וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱמֹ֥ר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א בְּעַמָּֽיו׃

The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the priests, sons of Aaron. Since the following commandments concern the priests, they should be addressed mainly to them. And say to them: He, a priest, shall not become impure from a corpse among his people. It is prohibited for a priest to come into contact with the ritual impurity imparted by a corpse, even outside the Temple.

כִּ֚י אִם־לִשְׁאֵר֔וֹ הַקָּרֹ֖ב אֵלָ֑יו לְאִמּ֣וֹ וּלְאָבִ֔יו וְלִבְנ֥וֹ וּלְבִתּ֖וֹ וּלְאָחִֽיו׃

The verse lists the exceptions to the aforementioned prohibition. The priest may become impure only for his deceased kin, who is close to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, and for his brother, all of whom are first-degree blood relations.

וְלַאֲחֹת֤וֹ הַבְּתוּלָה֙ הַקְּרוֹבָ֣ה אֵלָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־הָיְתָ֖ה לְאִ֑ישׁ לָ֖הּ יִטַּמָּֽא׃

The priest may also become impure for his virgin sister, who is close to him, who has not been with a man, neither married nor betrothed to one; for her, he may become impure.

לֹ֥א יִטַּמָּ֖א בַּ֣עַל בְּעַמָּ֑יו לְהֵ֖חַלּֽוֹ׃

The priest is an important man among his people; therefore, he shall not become impure, to profane himself . Alternatively, the verse means that a priest may not become impure for an important individual; that a husband may not become impure for a wife who profanes him, that is, in a case where he married a woman prohibited to him; or that a priest may not become impure for more distant relatives. The list of relatives for whom a priest may become impure includes only first-degree relatives; it is far shorter than the list of relatives with whom sexual relations are prohibited (18:6–18).

לֹֽא־יקרחה [יִקְרְח֤וּ] קָרְחָה֙ בְּרֹאשָׁ֔ם וּפְאַ֥ת זְקָנָ֖ם לֹ֣א יְגַלֵּ֑חוּ וּבִ֨בְשָׂרָ֔ם לֹ֥א יִשְׂרְט֖וּ שָׂרָֽטֶת׃

They shall not create a bald spot on their head by tearing out their hair, and the corner of their beard they shall not shave, and in their flesh they shall not make a laceration. In the surrounding heathen societies, mourners would tear out their hair and lacerate themselves as an expression of sorrow or due to some other overwhelming emotion. The prohibition against shaving the corner of one’s beard is stated above with regard to all Jews and is reiterated here with regard to the priests in the context of mourning.

קְדֹשִׁ֤ים יִהְיוּ֙ לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם וְלֹ֣א יְחַלְּל֔וּ שֵׁ֖ם אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם כִּי֩ אֶת־אִשֵּׁ֨י יְהוָ֜ה לֶ֧חֶם אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֛ם הֵ֥ם מַקְרִיבִ֖ם וְהָ֥יוּ קֹֽדֶשׁ׃

They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God due to their sanctity, for the fire offerings of the Lord, the food of their God, they offer; they shall be holy. Due to their unique status as ministers of God, certain restrictions apply to priests that do not apply to the rest of the people. These include the requirement to distance themselves from the dead and the additional prohibitions against disfiguring their bodies.

אִשָּׁ֨ה זֹנָ֤ה וַחֲלָלָה֙ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֔חוּ וְאִשָּׁ֛ה גְּרוּשָׁ֥ה מֵאִישָׁ֖הּ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֑חוּ כִּֽי־קָדֹ֥שׁ ה֖וּא לֵאלֹהָֽיו׃

In addition to these prohibitions, the priests are also restricted with regard to whom they may marry: A licentious woman, one who engaged in prohibited sexual relations, or a profaned woman, a woman profaned because of sexual relations, they, the priests, shall not marry.

וְקִדַּשְׁתּ֔וֹ כִּֽי־אֶת־לֶ֥חֶם אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ ה֣וּא מַקְרִ֑יב קָדֹשׁ֙ יִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֔ךְ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶֽם׃

The Torah now addresses all Jews, or at least the courts that are responsible for the enforcement of the commandments, and instructs them: You shall sanctify him, the priest, treating him with reverence and ensuring that he maintains his sanctity, for he presents the food of your God. Not only are the priests themselves required to maintain their sanctity by adhering to the aforementioned commandments, but the rest of the people are also required to sanctify them. These commandments are not for the priests’ self-aggrandizement and glorification. They are obligations imposed upon the entire community to uphold the sanctity of the priests, so that they will be worthy of their noble function. He shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord your sanctifier, am holy. Due to the priests’ closeness to God, they must maintain a greater state of sanctity, which involves the observance of certain prohibitions.

וּבַת֙ אִ֣ישׁ כֹּהֵ֔ן כִּ֥י תֵחֵ֖ל לִזְנ֑וֹת אֶת־אָבִ֙יהָ֙ הִ֣יא מְחַלֶּ֔לֶת בָּאֵ֖שׁ תִּשָּׂרֵֽף׃ (ס)

The verse presents another law that stems from the priests’ state of sanctity: The married daughter of a man who is a priest, if she shall profane herself by acting licentiously , she profanes her father; she shall be burned in fire. Even if she were not the daughter of a priest, she would be liable to receive the death penalty. However, the particular method of execution, burning, is more severe than the death penalty meted out to other women who committed the same sin, and this emphasizes the severity of her offense as the daughter of a priest.

וְהַכֹּהֵן֩ הַגָּד֨וֹל מֵאֶחָ֜יו אֲ‍ֽשֶׁר־יוּצַ֥ק עַל־רֹאשׁ֣וֹ ׀ שֶׁ֤מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה֙ וּמִלֵּ֣א אֶת־יָד֔וֹ לִלְבֹּ֖שׁ אֶת־הַבְּגָדִ֑ים אֶת־רֹאשׁוֹ֙ לֹ֣א יִפְרָ֔ע וּבְגָדָ֖יו לֹ֥א יִפְרֹֽם׃

The priest who is greater than his brethren, that the anointing oil will be poured on his head, in order to appoint him as the High Priest, and who is ordained to don the unique vestments of the High Priest, since he is sanctified to a greater extent than the other priests, he shall not grow out the hair of his head during a period of mourning, and he shall not rend his garments.

וְעַ֛ל כָּל־נַפְשֹׁ֥ת מֵ֖ת לֹ֣א יָבֹ֑א לְאָבִ֥יו וּלְאִמּ֖וֹ לֹ֥א יִטַּמָּֽא׃

He shall not go near any dead people. He is prohibited from coming into contact with a corpse under any circumstances. He shall not become impure even for his father and for his mother, and certainly not for other relatives, whom he is under no obligation to honor.

וּמִן־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ֙ לֹ֣א יֵצֵ֔א וְלֹ֣א יְחַלֵּ֔ל אֵ֖ת מִקְדַּ֣שׁ אֱלֹהָ֑יו כִּ֡י נֵ֠זֶר שֶׁ֣מֶן מִשְׁחַ֧ת אֱלֹהָ֛יו עָלָ֖יו אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

He shall not emerge from the Sanctuary to accompany the dead or for other matters concerned with mourning the deceased. This is so that he not profane the Sanctuary of his God by deviating from the prohibitions that sanctify him. He must maintain his sanctity, for the crown of the anointing oil of his God, his unique appointment , is on him. I am the Lord, and it is I who confer a unique role and elevated status upon the High Priest.

וְה֕וּא אִשָּׁ֥ה בִבְתוּלֶ֖יהָ יִקָּֽח׃

The High Priest is also restricted to a greater extent in the matter of marriage: He shall marry only a woman with her virginity intact.

אַלְמָנָ֤ה וּגְרוּשָׁה֙ וַחֲלָלָ֣ה זֹנָ֔ה אֶת־אֵ֖לֶּה לֹ֣א יִקָּ֑ח כִּ֛י אִם־בְּתוּלָ֥ה מֵעַמָּ֖יו יִקַּ֥ח אִשָּֽׁה׃

A widow, or a divorcée, or a profaned woman, or a licentious woman, these he shall not marry. Three of these four women are prohibited to common priests (see verse 7). In addition to these, the High Priest is also prohibited from marrying a divorcée. He may not marry a woman who has had relations with a man: Only a virgin from his people he shall take as a wife.

וְלֹֽא־יְחַלֵּ֥ל זַרְע֖וֹ בְּעַמָּ֑יו כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה מְקַדְּשֽׁוֹ׃ (פ)

He shall not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the Lord, his sanctifier.