Haftarah of Emor

Yechezkel 44:15-31

Yechezkel served as a prophet during the time of the destruction of the first Temple, addressing the Jewish community in exile in Babylonia. While his prophecies before the destruction were all warnings of impending doom, once the worst had come to pass, his message switched to words of hope and comfort. Among the latter is a set of prophecies that describe the ultimate redemption, including details regarding the dedication and functioning of the final Temple.

The Haftarah of Emor describes the role of the "Cohanim", the priests, in the rebuilt Temple.

15) The Cohanim the Leviim, the sons of Tzadok,

who kept the charge of My sanctuary

when the B'nei Yisrael went astray from Me,

they will come near Me to serve Me,

and they will stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood,

says Hashem, G-d.

(טו) וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם בְּנֵי צָדוֹק

אֲשֶׁר שָׁמְרוּ אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת מִקְדָּשִׁי

בִּתְעוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעָלַי

הֵמָּה יִקְרְבוּ אֵלַי לְשָׁרְתֵנִי

וְעָמְדוּ לְפָנַי לְהַקְרִיב לִי חֵלֶב וָדָם

נְאֻם אֲ-דֹנָי ה':

16) They will enter into My sanctuary,

and they will come near My table to serve Me,

and they will keep My charge.

(טז) הֵמָּה יָבֹאוּ אֶל מִקְדָּשִׁי

וְהֵמָּה יִקְרְבוּ אֶל שֻׁלְחָנִי לְשָׁרְתֵנִי

וְשָׁמְרוּ אֶת מִשְׁמַרְתִּי:

Cohanim will wear sacred clothing, similar to the clothing worn by the Cohen Gadol, the High Priest, on Yom Kippur.

17) As they enter into the gates of the inner courtyard,

they shall wear linen clothing;

no wool shall be upon them as they serve

in the gates of the inner courtyard or the House.

(יז) וְהָיָה בְּבוֹאָם אֶל שַׁעֲרֵי הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית

בִּגְדֵי פִשְׁתִּים יִלְבָּשׁוּ

וְלֹא יַעֲלֶה עֲלֵיהֶם צֶמֶר בְּשָׁרְתָם

בְּשַׁעֲרֵי הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית וָבָיְתָה:

18) They shall have linen turbans on their heads,

and linen pants on their hips,

they shall not tie their belts where they sweat.

(יח) פַּאֲרֵי פִשְׁתִּים יִהְיוּ עַל רֹאשָׁם

וּמִכְנְסֵי פִשְׁתִּים יִהְיוּ עַל מָתְנֵיהֶם

לֹא יַחְגְּרוּ בַּיָּזַע:

19) And when they go out to the outer courtyard,

to the outer courtyard to the people,

they will take off the clothes that they serve in,

and place them in the sacred chambers,

and they will wear different clothes,

so that they do not consecrate the people through their clothes.

(יט) וּבְצֵאתָם אֶל הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה

אֶל הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה אֶל הָעָם

יִפְשְׁטוּ אֶת בִּגְדֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר הֵמָּה מְשָׁרְתִם בָּם

וְהִנִּיחוּ אוֹתָם בְּלִשְׁכֹת הַקֹּדֶשׁ

וְלָבְשׁוּ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים

וְלֹא יְקַדְּשׁוּ אֶת הָעָם בְּבִגְדֵיהֶם:

Cohanim have limitations and prohibitions that other Jews do not, regarding cutting their hair, drinking wine while on duty, and whom they are allowed to marry.

20) Their heads they will not shave, nor grow wild;

they shall trim their heads closely.

(כ) וְרֹאשָׁם לֹא יְגַלֵּחוּ וּפֶרַע לֹא יְשַׁלֵּחוּ

כָּסוֹם יִכְסְמוּ אֶת רָאשֵׁיהֶם:

21) No Cohen can drink wine

when they come into the inner courtyard.

(כא) וְיַיִן לֹא יִשְׁתּוּ כָּל כֹּהֵן

בְּבוֹאָם אֶל הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית:

22) They cannot take widows or divorcees as wives,

but only a virgin who is of the lineage of the House of Israel,

and the widow, who is actually a widow,

of a Cohen, they can take.

(כב) וְאַלְמָנָה וּגְרוּשָׁה לֹא יִקְחוּ לָהֶם לְנָשִׁים

כִּי אִם בְּתוּלֹת מִזֶּרַע בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

וְהָאַלְמָנָה אֲשֶׁר תִּהְיֶה אַלְמָנָה

מִכֹּהֵן יִקָּחוּ:

In addition to their duties in the Temple, Cohanim will be expected to act as teachers of Torah and Halachic decisors, in all its spheres.

23) They shall teach My people

the difference between sacred and profane,

the difference between pure and impure, they will let them know.

(כג) וְאֶת עַמִּי יוֹרוּ

בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחֹל

וּבֵין טָמֵא לְטָהוֹר יוֹדִעֻם:

24) In a controversy they will act as judges,

they shall judge according to My laws;

and My teachings, statutes and My holidays they shall keep,

and My Shabbats they shall sanctify.

(כד) וְעַל רִיב הֵמָּה יַעַמְדוּ לְמִשְׁפָּט

בְּמִשְׁפָּטַי יִשְׁפְּטוּהוּ

וְאֶת תּוֹרֹתַי וְאֶת חֻקֹּתַי בְּכָל מוֹעֲדַי יִשְׁמֹרוּ

וְאֶת שַׁבְּתוֹתַי יְקַדֵּשׁוּ:

Cohanim can only attend the funeral of a close relative; in that case, they must undergo a purification process before returning to their duties in the Temple.

25) They will not come near a dead person to become impure,

except for the father, mother, son, daughter, brother,

and unmarried sister they can become impure.

(כה) וְאֶל מֵת אָדָם לֹא יָבוֹא לְטָמְאָה

כִּי אִם לְאָב וּלְאֵם וּלְבֵן וּלְבַת לְאָח

וּלְאָחוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיְתָה לְאִישׁ יִטַּמָּאוּ:

26) After he has become pure,

seven days will be counted.

(כו) וְאַחֲרֵי טָהֳרָתוֹ

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים יִסְפְּרוּ לוֹ:

27) On the day that he comes into the sanctuary

to the inner courtyard, to serve in the sanctuary,

he will bring his sin offering, says the Lord Hashem.

(כז) וּבְיוֹם בֹּאוֹ אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ

אֶל הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית לְשָׁרֵת בַּקֹּדֶשׁ

יַקְרִיב חַטָּאתוֹ נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי ה':

The Cohanim will not own land in Israel. G-d is their employer; their source of income is the tithes that He has commanded us to give. The Jewish People must support them through various mandatory gifts, including offerings at the Temple, the first of the fruit, and the first portion of all bread ("challah"). These gifts are not a loss to the Jewish People, but rather a source of blessing from Above.

28) This shall be their inheritance:

I am their inheritance;

they will not be given an estate in Israel,

I am their estate.

(כח) וְהָיְתָה לָהֶם לְנַחֲלָה

אֲנִי נַחֲלָתָם

וַאֲחֻזָּה לֹא תִתְּנוּ לָהֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל

אֲנִי אֲחֻזָּתָם:

29) The meal offering, and the sin and guilt offerings,

they will eat;

everything dedicated in Israel will be theirs.

(כט) הַמִּנְחָה וְהַחַטָּאת וְהָאָשָׁם

הֵמָּה יֹאכְלוּם

וְכָל חֵרֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לָהֶם יִהְיֶה:

30) The first of all the first fruits,

and the tithes of everything that is tithed,

will be for the Cohanim;

and the first of your dough you shall give to the Cohen,

so that blessing rests upon your house.

(ל) וְרֵאשִׁית כָּל בִּכּוּרֵי כֹל

וְכָל תְּרוּמַת כֹּל מִכֹּל תְּרוּמוֹתֵיכֶם

לַכֹּהֲנִים יִהְיֶה

וְרֵאשִׁית עֲרִסוֹתֵיכֶם תִּתְּנוּ לַכֹּהֵן

לְהָנִיחַ בְּרָכָה אֶל בֵּיתֶךָ:

Even though some forms of slaughter used in the Temple differ from normal laws of Kashrut, in their daily life, Cohanim must follow the same laws as everyone else.

31) All dead or dying things,

of fowl or of flesh,

the Cohanim shall not eat.

(לא) כָּל נְבֵלָה וּטְרֵפָה

מִן הָעוֹף וּמִן הַבְּהֵמָה

לֹא יֹאכְלוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים: פ

In memory of my father, Peter Rozenberg, z"l

לעילוי נשמת אבי מורי פנחס בן נתן נטע ז''ל