , , , ; , ,; ; ; , ; , ; , ; , ; ; , , although Christian priests are referred to in modern Hebrew by the term komer ().מילון מורפיקס: פירוש כומר בעברית Kohanim can also refer to the Jewish nation as a whole, as in , where the whole of Israel is addressed as a "priestly kingdom (or: kingdom of priests) and a holy nation".
In Targum Yonatan, interpretive translations of the word kohen include "friend", "master", and "servant". Other interpretations include "minister" (Mechilta to Parshah Jethro, Exodus 18:1–20:23).
Individuals and history
The early books of the Bible mention several pagan priests, such as Potipherah,, 46:20 the other priests of Egypt, and Jethro., 3:1, 18:1
The non-Jewish priest Melchitzedek, however, is described as worshipping the same God as Abraham. Later Jewish sources even discuss the possibility that Melchitzedek's family could have served as priests for the future Jewish nation, though in the end this did not happen.Leviticus Rabbah 25:6; Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 32b
Jewish priests are first mentioned in . Here God offered the entire Jewish people the opportunity to become a symbolic "kingdom of priests and a holy nation". More practically, though, in this chapter "the priests who approach the Lord" were warned to stay away from Mount Sinai during the revelation of the Ten Commandments.; see also where "the Israelite youths" offered sacrifices after this revelation. The identity of these priests is not specified. According to many later Jewish sources, the firstborn son in each family served as priests, starting in the period of the patriarchs.Selection of the Priests and Levites
Nevertheless, shortly after the Sinai revelation, Aaron and his sons were chosen to be the priests., ; ; etc. The exclusive possession of the priesthood by Aaron's descendants was known as the priestly covenant. Many commentators assert that the firstborns lost their status due to their participation in the golden calf sin. A number of reasons have been suggested for why Aaron and his descendants were chosen instead:הכהונה לאהרון ולא למשה–מדוע? Due to Aaron's role in the Exodus, alongside MosesDerashot Haran, 3. Text: הנה שזכה אהרן למדרגה גדולה קרובה למדרגת הנבואה ולא עוד אלא שזכה בה לו ולזרעו. וכל זה בשכר שנתעסק עם מרע"ה בענין יציאת מצרים ולא נתקנא במשה As reward for greeting Moses cheerfully (), willingly subordinating himself to Moses in the Exodus, even though he (Aaron) was the elder of the two brothersShabbat 139a; Tanhuma Because Aaron possessed a higher level of prophecy than anyone at the time except Moses himself The Tribe of Levi, and possibly even Aaron's own family within that tribe, maybe have been chosen for Divine service even before the Exodus. Because Moses himself was unsuitable to serve as priest, either for general reasons (e.g., the priestly duties would not have left Moses enough time for leadership and Torah instruction; Exodus Rabbah 37:4) or as punishment for trying to avoid his Divine mission in Zevachim 102a; Tanhuma, Shemini 3 Because Moses had a non-Israelite wife (Tzipporah), while Aaron's wife Elisheba was not only Israelite but noble (the sister of Nahshon prince of Judah), and thus more suitable to found the priestly family
Moses, too, performed sacrificial services before the completion of Aaron's consecration,, ; and arguably is once called a "priest" in the Bible, but his descendants were not priests.
Since Aaron was a descendant of the Tribe of Levi, priests are sometimes included in the term Levites, by direct patrilineal descent. However, not all Levites are priests.
During the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and until the Holy Temple was built in Jerusalem, the priests performed their priestly service in the portable Tabernacle., , ,
Ancient roles Laws and duties Priestly duties involved offering the Temple sacrifices, and delivering the Priestly Blessing. When the Temple existed, most sacrifices and offerings could only be conducted by priests. Non-priest Levites (i.e. those who descended from Levi but not from Aaron) performed a variety of other Temple roles, including ritual slaughter of sacrificial animals, song service by use of voice and musical instruments, and various tasks in assisting the priests in performing their service.
The kohanim were not granted any ancestral land to own. Instead, they were compensated for their service to the nation and in the Temple through the twenty-four kohanic gifts. Most of these gifts are related to Temple sacrifices, or else the agricultural produce of the Land of Israel (such as terumah). A notable gift which is given even in the Jewish diaspora is the five shekels of the pidyon haben ceremony.
Vestments
The Torah provides for specific vestments to be worn by the priests when they are ministering in the Tabernacle: "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for dignity and for beauty". These garments are described in , and . The high priest wore eight holy garments (bigdei kodesh). Of these, four were of the same type worn by all priests and four were unique to the high priest.
Those vestments which were common to all priests were: Priestly undergarments (Hebrew michnasayim, breeches): linen pants reaching from the waist to the knees "to cover their nakedness" () Priestly tunic (Hebrew ketonet, tunic): made of pure linen, covering the entire body from the neck to the feet, with sleeves reaching to the wrists. That of the high priest was embroidered, those of the priests were plain. Priestly sash (Hebrew avnet, sash): that of the high priest was of fine linen with "embroidered work" in blue and purple and scarlet (, ); those worn by the priests were of white, twined linen. Priestly turban (Hebrew mitznefet): that of the high priest was much larger than that of the priests and wound so that it formed a broad, flat-topped turban; that for priests was wound so that it formed a cone-shaped turban, called a migbahat.
The vestments that were unique to the high priest were: Priestly robe (Hebrew me'il): a sleeveless, blue robe, the lower hem of which was fringed with small golden bells alternating with pomegranate-shaped tassels in blue, purple, and scarlet—tekhelet, argaman, tolaat shani. Ephod (Hebrew ): a richly embroidered vest or apron with two onyx engraved gemstones on the shoulders, on which were engraved the names of the tribes of Israel Priestly breastplate (Hebrew hoshen): with twelve precious and semi-precious stones, each engraved with the name of one of the tribes; a pouch in which he probably carried the Urim and Thummim (objects of unclear nature used for divination). The hoshen was fastened to the Ephod. Priestly headplate (Hebrew tzitz): worn on the front of the turban, and inscribed with the words: "Holy unto YHWH".
In addition to the above "golden garments", the high priest also had a set of white "linen garments" (bigdei ha-bad) which he wore only for the Yom Kippur Temple service. The linen garments were only four in number, corresponding to the garments worn by all priests (undergarments, tunic, sash and turban), but made only of white linen, with no embroidery. They could be worn only once, new sets being made each year.
A priest would serve barefoot in the Temple, and would immerse in a mikvah before vesting, and wash his hands and his feet before performing any sacred act. The Talmud teaches that priests were only fit to perform their duties when wearing their priestly vestments,Zevachim 17b and that the vestments achieve atonement for sin, just as sacrifices do.Zevachim 88b
According to the Talmud, the wearing of the Priestly golden head plate atoned for the sin of arrogance on the part of the Children of Israel (B.Zevachim 88b) and she also symbolizes that the high priest bears the lack of all the offerings and gifts of the sons of Israel. And it must be constantly on his head for the good pleasure of God towards them (). According to the Talmud, the wearing of the Priestly turban atoned for the sin of haughtiness on the part of the Children of Israel (B. Zevachim 88b). According to the Talmud, the wearing of the Priestly ephod atoned for the sin of idolatry on the part of the Israelites.Babylonian Talmud, Zevachim 88:B According to the Talmud, the wearing of the Hoshen atoned for the sin of errors in judgment on the part of the Children of Israel.B.Zevachim 88b According to the Talmud, the wearing of the Priestly sash atoned for "sins of the heart" (impure thoughts) on the part of the Children of Israel.Zevachim 88b According to the Talmud, the wearing of the Priestly tunic and the rest of the priestly garments atoned for the sin of bloodshed on the part of the Children of Israel (B.Zevachim 88b). According to the Talmud, the Priestly undergarments atone for the sin of sexual transgressions on the part of the Children of Israel (B.Zevachim 88b).
Torah instruction
Numerous Biblical passages attest to the role of the priests in teaching Torah to the people and in issuing judgment. Later rabbinic statements elaborate on these roles. However, the priest's religious authority is not automatic: even a bastard who is a scholar takes precedence over an ignorant high priest.Mishnah Horayot 3:8
High Priest
In every generation when the Temple was standing, one kohen would be singled out to perform the functions of the High Priest (Hebrew kohen gadol). His primary task was the Day of Atonement service. Another unique task of the high priest was the offering of a daily meal sacrifice; he also held the prerogative to supersede any priest and offer any offering he chose. Although the Torah retains a procedure to select a High Priest when needed, in the absence of the Temple in Jerusalem, there is no High Priest in Judaism today.
Twenty-four kohanic divisions
According to , King David divided the priests into 24 priestly divisions (Heb. משמרות, mishmarot). Each division would perform the Temple service for one week in a 24-week cycle, with all divisions eligible to serve on holidays. According to the Talmud, this was an expansion of a previous division, by Moses, into 8 (or 16) divisions.Taanit 27a