Fall 2024

The Torah tells us that Ahron and his sons were appointed by Hashem to serve as the first kohanim. The status of kehuna passes from father to son, in that a son of a male kohen is also a kohen. The kohanim were ordained to serve in the Beis Hamikdash and commanded to fulfill specific mitzvos.[1]

Among these is the obligation for male kohanim to preserve their kedusha and to prohibit becoming tamei meis – that is, becoming defiled through contact or exposure to a dead body.[2] Even though we no longer have a Beis Hamikdash, kohanim in our time are still required to observe all the halachos of tumas meis, both in and outside of Eretz Yisroel.[3] A kohen is restricted from becoming tamei even from an akum meis (the body of a deceased aino Yehudi).[4] At times of significant need, […]