Misplaced Pages

#839160

56-711: The Kohathites were one of the four main divisions among the Levites in biblical times, the other three being the Gershonites , the Merarites , and the Aaronites (more commonly known as Kohanim). The Bible claims that the Kohathites were all descended from the eponymous Kohath , a son of Levi . The Torah ascribes a specific religious function to the Kohathites, namely care of the vessels and objects within

112-744: A Bat-Kohen , regardless of the child's father's tribe or the mother's marital status, retain the traditional exemption for their children from the requirement of being redeemed through the Pidyon HaBen . Conservative Judaism permits a Bat Levi to perform essentially all the rituals a male Levi would perform, including being called to the Torah for the Levite aliyah in those Conservative synagogues which have both retained traditional tribal roles and modified traditional gender roles. In Israel, Conservative/Masorti Judaism has not extended Torah honors either to

168-474: A bat kohen (daughter of a kohen) or bat levi (daughter of a Levite) to participate in nesiat kapayim because the practice is a direct continuation of the Temple ritual, and should be performed by those who would authentically be eligible to do so in the Temple. Customs differ if a Kohen under Bar Mitzvah can recite the blessing together with an adult Cohen. Blessings based on the priestly blessing are used in

224-717: A bat kohen may deliver the blessing; another view holds that a bat kohen is not permitted to participate in the Priestly Blessing because it is a continuation of a Temple ritual that women were not eligible to perform. Conservative Judaism has also lifted some of the restrictions on Kohanim including prohibited marriages. The Masorti movement in Israel, and some Conservative congregations in North America, require male kohanim as well, and retain restrictions on Kohanim. In Liberal (and American Reform) congregations,

280-558: A "Middle Eastern origin of the Ashkenazi Levite lineage based on what was previously a relatively limited number of reported samples, can now be considered firmly validated", precising that a "rich variation of haplogroup R1a outside of Europe which is phylogenetically separate from the typically European R1a branches", referring to the R1a-Y2619 sub-clade. Having a last name of Levi or a related term does not necessarily mean

336-511: A Jewish mother, in the traditional manner, or it does not exist and is not conferred at all. Some Levites have adopted a related last name to signify their status. Because of diverse geographical locations, the names have several variations: The following are some Levites with non-Levite-like last names in modern times: Priestly Blessing The Priestly Blessing or priestly benediction ( Hebrew : ברכת כהנים ; translit. birkat kohanim ), also known in rabbinic literature as raising of

392-530: A Kohen is not present), the text of the prayer is recited by the hazzan instead, without any special chant or gestures. At the beginning of the Jewish ceremony, Levites in the congregation wash the hands of the Kohanim and the Kohanim remove their shoes (if they are unable to remove their shoes without using their hands, the shoes are removed prior to the washing) and go to the area (often elevated) in front of

448-468: A bat Kohen or to a bat Levi. In 1938, with the outbreak of violence that would come to be known as Kristallnacht , American Orthodox rabbi Menachem HaKohen Risikoff wrote about the central role he saw for Priests and Levites in terms of Jewish and world responses, in worship, liturgy, and teshuva , repentance. In The Priests and the Levites (1940), he stressed that members of these groups exist in

504-400: A child, he peeked from under his father's tallit and saw the gesture; many years later, when introducing the character of Mr. Spock, he and series creator Gene Roddenberry thought a physical component should accompany the verbal "Live long and prosper" greeting. The Jewish priestly gesture looked sufficiently alien and mysterious, and became part of Star Trek lore. Leonard Cohen , who

560-742: A distinctive founder event within R1a, the most prevalent Y-chromosome haplogroup in Eastern Europe. Here we report the analysis of 16 whole R1 sequences and show that a set of 19 unique nucleotide substitutions defines the Ashkenazi R1a lineage. While our survey of one of these, M582, in 2,834 R1a samples reveals its absence in 922 Eastern Europeans, we show it is present in all sampled R1a Ashkenazi Levites, as well as in 33.8% of other R1a Ashkenazi Jewish males and 5.9% of 303 R1a Near Eastern males, where it shows considerably higher diversity. Moreover,

616-627: A lesser though somewhat distinct status within Judaism , and are bound by additional restrictions according to Orthodox Judaism . During the Priestly Blessing , the Levites traditionally wash the hands of the Kohanim prior to the blessing of the House of Israel. ("A first-born son washes the Kohen's hands if there is no Levite". ) In Orthodox Judaism, children of a Bat Levi, like those of

SECTION 10

#1732772767840

672-405: A person is a Levite, and many well-known Levites do not have such last names. Levitical status is passed down in families from father to child born from a Jewish mother, as part of a family's genealogical tradition. Tribal status of Levite is determined by patrilineal descent , so a child whose biological father is a Levite (in cases of adoption or artificial insemination, status is determined by

728-428: A restoration of the Temple as a house of worship and in some special role for Levites, although not the ancient sacrificial system as previously practised—recognizes Levites as having special status. Not all Conservative congregations call Kohanim and Levites to the first and second reading of the Torah , and many no longer perform rituals such as the Priestly Blessing and Pidyon HaBen in which Kohanim and Levites have

784-514: A special role. Reconstructionist and Reform Judaism do not observe distinctions between Kohanim, Levites, and other Jews . The Kohanim are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the biblical Aaron of the Tribe of Levi . The origins of the name/term "Levy" in Hebrew remain unclear. Some hypotheses link this name with the Hebrew root lwh ,

840-724: A time close to the initial formation and settlement of the Ashkenazi community as a possible explanation. As Nebel, Behar and Goldstein speculate: although neither the NRY haplogroup composition of the majority of Ashkenazi Jews nor the microsatellite haplotype composition of the R1a1 haplogroup within Ashkenazi Levites is consistent with a major Khazar or other European origin, as has been speculated by some authors (Baron 1957; Dunlop 1967; Ben-Sasson 1976; Keys 1999), one cannot rule out

896-540: Is customary for the Kohanim to raise their hands and recite an extended musical chant without words before reciting the last word of each phrase; in the Western Ashkenazic rite, there is a short chant before each word (except for the name of God), and usually the chazzan will begin a tune when he prompts the kohanim, who will then continue (rather than repeat) the tune. There are different tunes for this chant in different communities. Aside from its pleasant sound,

952-713: Is found at the highest levels among people of Eastern European descent, with 50 to 65% among Sorbs , Poles , Russians , and Ukrainians . In South Asia , R1a1a has often been observed with high frequency in a number of demographic groups, reaching over 70% in West Bengal Brahmins in India and among the Mohani people in Sindh , Pakistan. Behar's data suggested a founding event, involving an 'introgression' of anywhere from one to fifty non-Jewish European men, occurring at

1008-481: Is not customary to this chant on a daily basis; some do so on Festivals as they would outside of Israel. In Conservative Judaism , the majority of congregations do not perform the priestly blessing ceremony, but some do. In some American Conservative congregations that perform the ceremony, a bat kohen (daughter of a priest) can perform it as well. The Conservative movement's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards has approved two opposing positions: One view holds that

1064-476: Is only one Kohan performing the blessings, he starts the blessing over performing the blessings without any prompting from the congregation; the hazzan then continues as normal. In the Yemenite tradition when there is a solitary Kohen, he says the first word of the blessing without prompting after having said the preparatory blessing. During the course of the blessing, the hands of the Kohanim are spread out over

1120-595: Is that on these days Kohanim cannot drink alcohol prior to the ceremony. In the Diaspora in Ashkenazic Orthodox communities, as well as some Sephardic communities such as many Spanish and Portuguese Jews , the Jewish ceremony is performed only on Pesach , Shavuot , Sukkot , Shemini Atzeret , Rosh Hashanah , and Yom Kippur . This Ashkenazic practice is based on a ruling by the Remoh , who argued that

1176-682: The Kohanim recite the Priestly Blessing . Since Levites (and Kohanim) are traditionally pledged to Divine service, there is no Pidyon HaBen (redemption of the firstborn) ceremony for: Orthodox Judaism believes in the eventual rebuilding of a Temple in Jerusalem and a resumption of the Levitical role. A small number of schools, primarily in Israel , train priests and Levites in their respective roles. Conservative Judaism —which believes in

SECTION 20

#1732772767840

1232-572: The Torah , Aaron blessed the people, and YHWH promises that "They (the Priests) will place my name on the Children of Israel (the Priests will bless the people), and I will bless them". Chazal stressed that although the priests are the ones carrying out the blessing, it is not they or the ceremonial practice of raising their hands that results in the blessing, but rather it is God's desire that

1288-520: The Torah ark at the front of the synagogue. The use of a platform is implied in Leviticus 9:22. They cover their heads with their tallitot , recite the blessing over the performance of the mitzvah , turn to face the congregation, and then the hazzan slowly and melodiously recites the three verse blessing, with the Kohanim repeating it word by word after him. After each verse, the congregation responds Amen . If there are more than one Kohen performing

1344-545: The landed tribes were expected to support the Levites with a tithe ( Numbers 18:21–25 ), particularly the tithe known as the First tithe , ma'aser rishon . The Kohanim , a subset of the Levites, were the priests, who performed the work of holiness in the Temple. The Levites, referring to those who were not Kohanim, were specifically assigned to: When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan ( Joshua 13:33 ),

1400-625: The Aramaic root lwy , or the Arabic root lwy . The noun kohen is used in the Torah to refer to priests , both Israelite and non-Israelite, such as the Israelite nation as a whole, as well as the priests (Hebrew kohanim ) of Baal . During the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem , Kohanim performed the daily and holiday ( Yom Tov ) duties of sacrificial offerings . Today kohanim retain

1456-517: The Divine Presence would shine through the fingers of the priests as they blessed the people, and no one was allowed to look at this out of respect for God. In those congregation where the custom is to give the blessing during the week; with "five openings", traditionally linked to the verse in Song of Songs (2.8–9), where it is said that God "peeks through" the latticework, or the cracks in

1512-518: The Kohanim were commanded to bless the people "with joy", and that Kohanim in the diaspora could not be expected to feel joyful except on the above-mentioned holidays where all Jews are commanded to feel joy. Many German communities perform the blessing in Shaharit, Musaf, and (on Yom Kippur) in Neilah. Eastern European congregations only perform it at Musaf. Spanish and Portuguese Jews generally perform

1568-530: The M582 lineage also occurs at low frequencies in non-Ashkenazi Jewish populations. In contrast to the previously suggested Eastern European origin for Ashkenazi Levites, the current data are indicative of a geographic source of the Levite founder lineage in the Near East and its likely presence among pre-Diaspora Hebrews. In a later 2017 study Behar et al. revised their initially mitigated position, concluding that

1624-619: The Sons of Levi were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners "because the Lord the God of Israel Himself is their inheritance" ( Deuteronomy 18:2 ). In modern times, Levites are integrated in Jewish communities, but keep a distinct status. There are estimated 300,000 Levites among Ashkenazi Jewish communities, and a similar number among Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews combined. The total percentage of Levites among

1680-711: The Y-chromosome by Behar et al. pointed to multiple origins for Ashkenazi Levites, who comprise approximately 4% among the Ashkenazi Jews. It found that Haplogroup R1a1a (R-M17), uncommon in the Middle East or among Sephardic Jews , is present in over 50% of Ashkenazi Levites, while the rest of Ashkenazi Levites' paternal lineage is of certain Middle Eastern origin, including Y-chromosome haplogroups E3b, J2, F, R1b, K, I, Q, N and L. Haplogroup R1a1a

1736-504: The biblical prohibition against a Kohen with hands that are disfigured in any way from offering the blessing. The rabbis softened this prohibition by saying that a Kohen with disfigured hands to which the community had become accustomed could bless. In later centuries, the practice became for all Kohanim to cover their hands so that any disfigurement would not be seen by the Congregation. This gave rise to folklore that one should not see

Kohathites - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-720: The blessing is specified in Numbers 6:22–27 : "And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: This is the oldest known Biblical text that has been found; amulets with these verses written on them have been found in graves at Ketef Hinnom , dating from the First Temple Period . The triple invocation of YHWH in the three verses gave rise to various interpretations, which connect them to the three Patriarchs ( Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob ), or to three attributes of God : Mercy, Courage, and Glory. Extrabiblical evidence such as

1848-535: The blessing only in Shaharit. On Simchat Torah , some communities recite it during Musaf, and others during Shacharit, to enable Kohanim to eat or drink during the Torah reading between Shacharit and Musaf. Customs vary as to whether the blessing is delivered outside Israel on a holiday when it falls on Shabbat. When the blessing is omitted from a prayer in which it could be recited (on weekdays and Shabbat in Ashkenazic diaspora communities, or in any community if

1904-500: The blessing should be symbolised by the Kohanim's hands. Even after the destruction of the Second Temple , the practice has been continued in Jewish synagogues , and today in most Jewish communities, Kohanim bless the worshippers in the synagogue during shacharit prayer services. Leviticus 9:22 and Deuteronomy 10:8 and 21:5 mention Aaron or the other priests blessing the Israelites . The text to be used for

1960-567: The blessing to the concept of death. Although specific words in the Priestly Blessing are commonly found in the Bible, the syntactic sequences in which they occur suggest parallels not to other biblical passages, but to blessing inscriptions from late Iron Age southern Levant. In particular, it has been suggested that the enigmatic instruction to "put [YHWH's] name on the Israelites" in Numbers 6:27 reflects an ancient practice of physically wearing

2016-483: The blessings then they wait until someone in the congregation calls out "Kohanim" before starting the blessing over performing the blessings (in some Ashkenazic and Chassidic communities, the Chazzan himself will recite "eloheinu velohei ovoteinu barkheinu ba-berekhah hamushulshet", sometimes in an undertone, until he gets to the word "kohanim", which he calls out); the hazzan then continues the procedure. However, if there

2072-586: The ceremony is performed during the Ne'ila service as well. On fast days other than Yom Kippur, it is performed at Mincha , if said in the late afternoon; when Mincha is recited earlier in the afternoon, most communities in Jerusalem omit the blessing, but in Bene Berak it is generally recited in accordance with the ruling of the Chazon Ish . The reason for offering the blessing in the afternoon only on fast days

2128-523: The chant is done so that the congregation may silently offer certain prayers containing individual requests of God after each of the three blessings of the Kohanim. Because supplications of this nature are not permitted on Shabbat , in Eastern Ashkenazic communities, the chant is also not done on Shabbat. In Western Ashkenazic communities, it is done as normal on the Sabbath. In Israel, it

2184-579: The concept of the priesthood has been largely abandoned , along with other familial ( caste ) and gender distinctions. Thus, this blessing is usually omitted or simply read by the hazzan . North American Reform Jews omit the Musaf service, as do most other liberal communities, and so if they choose to include the priestly blessing, it is usually appended to the end of the Shacharit Amidah. Some congregations, especially Reconstructionist ones, have

2240-435: The congregation. In most communities, the custom (based on Kabbalah) is to spread the fingers of both hands so as to make five spaces between them; the spaces are (1) between the ring finger and middle finger of each hand, (2) between the index finger and thumb of each hand, and (3) the two thumbs touch each other at the knuckle and the aperture is the space above or below the touching knuckles. The Kohen raises his hands, with

2296-529: The custom of the congregation spreading their tallitot over each other and blessing each other that way. This custom was started when Montreal Reconstructionist rabbi Lavy Becker saw children in Pisa , Italy , run under their fathers' tallitot for the blessing, and he brought it home to his congregation. Some congregations alter the grammar so that the blessing is read in the first person plural: "May God bless us and keep us..." Orthodox Judaism does not permit

Kohathites - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-582: The deity's name and blessing for protection against evil. As with many Jewish practices, customs regarding many of the above points may vary widely between countries, communities, and even synagogues. Among Jews in Israel (except in Galilee ), and among most Sephardic Jews worldwide, the ceremony is performed every day during the repetition of the Shacharit Amidah , and it is repeated on Mussaf on days that include this prayer. On Yom Kippur ,

2408-408: The genetic father), is also considered a Levite. Jewish status is determined by matrilineal descent, thus conferring levitical status onto children requires both biological parents to be Israelites and the biological father to be a Levite. Accordingly, there is currently no branch of Judaism that regards levitical status as conferrable by matrilineal descent. It is either conferrable patrilineally with

2464-549: The hands (Hebrew nesiat kapayim ), rising to the platform (Hebrew aliyah ledukhan ), dukhenen (Yiddish from the Hebrew word dukhan – platform – because the blessing is given from a raised rostrum), or duchening , is a Hebrew prayer recited by Kohanim (the Hebrew Priests, descendants of Aaron ). The text of the blessing is found in Numbers 6:23–27 . It is also known as the Aaronic blessing . According to

2520-407: The hands of the Kohen or even that harm would befall someone who sees the hands of the Kohen. Some congregants will even turn their backs to the Kohanim so as to avoid any possibility of seeing their hands—although this practice is unsupported by any rabbinic source, and in fact the halacha says that those who face away from the Kohanim are not included in the blessing. In some Jewish communities, it

2576-558: The important contribution of a single or a few founders among contemporary Ashkenazi Levites." A 2013 paper by Siiri Rootsi et al. confirmed a Near or Middle Eastern origin for all Ashkenazi Levites, including the R1a Y-chromosome carriers, and refuted the Khazar hypothesis of Ashkenazi ancestry : Previous Y-chromosome studies have demonstrated that Ashkenazi Levites, members of a paternally inherited Jewish Levite caste, display

2632-603: The liturgy of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In Christian contexts, the Priestly Blessing is generally known as "The Benediction", and often finishes a service. Settings of the text include: In the mid-1960s, actor Leonard Nimoy , who was raised in a traditional Jewish home, used a single-handed version of this gesture to create the Vulcan salute for his character, Spock , on Star Trek . He has explained that while attending Orthodox services as

2688-428: The palms facing downward and the thumbs of his outspread hands touching. The four fingers on each hand are customarily split into two sets of two fingers each (thus forming the letter Shin (שׁ), an emblem for Shaddai , "Almighty [God]"), or sometimes they are arranged to form an overlapping lattice of 'windows.' This Jewish ceremony is sometimes called Nesiat Kapayim, the "lifting of the hands." The Jewish tradition states

2744-434: The realm between history (below) and redemption (above), and must act in a unique way to help move others to prayer and action, and help bring an end to suffering. He wrote, "Today, we also are living through a time of flood, Not of water, but of a bright fire, which burns and turns Jewish life into ruin. We are now drowning in a flood of blood. ... Through the Kohanim and Levi'im help will come to all Israel." A 2003 study of

2800-618: The reign of Solomon , and archaeological excavation of the site has shown that shortly prior to the Babylonian captivity it was still the site of a large temple to the Canaanite deity Astarte . However, a closer reading of the book of Judges reveals that the Canaanite peoples conquered by the invading Israelite tribes were often not completely subdued. The disputed territory was assigned to an individual or tribe, before any conquest

2856-767: The sanctuary: the Ark of the Covenant , Menorah , Table of Showbread . According to the Book of Joshua , rather than possessing a continuous territory, the Kohathites possessed several cities scattered throughout the geographic region in the Kingdom of Israel south of the Jezreel Valley , and in the region north of the Galilee , the latter being an extremely large distance apart from the former: The narrative in Joshua assigns

SECTION 50

#1732772767840

2912-408: The territories to the Levites right after Joshua 's conquest of Canaan , but some scholars believe this cannot be correct, as it is contradicted by archaeological evidence, as well as by other narratives in the Book of Judges , the Books of Samuel , and the Books of Kings ; Gezer, for example, is portrayed in the narrative of the Book of Kings as only coming into the possession of the Levites during

2968-497: The two silver Iron Age amulets found at Ketef Hinnom, contemporary Phoenician and Punic amulets and bands, and blessing inscriptions from the southern Levant have shown that the language of the Priestly Blessing derived from a broader tradition of apotropaic text, which was often inscribed on metal and worn in order to provide protection against evil. Variations of this blessing are frequently encountered in mortuary and religious settings, foreshadowing early Jewish commentaries linking

3024-414: The wall. However, on Shabbot and Yom Tov it is customary to spread all fingers apart. Each kohen's tallit is draped over his head and hands so that the congregation cannot see his hands while the blessing is said. Performing the Jewish ceremony of the priestly blessing is known in Yiddish as duchening , a reference to the bimah on which the blessing is said. The tradition of covering the hands stems from

3080-430: The wider Jewish population is about 4%. Today, Levites in Orthodox Judaism continue to have additional rights and obligations compared to lay people, although these responsibilities have diminished with the destruction of the Temple . For instance, Kohanim are eligible to be called to the Torah first, followed by the Levites. Levites also provide assistance to the Kohanim , particularly washing their hands, before

3136-461: Was undertaken (e.g., Caleb's inheritance in Joshua 14). A major theme of the book of Judges is that the disorder portrayed in the book is a direct consequence of Israel lacking the will to finish the job of conquest, allowing their enemies to dwell in their midst. Levite The Tribe of Levi served particular religious duties for the Israelites and had political (administering cities of refuge) and educational responsibilities as well. In return,

#839160