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A kohen is a male descendant of Aaron, the first high priest in Judaism, responsible for ceremonial activities. A rabbi is a master who instructs according to Torah and Talmud, and may also conduct spiritual services. Kohanim have special rules to protect their ritual purity and are granted privileges in Orthodox and Conservative Jewish communities.
A kohen, or cohen, (plural kohanim or cohanim) is a male descendant of Aharon HaCohen, or Aaron, who was the brother of Moshe or Moses. Aharon was the first high priest or Kohen Gadol. All male descendants are also considered kohen or priests.
The word priest in this context is a little different from that in the Christian context. Here, priest is meant to refer to a person who performs religious acts or procedures. This definition is somewhat the same as the Christian version, but a kohen is not the kind of religious and spiritual leader that a Christian priest is. That leadership role is primarily the purview of the rabbi in Judaism. A kohen is responsible for ceremonial activities such as conducting services and offering sacrifices. After the destruction of the Second Temple in Israel, which occurred around 586 BC or 3174 a.m. in the Hebrew calendar, the role of the kohen diminished and the rabbi assumed responsibility for ceremonial activities.
While we may casually associate a rabbi with the equivalent of a pastor or priest in Christianity, that isn’t entirely accurate either. Rabbi actually means master. To become a rabbi, one must have thoroughly studied the Torah. Some sects in Judaism allow women to be rabbis, others reserve this role only for men. Regardless, due to a rabbi’s deep knowledge, his community role is to instruct according to the Torah and Talmud. A rabbi may also be granted the authority to judge. While a rabbi may conduct spiritual services, especially when a kohen is unavailable, priority is given to the kohen.
Kohanim are granted a higher level of purity, and as such the Torah offers them special rules to protect their ritual purity. For example, in general, a kohen cannot come into contact with dead bodies unless the deceased is his father, mother, brother, unmarried sister, son, or wife. A kohen is also prohibited from marrying a divorced woman or a convert.
In honor of their services to the community in Biblical times, kohanim were given priority in various ways. For example, various gifts were given depending on the circumstances. These gifts included things like kosher animals, bread, and peace offerings.
In modern times, a Jew is a kohen if he is descended from the first priest, Aaron, who was the brother of Moses. Having the surname of Cohen or Kohen or any of its derivations is not only evidence that he is a kohen in this sense. A study conducted in 1997 showed that kohanim share some common characteristics in their Y chromosomes suggesting, but not proving, that they share some common ancestry.
Kohanim today may still have privileges and obligations especially in Orthodox and Conservative Jewish communities. They may recite the Priestly Blessing or conduct some Torah readings.
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