וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר אִ֣ישׁ מִֽזַּרְעֲךָ֞ לְדֹרֹתָ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֥ה בוֹ֙ מ֔וּם לֹ֣א יִקְרַ֔ב לְהַקְרִ֖יב לֶ֥חֶם אֱלֹהָֽיו׃

Speak to Aaron. The following matter is addressed to Aaron, as it introduces an additional aspect of his priesthood. You shall speak to him, saying: Any man from your descendants, the

כִּ֥י כָל־אִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֥וֹ מ֖וּם לֹ֣א יִקְרָ֑ב אִ֤ישׁ עִוֵּר֙ א֣וֹ פִסֵּ֔חַ א֥וֹ חָרֻ֖ם א֥וֹ שָׂרֽוּעַ׃

For any man in whom there is a blemish at present shall not approach the Sanctuary. He is unfit to perform the sacred service, even if the blemish is only temporary. The Torah lists those blemishes that render a priest unfit: a blind man, or lame, or with a sunken nose. A sunken nose is an overtly visible blemish, even though it does not impair one’s abilities. The list of blemishes continues: or a man with a protruding limb, the opposite of a sunken nose,

א֣וֹ אִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יִהְיֶ֥ה ב֖וֹ שֶׁ֣בֶר רָ֑גֶל א֖וֹ שֶׁ֥בֶר יָֽד׃

or a man with a broken foot or a broken hand that has not yet healed,

אֽוֹ־גִבֵּ֣ן אוֹ־דַ֔ק א֖וֹ תְּבַלֻּ֣ל בְּעֵינ֑וֹ א֤וֹ גָרָב֙ א֣וֹ יַלֶּ֔פֶת א֖וֹ מְר֥וֹחַ אָֽשֶׁךְ׃

or a hunchback , or a dwarf , or a man with a cataract in his eye, a white spot that covers part of the eye, usually without causing blindness, or scabbed, or with a skin eruption, certain forms of skin diseases, or with crushed testicles. The Sages dispute the precise nature of this last blemish. Some of these blemishes do not bother the individual in question, but nevertheless are conspicuous to an observer.

כָּל־אִ֞ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֣וֹ מ֗וּם מִזֶּ֙רַע֙ אַהֲרֹ֣ן הַכֹּהֵ֔ן לֹ֣א יִגַּ֔שׁ לְהַקְרִ֖יב אֶת־אִשֵּׁ֣י יְהוָ֑ה מ֣וּם בּ֔וֹ אֵ֚ת לֶ֣חֶם אֱלֹהָ֔יו לֹ֥א יִגַּ֖שׁ לְהַקְרִֽיב׃

Any man in whom there is a blemish from the descendants of Aaron the priest shall not approach to present the fire offerings of the Lord; he has a blemish, and the food of his God he shall not approach to offer. The verse twice states the prohibition that a blemished priest “shall not approach” to present offerings. The Sages derive from the repetition that other physical blemishes that are noticeably abnormal also prohibit a priest from serving in the Temple.

לֶ֣חֶם אֱלֹהָ֔יו מִקָּדְשֵׁ֖י הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים וּמִן־הַקֳּדָשִׁ֖ים יֹאכֵֽל׃

The food of his God from the sacred sacraments and from the sacraments of lesser sanctity he may eat. Although a blemished priest is unfit to present offerings on the altar, the blemishes do not mar the priest’s character and do not disqualify him from the sanctity of the priesthood. He therefore does not forfeit his right to partake of the sacrificial food.

אַ֣ךְ אֶל־הַפָּרֹ֜כֶת לֹ֣א יָבֹ֗א וְאֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֛חַ לֹ֥א יִגַּ֖שׁ כִּֽי־מ֣וּם בּ֑וֹ וְלֹ֤א יְחַלֵּל֙ אֶת־מִקְדָּשַׁ֔י כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה מְקַדְּשָֽׁם׃

However, he shall not come to the inner sanctum, behind the curtain, as the High Priest does on the Day of Atonement, and he may not approach the altar, in the manner of all priests, because there is a blemish in him. And he shall not profane My Sanctuary. This teaches that if a blemished priest performs the rites of an offering, the offering is profaned and disqualified, for I am the Lord, their sanctifier .

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן וְאֶל־בָּנָ֑יו וְאֶֽל־כָּל־בְּנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (פ)

Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons, to whom this passage is specifically addressed, and to all the children of Israel. These commandments do not pertain only to the priests, as all Jews are commanded to ensure that the priests observe these commandments meticulously.

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

דַּבֵּ֨ר אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְאֶל־בָּנָ֗יו וְיִנָּֽזְרוּ֙ מִקָּדְשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְלֹ֥א יְחַלְּל֖וּ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם קָדְשִׁ֑י אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵ֧ם מַקְדִּשִׁ֛ים לִ֖י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

Speak to Aaron and to his sons, that in the cases stated below they shall refrain from approaching the sacred items of the children of Israel that they consecrate to Me , and they shall not profane My holy name. I am the Lord. Some of the sacred items that are consecrated to God are subsequently given to the priests. The priests must therefore treat those gifts with the necessary sanctity and reverence.

אֱמֹ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם לְדֹרֹ֨תֵיכֶ֜ם כָּל־אִ֣ישׁ ׀ אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרַ֣ב מִכָּל־זַרְעֲכֶ֗ם אֶל־הַקֳּדָשִׁים֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַקְדִּ֤ישׁוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וְטֻמְאָת֖וֹ עָלָ֑יו וְנִכְרְתָ֞ה הַנֶּ֧פֶשׁ הַהִ֛וא מִלְּפָנַ֖י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

The Torah presents the practical details deriving from the sanctity of these items: Say to them: Throughout your generations, any man from all your descendants who approaches to eat the sacred items that the children of Israel consecrate to the Lord with his impurity upon him, that person shall be excised from before Me. I am the Lord. A person often becomes ritually impure due to common occurrences. The consecrated gifts of the priesthood, which include the portions of the offerings given to the priests, as well as the portions of produce given to the priests, may not be consumed in a state of ritual impurity. Although any impure individual is prohibited from drawing near to the sacred, the Torah commands the priests specifically, as they are the ones who most frequently consume and have contact with consecrated foods.

אִ֣ישׁ אִ֞ישׁ מִזֶּ֣רַע אַהֲרֹ֗ן וְה֤וּא צָר֙וּעַ֙ א֣וֹ זָ֔ב בַּקֳּדָשִׁים֙ לֹ֣א יֹאכַ֔ל עַ֖ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִטְהָ֑ר וְהַנֹּגֵ֙עַ֙ בְּכָל־טְמֵא־נֶ֔פֶשׁ א֣וֹ אִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־תֵּצֵ֥א מִמֶּ֖נּוּ שִׁכְבַת־זָֽרַע׃

The Torah lists the different forms of ritual impurity: Any man from the descendants of Aaron who is a leper or has a gonorrhea-like discharge, he shall not partake of the sacred items until he is purified, even if he remains impure for many years. And the following individuals are also ritually impure and may not partake of consecrated food: one who touches anyone or anything rendered impure from a corpse, and all the more so one who himself comes into contact with a corpse, or a man from whom semen has been emitted,

אוֹ־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִגַּ֔ע בְּכָל־שֶׁ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִטְמָא־ל֑וֹ א֤וֹ בְאָדָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִטְמָא־ל֔וֹ לְכֹ֖ל טֻמְאָתֽוֹ׃

or a man who touches any dead swarming creature that renders him impure, of those listed above (11:29–31), or who shall touch a man that renders him impure, whatever his impurity, including all forms of impurity not mentioned here.

נֶ֚פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּגַּע־בּ֔וֹ וְטָמְאָ֖ה עַד־הָעָ֑רֶב וְלֹ֤א יֹאכַל֙ מִן־הַקֳּדָשִׁ֔ים כִּ֛י אִם־רָחַ֥ץ בְּשָׂר֖וֹ בַּמָּֽיִם׃

A person who touches him, the impure person, shall be impure until the evening. This is in contrast to those impure individuals whose impurity is of a greater degree of severity: a leper, one who experiences a gonorrhea-like discharge, and one who comes into contact with a corpse, as in those cases a lengthier process of purification is required. And yet, although this person’s impurity is of a lesser degree, he shall not partake of the sacred items, unless he bathes his flesh in water, immersing in a ritual bath.

וּבָ֥א הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ וְטָהֵ֑ר וְאַחַר֙ יֹאכַ֣ל מִן־הַקֳּדָשִׁ֔ים כִּ֥י לַחְמ֖וֹ הֽוּא׃

After he immerses he must wait until the sun shall set, and only then he shall be purified. Then he may once again partake of the sacred items, because it is his food. The sacred food constitutes an important part of the priest’s sustenance. He is therefore permitted to partake of it as soon as nighttime has commenced and a new day has begun (see 23:32), and he is not required to wait until the following morning.

נְבֵלָ֧ה וּטְרֵפָ֛ה לֹ֥א יֹאכַ֖ל לְטָמְאָה־בָ֑הּ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃

The Torah presents a related prohibition: He shall not eat an unslaughtered carcass or a mauled animal, one that suffered a fatal injury, to render himself impure with it. I am the Lord.

וְשָׁמְר֣וּ אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֗י וְלֹֽא־יִשְׂא֤וּ עָלָיו֙ חֵ֔טְא וּמֵ֥תוּ ב֖וֹ כִּ֣י יְחַלְּלֻ֑הוּ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה מְקַדְּשָֽׁם׃

They, the priests, shall keep My commission, keeping charge of the sacred food that is given to them. The verse may also be referring to the charge of the Temple’s sanctity. If they maintain the sanctity of their charge, they shall not bear sin for it and die on its account. However, if they do not maintain the sanctity of their charge and partake of the sacred food in a state of ritual impurity, they will be punished by death at the hands of Heaven, because they profane it. The desecration of consecrated items is a severe transgression punishable by death at the hands of Heaven. This applies to a ritually impure person who partakes of the sacred portion of the produce given to the priests. I am the Lord their sanctifier.

וְכָל־זָ֖ר לֹא־יֹ֣אכַל קֹ֑דֶשׁ תּוֹשַׁ֥ב כֹּהֵ֛ן וְשָׂכִ֖יר לֹא־יֹ֥אכַל קֹֽדֶשׁ׃

The Torah continues to detail the restrictions on the consumption of sacred foods: No non-priest shall partake of sacred items. The Sages interpret this verse too as referring to the sacred portion of the produce given to the priests. The prohibition applies not only to one who is entirely unaffiliated with the priesthood, but also to one who resides for a lengthy period with a priest or to a priest’s hired laborer, even if he was hired for several years. They shall not partake of sacred items, despite the fact that they are de facto members of the priest’s household.

וְכֹהֵ֗ן כִּֽי־יִקְנֶ֥ה נֶ֙פֶשׁ֙ קִנְיַ֣ן כַּסְפּ֔וֹ ה֖וּא יֹ֣אכַל בּ֑וֹ וִילִ֣יד בֵּית֔וֹ הֵ֖ם יֹאכְל֥וּ בְלַחְמֽוֹ׃

But conversely, if a priest acquires a person, a Canaanite slave, as an acquisition of his silver, he may partake of it. Since the Canaanite slave becomes the priest’s possession, he may partake of the priest’s sacred food. And similarly, with regard to one born into his household, Canaanite slaves born in the priest’s possession, they may partake of his sacred food.

וּבַת־כֹּהֵ֔ן כִּ֥י תִהְיֶ֖ה לְאִ֣ישׁ זָ֑ר הִ֕וא בִּתְרוּמַ֥ת הַקֳּדָשִׁ֖ים לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽל׃

If the daughter of a priest is married, or even betrothed, to a non-priest, she shall not partake from that which is separated of the sacred items, the sacred portion separated from the produce. Alternatively, the verse may be referring to the portion separated from the offerings and given to the priests, which may be eaten by the members of the priest’s household. Once she becomes the wife of a non-priest, she is no longer considered a member of the priestly family, and she may no longer partake of the priest’s sacred food.

וּבַת־כֹּהֵן֩ כִּ֨י תִהְיֶ֜ה אַלְמָנָ֣ה וּגְרוּשָׁ֗ה וְזֶרַע֮ אֵ֣ין לָהּ֒ וְשָׁבָ֞ה אֶל־בֵּ֤ית אָבִ֙יהָ֙ כִּנְעוּרֶ֔יהָ מִלֶּ֥חֶם אָבִ֖יהָ תֹּאכֵ֑ל וְכָל־זָ֖ר לֹא־יֹ֥אכַל בּֽוֹ׃ (ס)

But if a priest’s daughter, who married a non-priest, is a widow or a divorcée, and she has no offspring from that husband, and she returns to her father’s house, as in her youth, before she married, from the sacred food of her father she may partake. Since she has no child from her marriage, her former status as a member of her father’s priestly household is reinstated, and she may again eat the sacred portions given to the priest from the produce and offerings. But no non-priest may partake of it. If she gave birth to a child from her Israelite husband, since that child is a non-priest, neither she nor her offspring may eat from the sacred food.

וְאִ֕ישׁ כִּֽי־יֹאכַ֥ל קֹ֖דֶשׁ בִּשְׁגָגָ֑ה וְיָסַ֤ף חֲמִֽשִׁיתוֹ֙ עָלָ֔יו וְנָתַ֥ן לַכֹּהֵ֖ן אֶת־הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃

If a man, a non-priest, shall eat a sacred item unwittingly, he shall add its one-fifth to it, as a fine, and he shall give to the priest the sacred item. The sacred portion separated from the crop is not brought to the Temple, but given to a priest anywhere in the Land of Israel. Since it bears no sign of its consecrated status, a non-priest might unwittingly partake of it, in which case he must give the value of the sacred food to a priest, together with an additional 25 percent, which is one-fifth of the total amount repaid.

וְלֹ֣א יְחַלְּל֔וּ אֶת־קָדְשֵׁ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־יָרִ֖ימוּ לַיהוָֽה׃

They shall not profane the sacraments of the children of Israel that they separate for the Lord. This commandment applies to all Jews, although it is addressed to the priests. Not only are the offerings presented upon the altar sacred, the portion given to priests from the produce is also sacred. Its sanctity must be maintained by ensuring that it is not eaten by nonpriests or in a state of ritual impurity.

וְהִשִּׂ֤יאוּ אוֹתָם֙ עֲוֺ֣ן אַשְׁמָ֔ה בְּאָכְלָ֖ם אֶת־קָדְשֵׁיהֶ֑ם כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה מְקַדְּשָֽׁם׃ (פ)

They will cause them, the priests will cause themselves, to bear the iniquity of guilt, if they are negligent when they eat their sacred items; for I am the Lord, their sanctifier.