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Nowadays, what are the obligations of a Kohen?

by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg


Library » Jewish Identity » Kohains and Levites » The Holy Tribe | Subscribe | What is RSS?


Many of the practical aspects of being a Kohen no longer apply today, for there is no Holy Temple where the Kohen performs the daily service as the representative of all Jews. However the Kohen still retains his lofty spiritual status and many of the laws which govern a Kohen remain intact.

The following are several of the rules which affect a Kohen:

1. The Kohen is G-d's emissary to bless all the Jews during the Musaf prayer of every festival (and every Shabbat in the Land of Israel, and every day in Jerusalem).

2. The Kohen receives the first Aliyah to the Torah.

3. The Kohen is supposed to be honored whenever possible (i.e. served first, honored with leading the Grace After Meals, etc.).

4. A Kohen may not marry certain women (see Can a Kohen or Levite get married to any Jewish woman?).

5. A Kohen may not become impure by contact with a corpse or enter a cemetery (exceptions are made for the funeral of immediate relatives).
[A corpse emits a spiritual "impurity." A Kohen is supposed to maintain a high level of kedusha (holiness) and is therefore forbidden from coming in contact with a grave or body.]

6. An Israelite firstborn son must be redeemed from G-d by giving the Kohen the equivalent of five Shekels.

The daughter of a Kohen (Bat Kohen), although not included in the above rules, also has an elevated status. She should preferably marry a Kohen or a Torah scholar.


Grace After Meals
Literally means to rise up. Has two popular meanings: 1. Being called up to the Torah scroll and recite the blessings when the Torah is being read. 2. To emigrate to the Holy Land.
The additional prayer service added (after the morning prayers) on Sabbath, Biblically mandated holidays and the first day of the Jewish month.