Shalom, I am Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg *****. This video will be about the role that priests Cohanim play in Judaism. Now, I am Cohen a descendant of Aaron the high priest Moses brother, I know that because my father told me. So, hand slice the problem we do not have any document and evidence to seem to be some genetic test, but other than your father telling you are a Cohen I do not really know and there is possibly you can imagine over thousands of years possibility of corruption. In fact, the main joke about Cohanim is that a fellow comes to the Rabbi, we have to know that Cohen is passed down only through the father. Fellow comes to the Rabbi, since Rabbi want to be a Cohen. The Rabbi said; I cannot make you a Cohen either you are a Cohen or you are not a Cohen, might as well give a very big gift to the building fund of the Synagogue if you make me a Cohen.
Since the Rabbi when a Synagogue it needed a new rough said; okay I will make you Cohen, here is a certificate, now tell me why do you want to be a Cohen so badly? The man said; well my father may he rest in peace as a Cohen. My grandfather may he rest in peace as a Cohen, I want to be a Cohen too. So, what is the role of Cohanim today? Well there are some Jews who believe the temple will be restored, Cohanim will go back to work sacrificing animals and there you have people Cohanim preparing to study to learn the laws of sacrifice, but we do not believe that is going to happen and nor do we believe that it should. Cohanim today, if they recognized to the world and they are in some Synagogue in the following way by getting the first Aliyah, now that is the problem because in his time when you are only having three Aliyot and the first one always goes to a Cohen whom they are few. And, the second one always goes to the Levite of whom they are few that leads only one Aliyah for a lot of people in the corrugation does not seem very fair.
Second of all, if there is a Cohen in the rule they get top billing usually to lead the grace after meals. Cohanim are restrictive from going into places where there is dead bodies. Now, there is no way to remove the ritual impurification of a dead body Tumad made today. The ancient tradition of burning a red Hefer ended when we lost the temple in the year 70, but everyone has it and there is no one who could get rid of it, but the only a colonist forbidden to purposely try and do it. Well, prom is on a Pulpit Rabbi Idea with funerals are all the time. So, the conservative movement decided at 1929 that Pulpit Rabbi so are Cohanim could officiated funerals and could be with a dead body. But are some Jews today, who still choose to wear Cohanim to not to be envoi with a dead body unless it is been immediate family member in which case it is permitted.
You may all know that the Cohanim every day in Jerusalem, every Shabbat and major festival in Israel outside of Jerusalem and in many communities outside of Israel on holy days, who offer the priestly benediction in a special way. They ascend the Bima in a particular time in the service. They put a Talit prayer shawl over their head. They spread their fingers with the two digits on both sides spread and I cannot do it well so; some people say well I must not be a Cohen and they recite the priestly benediction in a very interesting and powerful way. One kid story is that Leonard Nimoy who is Mr. Spap in star trek used the same technique when the Vulcan hello be peaceful and prospered. When I heard him speak in a dinner for ‘American Friends of Hebrew University once and he said; he used to go to shawl to Synagogue and see his grandfather Ducan what the Cohanim do when they ascend the beam up and that is where he learned the Vulcan hello that he offered the producers.
My first encountering with Ducan and occurred when I was a teenager. I went to visit my Brats lover Hasidict and Bene Braugth for the first time. They took me to a huge Ashiva in Shabbat morning and they said; I know you are Zeddi your grandfather was a Cohen right? Yeah, that means you are Cohen, I said; yes. Well you should go up in there and Ducan, Well, I have never seen it before and they told me what it was and I said; is there anyway to get out of it, and they; well Mitzvoth to do it but if you really do not want to do today, when you have to leave right now. So, I stood outside and I watched and then I started doing in after that. It is a very ancient and beautiful ceremony.
It is hard really to know what to do with the idea of the Cohona today, the Cohanim. Today, have other people that lead Jewish worship and prayer. We have educators, Rabbi Canters, but the Cohein is still a revered position among some Jewish in some Jewish communities in other Jewish communities feels that sense it is an inherited position and one not earn by merit that it should not be something that is celebrated. But, that is the essentially the idea of the Cohona the priesthood in Judaism.
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