Torah Mosheh 3:

Vayikra / ויקרא

Leviticus Chapter 21

1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27

Go to Index page

Parashah 31:Emor (Speak) 21:1-24:23

21:1 (i)

Vayomer YEHOVAH el Mosheh:

Emor (אמר) el ha Kohenim Benai Aharon, ve amarta alehim  lenefesh lo-yitama bamav

There shall none be tamei (defiled) for the dead among his people:

21:2 But for his kin, that is karov (near, קרב) unto him, [that is], for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,

21:3 And for his sister a betulah (virgin), that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be tamei (defiled).

21:4 [But] he shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

21:5 They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

21:6 They shall be kodesh unto their Elohim (אלהים), and not profane the Name their Elohim (אלהים): for the offerings of YHWH (יהוה) made by fire, [and] the lechem of their Elohim (אלהים), they do offer: therefore they shall be kodesh.

21:7 They shall not take a wife [that is] a zonah, or khalalah; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he [is] kodesh unto his Elohim (אלהים).

21:8 Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the lechem of thy Elohim (אלהים): he shall be kodesh unto thee:

for Ani YHWH (יהוה), which sanctify you, [am] kodesh.

21:9 And the daughter of any Kohen, if she profane herself by playing the zonah, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

21:10 And [he that is] Kohen haGadol among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;

21:11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

21:12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his Elohim (אלהים); for the crown of the anointing oil of his Elohim (אלהים) [is] upon him: ANI YHWH (יהוה).

21:13 And he shall take a wife in her betulah (virginity).

21:14 An almanah, or a gerusha woman, or khalalah, [or] a zonah, these shall he not take: but he shall take a betulah (virgin) of his own people to wife.

21:15 Neither shall he profane his zera among his people: for I YHWH (יהוה) do sanctify him.

21:16(ii)

And YHWH (יהוה) spake unto Mosheh, saying:

21:17 Dvar (Speak) unto Aharon, saying:

Whosoever [he be] of thy seed in their generations that hath [any] blemish, let him not approach to offer the lechem of his Elohim (אלהים).

21:18 For whatsoever man [he be] that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that have a flat nose, with mismatching limbs.

21:19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,

21:20 Or hunchback, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;

21:21 No man that hath a blemish of the zera of Aharon the Kohen shall come nigh to offer the offerings of YHWH (יהוה) made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the lechem of his Elohim (אלהים).

21:22 He shall eat the lechem of his Elohim (אלהים), [both] of the most kodesh, and of the kodesh.

21:23 Only he shall not go in unto the poreket, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries:

for Ani YHWH (יהוה) do sanctify them.

21:24 And Mosheh told [it] unto Aharon, and to his sons, and unto all the benai Yisrael.

1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27

Go to Index page

Keyword : Say - Emor, Dvar - speak, Tzav - command chp 24

Emor rma - to say, speak, utter; Dvar rbd -to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing

Regulations for conduct of Kohanim

(Ezekiel 44:15-31)

Instruction of the types of prohibition of the Kohen - summary outline.

  1. A Kohen must not make himself ceremonially unclean by touching the dead body of a relative, - vs 1 Hashem is Holy no death can come to his presence. death is the result of sin.
  2. The only exceptions are his immediate family such his mother or father, son or daughter, brother, or his virgin sister who depends on him (kohen) because she has no husband. -vs 2-3
  3. The koohenim must not shave their heads or trim their beards or cut their bodies. They must be set apart as kadosh to Hashem and must never bring shame on the name of Elohim.- vs 5-6 set apart differ than those of Kenan
  4. The Kohenim can only marry a betulah (virgin) who has no sexual relation with any man and not to marry a woman defiled by prostitution, woman who is divorced - vs 7
  5. A Kohenn's daughter must be modest and maintain her purity in not becoming a prostitute because she defiles her father's holiness, and on that account she must be burned to death. - vs 9
  6. The Kohhen haGadol is highest rank of all the Kohenim who has the special anointing with anointing oil poured on his head, and he has been ordained to wear the golden garments. He must be neat tidy in physical appearance and never leave his hair uncombed or tear his clothing.
  7. All the Aharonic kohenim's descendants must not have any physical defect such as blind, lame, disfigured deformed, broken foot or arms, hunchbacked, dwarfed, defective eye, have any skin disease, scabs, damaged testicles infertity are not qualify to offer food, present special gifts and not to approach the altar to offer food to Hashem and he is not allowed to enter the room behind the inner curtain or approach the altar, for this would defile Hashem Kadosh places, however he may eat from the food offered to Hashem, including the kadosh offering and the most kadosh offerings.

Compare with the instruction Kohen of Benai Tzadok in Ezekiel 44:15-31

Brit Hadashah reading - Mattiyahu 5:38-42; Galatians 3:26-29