276. Mumm-Ra: The prohibition against a kohein with a temporary defect serving

Not only a kohein with a permanent condition is barred from service; even a kohein with a temporary condition is barred until it passes. The reason for this is the same as in the case of the kohein with a permanent defect: people will stare. They’ll be so distracted by some uncommon physical feature of the kohein that they won’t concentrate on the service he’s performing on their behalf.

While kohanim with physical blemishes could not offer the sacrifices, they were still kohanim. They were given other jobs to do in the Temple and they could still eat from the offerings.

This mitzvah applies in Temple times. It is discussed in the Talmud in tractate Bechoros (43a-45b) and is codified in the Mishneh Torah in the sixth chapter of Hilchos Biyas HaMikdash. It is #71 of the 365 negative mitzvos in the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos. The Ramban (Nachmanides) does not count this as a separate mitzvah; he includes this as a detail of the general prohibition against a kohein with a defect serving (Mitzvah #275).