Igud HaKohanim · The Twenty-Four Priestly Gifts
Dedicating Property to God
A lifetime of work can lead to a deeper understanding of what matters—and a desire to give what we have a purpose beyond ourselves.
For those who wish to dedicate land or property to God, the Creator of heaven and earth, His will as expressed in the law of Moses gives that intention a practical form: a gift received and used according to the purpose He has established.
Igud HaKohanim helps put that intention into practice, receiving gifts for the priesthood and contributions to a separate fund for the Temple when it is rebuilt.
“Every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.”Leviticus 27:28 · Numbers 18:14
“Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.”
A Deeper Understanding of What We Own
We spend years building, earning, and providing. With experience, our understanding of those efforts can deepen. We begin to consider what our possessions are for, what they make possible, and what they will say about us after our lifetime.
We may have seen how disagreements over money or land can strain relationships that took decades to build. That experience can strengthen a desire to give property a constructive and sacred purpose.
For some, this becomes a deliberate act of faith: dedicating something of lasting value to God. A lifetime’s work finds expression in gratitude, generosity, and concern for the generations to come.
A deeper understanding brings a different question: what good do I want what I own to accomplish?
A gift can make the answer visible. It can show children and grandchildren what we chose to honor, and how we understood the responsibilities that came with ownership.
How Does a Person Give Property to God?
The wish to give to God begins in the heart. Carrying it out requires a way for the gift to be received and put to its intended use. The law of Moses provides that way for the gift described here.
This law is part of the Torah—a Hebrew word meaning “instruction.” In the faith and tradition of Israel, the Torah is God’s instruction given through Moses: an expression of His will for how we are to act.
Within that instruction, God designates the priests descended from Aaron to receive certain gifts dedicated to Him. Their role gives the donor’s intention a concrete means of fulfillment. The gift is dedicated to God and delivered to the recipient He has appointed.
We give to God by carrying out His will for the gift. In this form of giving, He designates the priest as its recipient.
This is one of the twenty-four gifts of the biblical priesthood. Its traditional name is charamim—gifts of devoted property. The biblical passage expressly includes land.
The law of Moses distinguishes property devoted to the priests from property expressly devoted to the Temple. Each destination has its own rules for receiving and administering the gift.
Igud HaKohanim Receives Gifts for Both Purposes
Igud HaKohanim serves the continuity of Israel’s hereditary priesthood. Part of that service is providing an address for people who wish to dedicate a gift to God: a place to discuss their intention, establish its purpose, and arrange its fulfillment.
We receive and administer donations for the priesthood and contributions to a separate fund for the Temple when it is rebuilt. We work with donors on gifts of money, land, other assets, and planned bequests.
Our role is to help connect a personal intention with an appropriate act of giving, guided by the purposes and requirements set forth in the law of Moses.
For the Priesthood
Direct your gift toward the continuity of the priesthood and Igud HaKohanim’s work on its behalf.
In the biblical gift of devoted property, the priest receives what has been dedicated to God because God has designated him to receive and benefit from it.
For the Future Temple
Contribute to our separate fund designated for the Temple when it is rebuilt.
The purpose of your contribution is documented with Igud HaKohanim according to the fund’s terms.
A contribution to the future-Temple fund does not itself confer the status of formally consecrated Temple property. If you intend a gift with a specific status under the law of Moses, please speak with us before declaring a consecration or transferring the asset.
How the law of Moses distinguishes these destinations
Property devoted to the priests: the property itself is delivered to the priestly recipient. The original owner cannot substitute a payment and keep the devoted asset.
Property devoted to the Temple: it is assigned to the Temple’s needs and upkeep. Its rules include provisions for redemption, through which the property’s value may take its place under the prescribed conditions.
Under the ruling presented in this article, a declaration of devoted property without another specified destination designates it for the priests. Express designation for the Temple establishes a different destination.
From Understanding to Action
You do not need to arrive with every detail settled. Begin with what you want your gift to accomplish.
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Share Your Intention
Tell us about the proposed gift and whether you wish it to serve the priesthood or the future Temple.
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Establish the Arrangements
We clarify the recipient, the designation, the terms of acceptance, and the appropriate form of transfer.
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Carry Out the Purpose
Once the arrangements are complete, the gift is received and administered according to its documented purpose and applicable requirements.
The Hebrew Words and What They Mean
The literal meanings help explain the traditional names used for these gifts.
- Torah — תורה
- Literally: “instruction” or “teaching.” Here, God’s instruction given through Moses, expressing His will in the duties, relationships, and practices described in the law of Moses.
- Kohen / Kohanim — כהן / כהנים
- Literally: “priest” / “priests.” Here, the hereditary priesthood descended from Aaron, with its duties and gifts established in the law of Moses.
- Cherem / Charamim — חרם / חרמים
- In this context: “a devoted thing” / “devoted things.” Property set apart for a destination prescribed in the law of Moses.
- Charmei Kohanim — חרמי כהנים
- Literally: “devoted things of the priests.” Property designated to be delivered to the priests.
- Charmei Shamayim — חרמי שמים
- Literally: “devoted things of Heaven.” “Heaven” refers here to the divine destination: property designated for the Temple’s needs.
- Mikdash — מקדש
- Literally: “sanctuary.” Here, the Temple in Jerusalem.
- Bedek HaBayit — בדק הבית
- Literally: “repair of the House.” A term for provision for the Temple’s maintenance and needs.
- Hekdesh — הקדש
- Literally: “consecration,” or “that which is consecrated.” Property with a formal sacred status and the rules that follow from it.
- Chullin — חולין
- Literally: “ordinary” or “non-sacred things.” Property without consecrated status. This describes its permitted use, rather than the spiritual worth of the act of giving.
A Sacred Gift With a Practical Purpose
God’s instruction for this gift addresses both its dedication and its use. Setting the property apart and delivering it to the priest are distinct stages in fulfilling that purpose.
Set Apart for God
Once the formal dedication takes effect, the property is consecrated. The owner must complete the gift and may no longer treat the asset as ordinary personal property.
Received for Its Intended Use
The property becomes the priest’s own. Its prior consecrated status ends, and he may use it, benefit from it, or sell it.
The donor has fulfilled an act of dedication to God by following His instruction for the gift. Its religious meaning remains, while its use provides for the recipient He has designated.
The biblical passage includes land itself. This establishes a foundation for giving property to the priesthood, with the details depending on the asset, its location, and the form of the gift.
Further detail: land, location, and the Jubilee
- Movable Property Property other than real estate, formally declared devoted property without a different designation, is given to priests in the locality.
- Land Outside the Land of Israel Land formally devoted to the priests is given to them under the rules governing this gift.
- A Field in the Land of Israel The specific status of a devoted field for the priests depends on observance of the Jubilee. When the Jubilee is not observed, an unspecified declaration or a declaration for the priests does not confer that status on the field. An ordinary gift of land to priests remains a separate possibility.
The Jubilee is the fiftieth-year institution prescribed in the law of Moses. When it is observed, a devoted field in the Land of Israel carries rules concerning its return to the priest or his descendants after a sale.
A separate gift, sedeh achuzah— literally a “field of a holding,” commonly understood here as an ancestral field— concerns a consecrated field that passes to the priests at the Jubilee under specified conditions.
These are distinct gifts. Each has its own place among the twenty-four priestly gifts and will be treated separately in this series.
Preserving a particular asset for an institution’s permanent use requires arrangements of its own. Such a restriction does not arise simply from calling the gift devoted property.
From Reflection to Generosity
As our understanding grows, the meaning of ownership can grow with it. What once represented achievement or security can also become an opportunity for service.
The spiritual tradition surrounding this gift describes a movement from resentment and ill feeling toward mercy, compassion, and blessing. It offers a constructive direction for the emotions that can gather around property and possessions.
A person can choose to give with a settled heart: grateful for what has been received, mindful of what is needed, and clear about what the gift is intended to serve.
Thoughtful generosity includes responsibility. Giving is voluntary and should take account of the donor’s needs and commitments. It should not leave the donor without the means to live.
A Legacy of Understanding
Children and grandchildren inherit examples as well as possessions. They see what we valued, how we treated others, and what we chose to do with the resources entrusted to us.
Dedicating property to God can give lasting expression to those values. A field, a carefully built asset, or a planned gift can carry forward a commitment to faith, generosity, and sacred service.
Igud HaKohanim welcomes inquiries about property donations and planned bequests for the priesthood and the future-Temple fund. We are here to help give practical form to the purpose you have in mind.
An institutional contribution or a bequest does not automatically acquire the formal status of devoted or consecrated property. That status depends on its terms and how the gift is made.
Forthcoming: a dedicated guide to gifts of land and legacy giving.
Sources and Further Reading
- The biblical foundation: Leviticus 27:21, 28; Numbers 18:14; Ezekiel 44:29. These passages establish dedication to God and the priests’ entitlement to receive devoted property.
- One of the twenty-four priestly gifts: Tosefta, Challah 2:8; Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of First Fruits 1:15. Compare Mishnah, Challah 4:9.
- Unspecified declarations: Mishnah, Arakhin 8:6; Babylonian Talmud, Arakhin 28b–29a; Maimonides, Commentary on the Mishnah, Arakhin 8:6, in Rabbi Yosef Qafih’s Hebrew translation. This article follows the ruling that unspecified charamim are for the priests.
- The destinations and status upon delivery: Maimonides, Laws of Valuations and Devoted Property 6:1, 4–7. Section 6:4 distinguishes gifts for the priests from gifts for the Temple; 6:5 addresses the change of status upon delivery.
- Provision for occasional needs: Derashot HaRan, Discourse 11, in the discussion of priestly gifts and irregular expenses.
- Generosity and responsibility: Proverbs 3:9; Maimonides, Laws of Valuations and Devoted Property 8:12–13.
- Delivery, sale, redemption, and the Jubilee: Sefer HaChinuch, commandments 357–359. These distinguish the original owner’s restrictions from the receiving priest’s right to use or sell the property.
- Property, location, and the Jubilee: Maimonides, Laws of Valuations and Devoted Property 8:8–11; Laws of the Sabbatical Year and Jubilee 10:9. The Jubilee rules should be read alongside the explicit provision for land outside the Land of Israel.
- Mercy, compassion, and blessing: Zohar III, 179a, Raaya Mehemna, in the passage connecting delivery of the gift to the priest with the calming of resentment and the quality of mercy. This provides spiritual interpretation alongside the gift’s laws.
- The separate gift of an ancestral field: Leviticus 27:16–21; Maimonides, Laws of Valuations and Devoted Property, chapters 4–5.
- Temple consecration in the absence of the Temple: Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 13a; Maimonides, Laws of Valuations and Devoted Property 8:8–11. The rules governing consecrated property require distinguishing a fund for the future Temple from formal consecration to the Temple.
Give Your Intention a Place to Begin
If you wish to dedicate a gift to God through the priesthood, or provide for the Temple when it is rebuilt, Igud HaKohanim is here to help you take the next step.
Give Through Igud HaKohanimFor a designated contribution, property donation, or planned bequest, please coordinate its purpose and arrangements with us before transferring funds or assets.