Tum'a of a Kohen

Our parsha begins with the warning to Kohanim that they must not defile themselves through contact or proximity to a dead person. The exception is that they may – and indeed must – defile themselves in mourning for their closest relatives (Vayikra 21:1-3).

PROHIBITION ON A KOHEN TO BECOME TAMEI

The prohibition for a Kohen to become defiled through the tum'a of a corpse is a natural extension of the prohibition for any person to enter the area of the Mikdash when he is defiled in this way. Both prohibitions reflect the special role of the Mikdash in the world.

The divine Presence, the Shechina, is like the soul of the world. The world without holiness, like the human body without its Divinely-given soul, is just a meaningless collection of matter. Just as the soul doesn’t dwell equally in every part of the body but rather is particularly focused in the brain, so the world’s holiness is focused in the Mikdash.

To emphasize the fact that the Mikdash is the embodiment of life, of matter which is enlivened by holiness, we must keep away from it when we are affected by contact with death, matter which has been emptied of holiness.

The Kohanim are singled out by HaShem to serve in the Mikdash; they should keep themselves constantly in a state of purity which makes them fit for this duty. The Midrash Tanchuma on our parsha likens the Kohen to a servant who is constantly in the presence of the king in the palace; this supports the idea that the prohibition on defilement of the Kohanim is due to the fact that they are constantly called on to serve G-d in the Mikdash.

FUSION OF MATTER AND SPIRIT

Even a Kohen who is not defiled may not serve in the Mikdash at the beginning of his mourning period, known as aninut (Vayikra 21:12 and Rashi). This is one example of an important principle in G-d’s service.

Many aspects of the Temple service exemplify that holiness is not merely a “guest” in the material world, but is rooted in the world and fused with it. For instance, Kohanim can not serve when they are drunk, because intoxication separates a person from the world. (This contrasts with pagan religions in which intoxication is often an essential part of the priest’s service.) They must be barefoot, demonstrating that while their head is in the clouds, concentrating on the sublime import of their task, their feet are on the ground. (Indeed, removing shoes is a sign of awe of the Mikdash for all – Rambam Beit HaBechira 7:2.)

Grief also tends to preoccupy us and attenuate our emotional connection with our environment. So a Kohen in this state may not serve in the Mikdash.

These laws should remind us that ideally we also should serve HaShem through connection with the world, and not through severing ourselves from it.

DEFILING FOR RELATIVES

While a Kohen may not be defiled for an unrelated person, he must defile himself as part of mourning for a close relative (Vayikra 21:3 and Rashi). Many commentators view this mitzva as the source of a general Torah obligation to mourn (Chinukh 264).

This law hints at a profound connection between mourning and tuma.

In our column on parshat Yitro, we explained (in the name of Rav Aryeh Kaplan z"l) that immersion in a mikveh, which is a means of purification, has a more general message of renewing or transforming the self. For example, immersion is an essential part of conversion (SA YD 268); it is also an important adjunct to certain kinds of repentance, which is why we immerse before Yom Kippur (MB 606:21).

Renewal and repentance are also a recurring theme in the laws of mourning. Mourning moves us to introspection, and helps us internalize the meaning of life. “It is better to go to a place of mourning than to a place of rejoicing; for this is the end of every person, and the living will take it to heart” (Mishlei 7:2).

The missing loved one is an inherent part of the old personality of the mourner; his or departure compels the mourning relative to take stock and create a new self. We can find this symbolism in the mourner’s obligation to tear his clothes, discarding his old persona and ultimately creating a new one – especially in the case of mourning for a parent, when the old clothes may never be repaired (see last year’s column on Shemini). Growing the hair and then cutting it in response to rebuke has a similar message.

For the Kohen, defilement for a dead relative amounts to an actual alteration of his personal status, since when defiled he can not serve in the Mikdash, nor eat trumah or challah. So this change is an integral part of the overall process of mourning, in which the mourner’s self is undermined and then recreated. This idea is extended to all of us: the mourner should not resist the feeling that the death of a relative undermines his identity; rather, he should acknowledge this fact and use it to gradually rebuild his identity in the new reality created by his loss.