Chicago Chesed Fund

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Monday, April 1, 2019

Shemini. The Cohen Upon His Initiation

I saw the following in a Parsha publication "Likutei Peshatim," produced by the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, under the direction of an adam chashuv me'od, Rabbi Ben-Zion Rand. After sharing what he says, I expand on it a little bit.


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THE DAY OF INITIATION 
ויקרא משה אל מישאל ואל אלצפן בני עזיאל דד אהרן ויאמר אלהם קרבו שאו את אחיכם מאת פני הקדש אל מחוץ למחנה
Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come forward and carry your kinsmen away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” Vayikra 10:4
"From here we learn that Kohanim may not become defiled by contact with dead bodies, for Elazar and Isamar were there and were not called upon to carry away the bodies of their brothers." -- Toras Kohanim 
The Midrash is amazing. What need is there to present a roundabout proof that Kohanim may not become contaminated by contact with a corpse, when it is explicitly stated at the beginning of Parashas Emor? Furthermore, why indeed did Elazar and Isamar not remove the corpses of their brothers, since the Torah (Vayikra 21:2-3) explicitly states that one’s father, mother, never married sister, brother, son and daughter are excluded from the general prohibition of contact with corpses. 

The Da’as Zekeinim teaches us that both these questions can be answered by assuming that the meaning of the Midrash is that on the day of an ordinary Kohen’s inauguration, he will assume the status of the Kohen Gadol. In fact, the Mincha offering of a Kohen Gadol every day is the same korban as that of the standard Kohen on the day of his inauguration. For this reason, just as a Kohen Gadol may not attend to the body for the funeral of even his closest relatives, so, too, may a כהן הדיוט (a plain Kohen) not attend to the body of his close relatives on his inaugural day, and the laws regarding the grooming of a Kohen Gadol apply to him as well. 
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Here is the Daas Zkeinim (and he says that the Bechor Shor says the same idea. It is not in our editions of the Bechor Shor, but it's brought by several Rishonim, such as Reb Chaim Paltiel and the Paaneiach Raza.)
ויקרא משה אל מישאל. אתמר בת"כ מכאן שאין הכהנים מטמאין למתים שהרי אלעזר ואיתמר  לא נטמאו להם.
ותימה שהרי במקום אחר מצינו בפי' שהכהנים מוזהרין על טומאת מת דכתיב לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו. ועוד אלעזר ואיתמר כהנים הדיוטי' היו ולמה לא נטמאו לאחיהם? וי"ל דהא דקאמר מכאן שהכהני' אין מטמאין למתים היינו כהני' הדיוטים ביום משחתם שאין מטמאין לקרובים שיש להם דין כהני' גדולי'. וכן פי' הרב בכור שור גבי ראשיכם אל תפרעו דאע"ג דכהנים הדיוטי' לא הוזהרו על פריעה ופרימה דמטמאין הן לקרוביהן ביום משחתם הרי הן ככהנים גדולים. ונ"ל דהיינו האי דקאמר בסיפיה דקרא כי שמן משחת קדש עליהם:

The idea that the Kohen brings a Minchas Chavitin on the day of his inauguration, his Chinuch, clearly teaches that on that day, an unlimited future opens up, and he can accomplish anything, he can reach for the stars.  I've said this many times, but I never thought to relate it to the fact that Elozor and Isomor were not allowed to carry Nodov and Avihu's bodies. If we are to take his idea at face value, it has tremendous halachic application - that every Hedyot, on his day of Minuy, is assur to become tamei to his seven kerovim. Indeed, it seems from the Bechor Shor and the Raavad on the Toras Kohanim here (1:25-6) that they do hold like that. 

(Rav Zevin extrapolated from here to explain why they didn't use oil that was tamei for the  the Menora after the Nes of the Chashmona'im. Just as here on the day of Chinuch tuma was assur without exception, so, too, when they were mechaneich the replacement Menorah you don't say hutra be'tzibbur. Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank disagrees. I discussed this here.)

So here's a question. Given that this special status of the Yom Hachinuch gives a Kohen dinim of the Kohen Gadol, what if, on Yom Kippur, both the Kohen Gadol and the Sgan became unfit to do the avodah. Could you just call in a new Kohen, have him do his Minchas Chinuch, and continue Avodas Yom Hakippurim?

Of course, the answer is no. But why? According to these Rishonim, a Kohen Hedyot on his day of Chinuch has the dinim of a Kohen Gadol!

The answer is, of course, that there are two dinim in "Kehuna Gedola." One is the kedusha of the Kohen Gadol, which might apply to a hedyot on his day of Chinuch. But the other is the minui, the fact that he is "Gadol mei'echav," that he was appointed to be the head of the Kohanim. The proof of the difference is that even according to these Rishonim, the Hedyot on his day of Chinuch serves in arab begadim. For Yom Kippur, you need Kehuna Gedola in the sense of being the head of the Kohanim.  

12 comments:

  1. Yelamdeinu rabbeinu - how could a kohen hedyot bring his mincha chinuch on Yom Kippur?! It's not chovas hayom!

    (Even with regard to a new kohen gadol, there is discussion in the acharonim; see, e.g., Or Someiach Klei Hamikdosh 5:16 and Chazon Ish Menochos 34:6)

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    1. I was working with the simple Mishna in Menachos 96a that חביתי כה"ג דוחות את השבת.
      So I am at a loss to explain what Reb Meir Simcha means when he says regarding the asiris haeifa that
      שהוא קרבן יחיד ואנחנו דוחה את השבת דלא עדיף מחביתין.
      Aderaba, yelamdeinu rabbeinu!

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    2. I must confess that I dont know what he means by lo adif meichavitin, but the larger thrust of his argument still stands, that the mincha chinuch - whether of a kh"g or a kh"d - is not part of the seder hayom, and as such is neither docheh shabbos nor permitted to be added to the avodah of Yom Kippur. Unless I am missing something (wouldn't be the first time)....

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    3. I realized what's going on. Although a KHG's chavitin are docheh, that's because they're kavua lo zman, even if they are a korban yachid, which is also debatable. But for sure the chinuch korban of a kohen, whether of a hedyot or a KHG, is not a chovah shekavua lo zman. Until he's a KHG, the chov has not vested. BUT it's possible that when there is no other KHG available, that it might become a chova that is kavua lo zman. But that is very weak. Just because Klal Yisrael needs it doesn't give the korban a din chova that's kavua lo zman.

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    4. But the bottom line is that despite the problem raised by Reb Meir Simcha and the Chazon Ish, it is evident that the Sgan CAN be elevated to KHG on Yom Kippur. How do we answer their kasha? Perhaps by saying that since we need a KHG, it becomes a Korban hakavua lo zman, and is docheh just like the usual chavitin of the KHG.

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    5. Or we follow the Rambam's girsa (and the Yerushalmi Shekolim, and the Tosefta in three places, and Bamidbar Rabbah...) that the minchas chinuch is not me'akeiv.

      Alternatively, even if it is usually meakeiv, bemokom delo efshar we can say avodaso mechanchoso (I think by keilim we are also mechaleik between a keli that we can do meshicha and one we cant)

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    6. I just realized, though, that if we say avodaso mechanchoso, we have saved your vort! Because, veiter we can ask, since we anyways need the avodah gufa to establish him as a kohen gadol, why the need for kohen acher maskinin, all we need to do is pick a kohen on YK and have him do the avodah, and he will ipso facto become the khg! Elah mail, it's not enough for him to have khg status, he needs to have a chalos of gadol meiechav!

      (Even though the gemara says it's a ziruz to the actual khg, there still needs to be an underlying cheshbon)

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  2. (For some added discussion on this din of a kohen hedyot on the day of his minuy being like a kohen godol, and the attendant connection to the chanukas hamenorah, see Targum Yonoson on the possuk yaaroch oso Aharon uvonov - yadleik yoseih kahano demismanei and naar yonoson there)

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    1. I was excited to hear about this peirush that talked about our topic, and immediately went to the Otzar, but oddly, the only reference I found to the sefer was the following:
      ובספר נער יונתן על תרגום יונתן מהר"ר אברהם ישעי' אליעזר וגנר שליט"א מלעיקוואוד מתרץ ………
      Hmmmm, I wonder who that might be...…..

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    2. and
      ואציין לשבח אחי הגדול הקטן ממני בשנים הר"ר אברהם שליט"א בעמח"ס נער יונתן על תרגום יונתן על התורה

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  3. While we are discussing the perhaps unique madreiga of a kohein hedyod and his possible status as a kohein gadol - on the day of his chinuch, it is worth noting that the Kohein Gadol, every day, brings that same regular minchas chinuch of every other kohein (split in two parts)

    The following is a write-up of what Rav Mechel Zilber wrote.
    Rav Michel Zilber (cited in VeShalal Lo Yechsar) explains why the Kohen Gadol brought what was essentially an inaugural korban every day.
    Rashi explains that the pasuk weaves together the laws of the one-time minchas chinuch of the Kohen Hedyot with the daily minchas chavitin of the Kohen Gadol. Why is this?
    Rav Zilber explains that even the daily korban of the Kohen Gadol was, to a certain extent, an inaugural one. The Kohen Gadol was supposed to be in a constant state of spiritual growth, with no ceiling or limits. As such, every day he was like a new person, different and greater than the day before. Consequently, his avodah on any given day was also new, filled with novel facets in his service to Hashem and the Klal. That is why he brought a daily meal-offering, which was essentially no different from a minchas chinuch, as he underwent a new inauguration on a daily basis.
    Rav Zilber concludes that this can serve as a lesson for us all. We need to constantly find new ways to grow and serve Hashem. The depth of our mitzvos and the care we put into them can always be improved and brought to the next level, as we constantly offer Hashem our personal minchah chadashah.

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    1. Thank you.
      If I were to say it, I would use a slightly different approach, based on an idea I heard from Reb Moshe innumerable times. Davka the Kohen Gadol, who has reason to think that he stands on the highest plateau, needs to be reminded that as far as what he might achieve, he is no farther along than a kohen hedyot on the first day he is doing the avoda.

      So there are two lessons. One, that a kohen hedyot should realize that he must seize the new opportunity and that he has the ability to be as great as the Kohen Gadol, and Two, the great Kohen Gadol has to be reminded never to rest on his laurels, that he has great horizons that remain to be achieved.

      The Hedyot needs to know that he has the potential to be a Gadol. The Gadol needs to be reminded that he is just a Hedyot.

      This reminds me of a Rashi in Melachim I 5:13 that I just learned with my wife the other day, which also relates to this week's parsha, Tazria. Speaking of the wisdom of Shlomo HaMelech, the passuk says

      וַיְדַבֵּר֮ עַל־הָֽעֵצִים֒ מִן־הָאֶ֙רֶז֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּלְּבָנ֔וֹן וְעַד֙ הָאֵז֔וֹב אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֹצֵ֖א בַּקִּ֑יר וַיְדַבֵּר֙ עַל־הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה וְעַל־הָע֔וֹף וְעַל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ וְעַל־הַדָּגִֽים׃
      Rashi says
      וַיְדַבֵּר עַל הָעֵצִים. מָה רְפוּאַת כָּל אֶחָד, וְעֵץ פְּלוֹנִי יָפֶה לְבִנְיָן פְּלוֹנִי, וְלִטַּע בְּקַרְקַע פְּלוֹנִית וְכֵן עַל הַבְּהֵמָה, מָה רְפוּאָתָהּ, וְעִקַּר גִּדּוּלֶיהָ וּמַאֲכָלָהּ. וּמִדְרַשׁ אַגָּדָה: מָה רָאָה מְצֹרָע לִטָּהֵר בְּגָבוֹהַּ שֶׁבַּגְּבוֹהִים, וּבְנָמוּךְ שֶׁבַּנְּמוּכִים. וְעַל הַבְּהֵמָה וְעַל הָעוֹף, מָה רָאָה זֶה לִהְיוֹת כָּשֵׁר בִּשְׁחִיטָה בְּסִימָן אֶחָד, וְזֶה בִּשְׁנֵי סִימָנִין, וְדָגִים וַחֲגָבִים בְּלֹא כְלוּם.

      The classic drush about needing to be reminded of gavhus and of nemichus, עפר ואפר ובשבילי נברא העולם. Like the Chovos Halevavos in שער הכניעה פרק ב

      What do you think?

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