The torah instructs בני ישראל to sanctify the kohen, but what if the kohen just wants to be your average guy and doesn’t want to be sanctified?
To answer, although it is okay for the kohen to forego a kehuna privilege if he so chooses, the prohibitive components are not. With that said, may the kohen shy away from some of the kehuna privileges when offered?
Humble vs. sanctified
King Shlomo said of the torah דרכיה דרכי נועם וכל נתיבותיה שלום “Her way are roads of pleasantness and all her paths are peace(ful)”. The torah instructs בני ישראל to sanctify the kohen and doing so is the will of הקדוש ברוך הוא. It is thus inferred that this mitzvah, as all other mitzvos, is in the interest of both בני ישראל and the kohen and fosters pleasantness and peace among them and between them הקדוש ברוך הוא.
At the same time, the torah praises humbleness and takes a dim view on haughtiness -גאוה.
Notwithstanding the praise of humbleness, there are time where the talmud instruct that it is not commendable to be humble. Too, there are exceptions to the torah’s dislike of haughtiness. In fact, one of those exceptions concern each and every בן ישראל, as the talmud says בשמתא מאן דלית ביה “excommunicated is he who doesn’t have it (haughtiness)”.
Haughtiness as a heavenly trait is described in a familiar part of our daily tfillah, in אז ישיר it is said, אשירה להם כי גאה גאה “I will sing to hashem since he rose up high”, and as Onkelos translates “(הקדוש ברוך הוא) was haughtier than the haughty (Egyptians)”.
In this regard, there is at least one opinion among torah sources that the kohen is expected to display a measure of נשיאות -elite behavior. The first to penn this idea is Rabbi Ovadya Sforno, in his torah commentary to the posuk לֹא יִטַּמָּא בַּעַל בְּעַמָּיו לְהֵחַלּוֹ where the torah prohibits the kohen from becoming tamei to the dead;
The kohen is a Ba’al in his nation to comprehend and to instruct..it is befitting for a such a man to act elite in order that his words be paid attention to
Rabbi Ovadya follows this thought and in another location explains that גאוה isn’t to be shunned entirely by any dignitary as is evident by the torah formula requiring the inclusion of Ezov shrub for the burning of the parah adumah, this burning signifies an undesired feeling toward what the Ezov signifies .(see Sfrono to Bmidbar 19:2)
A master in his nation
Ezov, the symbol of insufficient גאוה.
To expound a bit, it pays to notice how the posuk refers to the kohen as a בעל בעמיו -a “master” in his nation. This is no minor title and carries with it many ideas and implications.
What is it about calling a kohen a בעל בעמיו? One explanation can be given based on a formula found in zohar chadash and talked about by the אר”י הקדוש, the formula being that the kohen, levi and Yisroel correspond to the realms of נפש, רוח and נשמה, with the kohen corresponding to the נשמה.
The נשמה is indeed a בעל and elite part of every בן ישראל, and as Rabbi Chayim Vital explains that where a בן ישראל to merit that שורש נשמתו be revealed it would be grander and more beneficial to the person then גילוי אליהו and רוח הקודש.
But things with the נשמה aren’t that simple, as is explained by Rabbi Avrohom Ben Meir that the נשמה doesn’t stand a chance at competing with the strength of the נפש unless the רוח joins the נשמה -it is then that the נשמה is able to embark on its journey of acquiring חכמה and succeeding at being a “master”.
A ba’al in his nation
Parshanei HaTorah make it clear that the mitzvah concept of sanctifying and respecting the kohen is due to the powerful creator -הקדוש ברוך הוא- that the kohen serves and it is הקדוש ברוך הוא who titles the kohen a “servant” to him, and at the same time, a בעל בעמיו “a master in the nation”.
Many areas of the Torah echo this concept and put the kohen in this respectful position likely of בעל בעמיו, here are a few;
- Sifra regarding the taharah process of the metzorah: וצוה הכהן ולקח– הציווי בכהן והלקיחה בכל אדם “The kohen commands while the taking is done by another”
- The same regarding the שחיטה of the ציפור המצורע: the kohen commands whereas the שחיטה is done by a non-kohen (Sifra)
- The same regarding the removal of stones of the home affected by צרעת: The kohen commands whereas a non-kohen removes (Sifra)
- The same regarding the cutting of the omer: The mitzvah of cutting the grain is not the kohen’s responsibility (Sifra)
- The greatest of חכמים of the nation can know the person is afflicted with צרעת but only the kohen gives the final word (מסכת נגעים יב)
Conclusion
The torah anticipates from the kohen duties reminiscent of the great God of Israel whom he serves and expects him to shy away from shyness when performing his duties.
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