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47-631: Kahen or Kohane ( Ge'ez : ካህን kahən "priest", plural ካህናት kahənat ) is a religious role in Beta Israel second only to the monk or falasyan . Their duty is to maintain and preserve the Haymanot among the people. This has become more difficult by the people's encounter with the modernity of Israel , where most of the Ethiopian Jewish people now live. The high priest ( ሊቀ ካህን liqa kahən , plural ሊቃነ ካህናት liqanä kahhənat )

94-636: A (male) kohen. As a result, some Conservative synagogues permit a kohen's daughter to perform the Priestly Blessing and the Pidyon HaBen ceremony, and to receive the first aliyah during the Torah reading. Because most Reform and Reconstructionist temples have abolished traditional tribal distinctions, roles, and identities on grounds of egalitarianism, a special status for a bat kohen has very little significance in these movements. Since

141-641: A 24-week cycle, with all divisions eligible to serve on holidays. According to the Talmud , this was an expansion of a previous division, by Moses, into 8 (or 16) divisions. Following the destruction of the Second Temple , and the displacement to the Galilee of the bulk of the remaining Jewish population after the Bar Kokhba revolt , Jewish tradition in the Talmud and poems from the period record that

188-417: A corpse (within the same room, at a cemetery, and elsewhere), except when the deceased is his immediate family member. Some Jewish cemeteries have special facilities to permit kohanim to participate in funerals or visit graves without becoming impure. The presumption of priestly descent is used to help identify kohanim. Other Jews are commanded to respect the priesthood in certain ways. One of these ways

235-573: A kohen and a divorced woman. This is the attitude of the Israeli rabbinate , with the result that a kohen cannot legally marry a divorced or converted woman in the State of Israel . (However, if such a marriage were performed outside Israel, it would be recognized as a valid marriage by the Israeli state. ) Conservative Judaism has issued an emergency takanah (rabbinical edict) temporarily suspending

282-405: A kohen did have relations with any of these women, the offspring are described as "profaned" (male: challal , female: challalah ); their status is nearly identical to a normal Jew, while the challalah herself is one of the categories which a kohen may not marry. Rape poses an especially poignant problem. The pain experienced by the families of kohanim who were required to divorce their wives as

329-413: A male or female slave, these may be believed. But no man may be believed for himself. Rabbi Zechariah ben Hakatsab said, "By this Temple, her hand did not stir from my hand from the time the non-Jews entered Jerusalem until they went out." They said to him: No man may give evidence of himself. Orthodox Judaism recognizes these rules as still binding, and Orthodox rabbis will not perform a marriage between

376-462: Is that priests (and in their absence, occasionally Levites) are the first offered the opportunity to lead Birkat Hamazon . Unlike the general rule for aliyot, this offer - which is only a requirement according to some Rabbinic opinions - may be declined. There are other rules regarding the honoring of kohanim, even in the absence of the Temple, but generally these are waived (if they are even offered) by

423-508: Is the leader of the priests in a certain area. An aspiring kahen must spend time studying as a debtera before being ordained. As a debtera, he will be closer to the laypeople and serve as an intermediary between them and the clergy. Upon becoming a kahen, he will no longer perform the services of a debtera, though he may take them up again if he gives up his position or is deposed. The term qäsis ( Ge'ez : ቀሲስ , Amharic : ቄስ qes ; Tigrinya : ቀሺ qäši ), which refers to married priest in

470-610: Is used in the Bible to refer to priests , whether Jewish or pagan (such as the kohanim of Baal or Dagon ), although Christian priests are referred to in modern Hebrew by the term komer ( כומר ‎). Kohanim can also refer to the Jewish nation as a whole, as in Exodus 19:6 , where the whole of Israel is addressed as a "priestly kingdom (or: kingdom of priests) and a holy nation". In Targum Yonatan , interpretive translations of

517-751: The Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches , is a synonym for kahen, an unmarried priest, among the Beta Israel. With the aliyah of Beta Israel to Israel, the Amharic "qes" Hebraized was translated as Kes ( Hebrew : קס or קייס , plural קסים or קייסים Kesim ). Kohen During the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem (and previously the Tabernacle ), kohanim performed

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564-592: The Priestly Blessing . When the Temple existed, most sacrifices and offerings could only be conducted by priests. Non-priest Levites (i.e. those who descended from Levi but not from Aaron) performed a variety of other Temple roles, including ritual slaughter of sacrificial animals, song service by use of voice and musical instruments, and various tasks in assisting the priests in performing their service. The kohanim were not granted any ancestral land to own. Instead, they were compensated for their service to

611-595: The Sinai Peninsula of Egypt . It is one of several locations claimed to be the biblical Mount Sinai , the place where, according to the Torah , Bible , and Quran , Moses received the Ten Commandments . It is a 2,285-meter (7,497 ft), moderately high mountain near the city of Saint Catherine in the region known today as the Sinai Peninsula . It is surrounded on all sides by higher peaks in

658-433: The Tabernacle : "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for dignity and for beauty". These garments are described in Exodus 28 , Exodus 39 and Leviticus 8 . The high priest wore eight holy garments ( bigdei kodesh ). Of these, four were of the same type worn by all priests and four were unique to the high priest. Those vestments which were common to all priests were: The vestments that were unique to

705-412: The Torah reading is performed in synagogue, it is divided into a number of sections. Traditionally, a kohen (if one is present) is called for the first section ( aliyah ), a Levite for the second reading, and an "Israelite" (non-kohen, non-levite) for all succeeding portions. If no Levite is present, the kohen is called for the second aliyah as well. The Maftir portion may be given to someone from any of

752-402: The Y chromosome is inherited only from one's father (biological females have no Y chromosome), all direct male lineages share a common haplotype . Thus, if kohanim share a direct male lineage to Aaron, one would expect to see a high level of commonality among their Y chromosomes . Since 1997, a number of genetic studies have been done on this topic, using testing data from across sectors of

799-402: The original Star Trek television series . Nimoy, raised an Orthodox Jew (but not a kohen), used the salute when saying, "Live long and prosper." Mount Sinai Mount Sinai ( Hebrew : הַר סִינָֽי ‎ Har Sīnay ; Aramaic : ܛܘܪܐ ܕܣܝܢܝ Ṭūrāʾ dəSīnăy ; Coptic : Ⲡⲧⲟⲟⲩ Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), also known as Jabal Musa ( Arabic : جَبَل مُوسَىٰ , translation: Mountain of Moses), is a mountain on

846-491: The priestly covenant . Many commentators assert that the firstborns lost their status due to their participation in the golden calf sin. A number of reasons have been suggested for why Aaron and his descendants were chosen instead: Moses , too, performed sacrificial services before the completion of Aaron's consecration, and arguably is once called a "priest" in the Bible, but his descendants were not priests. Since Aaron

893-533: The sin of arrogance on the part of the Children of Israel ( B . Zevachim 88b) and she also symbolizes that the high priest bears the lack of all the offerings and gifts of the sons of Israel. And it must be constantly on his head for the good pleasure of God towards them ( Exodus 28:38 ). Numerous Biblical passages attest to the role of the priests in teaching Torah to the people and in issuing judgment. Later rabbinic statements elaborate on these roles. However,

940-435: The Jewish and non-Jewish populations. The results of these studies have been interpreted by various parties as either confirming or disproving the traditions of uniform descent. As both kohen status and (in many societies) last names are patrilineal, there is often a relationship between the two. But this is not always the case: although descendants of kohanim often bear surnames that reflect their genealogy, many families with

987-593: The Temple sacrificial offerings , which were only permitted to be offered by them. Following its destruction , it seems that most of them joined the Synagogal Jewish movement before adopting gradually Rabbinic Judaism or Christianity . Today, kohanim retain a lesser though distinct status within Rabbinic and Karaite Judaism , including certain honors and restrictions. In the Samaritan community,

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1034-462: The Temple, and would immerse in a mikvah before vesting, and wash his hands and his feet before performing any sacred act. The Talmud teaches that priests were only fit to perform their duties when wearing their priestly vestments, and that the vestments achieve atonement for sin , just as sacrifices do. According to the Talmud , the wearing of the Priestly golden head plate atoned for

1081-434: The adjacent Wād Ṭuwā ( Valley of Tuwa), it is considered as being muqaddas ( sacred ), and a part of it is called Al-Buqʿah Al-Mubārakah ("The blessed Place"). It is the place where Musa spoke to his Lord. There are two principal routes to the summit. The longer and shallower route, Siket El Bashait , takes about 2.5 hours on foot, though camels can be used. The steeper, more direct route ( Siket Sayidna Musa )

1128-408: The age of twenty or thirty. There was no mandatory retirement age. Only when a kohen became physically infirm could he no longer serve. A kohen may become disqualified from performing his service for a host of reasons, including ritual impurity , prohibited marriages, and certain physical blemishes. The kohen is never permanently disqualified from service, but may return to his normal duties once

1175-400: The application of the rules in their entirety, on the grounds that the high intermarriage rate threatens the survival of Judaism, and, hence, that any marriage between Jews is welcomed. The takanah declares that the offspring of such marriages are to be regarded as kohanim. To this day, kohanim keep the prohibition ( Leviticus 21:1–4 ) against becoming ritually impure through proximity to

1222-457: The descendants of each priestly watch established a separate residential seat in towns and villages of the Galilee, and maintained this residential pattern for at least several centuries in anticipation of the reconstruction of the Temple and reinstitution of the cycle of priestly courses. In subsequent years, there was a custom of publicly recalling every Shabbat in the synagogues the courses of

1269-609: The disqualification ceases. Since the destruction of the Second Temple , Jewish priests have not performed sacrificial services. However, they retain a formal and public ceremonial role in synagogue prayer services, as well as some other unique religious duties and privileges. These special roles have been maintained in Orthodox Judaism , and sometimes in Conservative Judaism . Reform Judaism does not afford any special status or recognition to kohanim. When

1316-550: The high priest were: In addition to the above "golden garments", the high priest also had a set of white "linen garments" ( bigdei ha-bad ) which he wore only for the Yom Kippur Temple service . The linen garments were only four in number, corresponding to the garments worn by all priests (undergarments, tunic, sash and turban), but made only of white linen, with no embroidery. They could be worn only once, new sets being made each year. A priest would serve barefoot in

1363-514: The kohanim have remained the primary religious leaders. Ethiopian Jewish religious leaders are called kahen , and do similar works to the kohanim. The word kohen originally derives from a Semitic root common at least to the Central Semitic languages . In the ancient polytheistic religion of Phoenicia , the word for priest was khn ( 𐤊𐤄𐤍 ‎). The cognate Arabic word كاهن ( kāhin ) means "priest". The noun kohen

1410-538: The kohen. Kohen is a status that traditionally refers to men, passed from father to son. However, a bat kohen (the daughter of a priest) holds a special status in the Hebrew Bible and rabbinical texts . She is entitled to a number of rights and is encouraged to abide by specified requirements, for example, entitlement to consume some of the priestly gifts , and an increased value for her ketubah . In modern times, Orthodox and many Conservative rabbis maintain

1457-675: The legal right to constitute the Presiding Bishopric under the authority of the First Presidency ( Section 68:16–20 ). To date, all men who have served on the Presiding Bishopric have been Melchizedek priesthood holders, and none have been publicly identified as descendants of Aaron. See also Mormonism and Judaism . The positioning of the kohen's hands during the Priestly Blessing was Leonard Nimoy 's inspiration for Mr. Spock's Vulcan salute in

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1504-754: The mountain range of which it is a part. For example, it lies next to Mount Catherine which, at 2,629 m or 8,625 ft, is the highest peak in Egypt . Mount Sinai's rocks were formed during the late stage of the evolution of the Arabian-Nubian Shield . Mount Sinai displays a ring complex that consists of alkaline granites intruded into diverse rock types, including volcanics . The granites range in composition from syenogranite to alkali feldspar granite. The volcanic rocks are alkaline to peralkaline, and they are represented by subaerial flows and eruptions and subvolcanic porphyry . Generally,

1551-521: The nation and in the Temple through the twenty-four kohanic gifts . Most of these gifts are related to Temple sacrifices, or else the agricultural produce of the Land of Israel (such as terumah ). A notable gift which is given even in the Jewish diaspora is the five shekels of the pidyon haben ceremony. The Torah provides for specific vestments to be worn by the priests when they are ministering in

1598-464: The nature of the exposed rocks in Mount Sinai indicates that they were formed at different depths from one another. Immediately north of the mountain is the 6th-century Saint Catherine's Monastery . The summit has a mosque that is still used by Muslims , and a Greek Orthodox chapel, constructed in 1934 on the ruins of a 16th-century church, that is not open to the public. The chapel encloses

1645-472: The position that only a man can act as a kohen, and that a daughter of a kohen is recognized as a bat kohen only in those limited ways that have been identified in the past. Accordingly, in Orthodox Judaism only men can perform the Priestly Blessing and receive the first aliyah during the public Torah reading. However, some Conservative rabbis give the kohen's daughter equal priestly status to

1692-494: The possibility that Melchitzedek's family could have served as priests for the future Jewish nation, though in the end this did not happen. Jewish priests are first mentioned in Exodus 19 . Here God offered the entire Jewish people the opportunity to become a symbolic "kingdom of priests and a holy nation". More practically, though, in this chapter "the priests who approach the Lord" were warned to stay away from Mount Sinai during

1739-481: The prerogative to supersede any priest and offer any offering he chose. Although the Torah retains a procedure to select a High Priest when needed, in the absence of the Temple in Jerusalem, there is no High Priest in Judaism today. According to 1 Chronicles 24:3–5 , King David divided the priests into 24 priestly divisions (Heb. משמרות, mishmarot ). Each division would perform the Temple service for one week in

1786-542: The priest's religious authority is not automatic: even a bastard who is a scholar takes precedence over an ignorant high priest . In every generation when the Temple was standing, one kohen would be singled out to perform the functions of the High Priest (Hebrew kohen gadol ). His primary task was the Day of Atonement service. Another unique task of the high priest was the offering of a daily meal sacrifice; he also held

1833-630: The priestly blessing daily; Ashkenazi Jews living outside Israel deliver it only on major Jewish holidays. Outside the synagogue, the kohen leads the pidyon haben ceremony. This redemption of the first born son is based on the Torah commandment, "all the first-born of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem". Leviticus 21:7 prohibits marriage between a kohen and certain classes of women. According to rabbinic law , these classes include divorcees, non-Jews, converts (who were previously non-Jews), and women who have previously engaged in certain forbidden sexual relationships (even if involuntary, i. e., rape). If

1880-442: The priests, a practice that reinforced the prestige of the priests' lineage. Following this destruction, it seems that most of them joined the Synagogal Jewish movement  ; before being gradually converted towards Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity . Although kohanim may assume their duties once they reached physical maturity, the fraternity of kohanim generally would not allow young kohanim to begin service until they reached

1927-450: The result of the rapes accompanying the capture of Jerusalem is alluded to in this Mishnah: If a woman were imprisoned by non-Jews concerning money affairs, she is permitted to her husband, but if for some capital offense, she is forbidden to her husband. If a town were overcome by besieging troops, all women of priestly stock found in it are ineligible [to be married to priests or to remain married to priests], but if they had witnesses, even

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1974-463: The revelation of the Ten Commandments . The identity of these priests is not specified. According to many later Jewish sources, the firstborn son in each family served as priests, starting in the period of the patriarchs . Nevertheless, shortly after the Sinai revelation, Aaron and his sons were chosen to be the priests. The exclusive possession of the priesthood by Aaron's descendants was known as

2021-626: The rock which is considered to be the source for the biblical Tablets of Stone . At the summit also is "Moses' cave", where Moses was said to have waited to receive the Ten Commandments . The Jabal Musa is associated with the Islamic prophet Mūsā ibn ʿImrān (i.e., Moses). In particular, numerous references to Jabal Musa exist in the Quran , where it is called Ṭūr Saināʾ , Ṭūr Sīnīn , and aṭ-Ṭūr and al-Jabal (both meaning "the Mount"). As for

2068-598: The surname Cohen (or a variation) are not kohanim, nor even Jewish. Conversely, many kohanim do not have Cohen as a surname. Names often associated with kohanim include: In contemporary Israel, "Moshe Cohen" is the equivalent of "John Smith" in English-speaking countries – i.e., proverbially the most common of names. According to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , either "literal descendants of Aaron", or worthy Melchizedek priesthood holders have

2115-690: The three groups. The kohanim participating in an Orthodox and some other styles of traditional Jewish prayer service also deliver the priestly blessing during the repetition of the Amidah prayer. They perform this service by standing and facing the crowd in the front of the congregation, with their arms held outwards and their hands and fingers in a specific formation, with a Jewish prayer shawl or Talit covering their heads and outstretched hands so that their fingers cannot be seen. Kohanim living in Israel and many Sephardic Jews living in areas outside Israel deliver

2162-426: The word kohen include "friend", "master", and "servant". Other interpretations include "minister" ( Mechilta to Parshah Jethro , Exodus 18:1–20:23). The early books of the Bible mention several pagan priests, such as Potipherah , the other priests of Egypt, and Jethro . The non-Jewish priest Melchitzedek , however, is described as worshipping the same God as Abraham . Later Jewish sources even discuss

2209-588: Was a descendant of the Tribe of Levi , priests are sometimes included in the term Levites , by direct patrilineal descent. However, not all Levites are priests. During the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and until the Holy Temple was built in Jerusalem , the priests performed their priestly service in the portable Tabernacle . Priestly duties involved offering the Temple sacrifices , and delivering

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