Mitzvah —
173
A Kohen must not marry a zonah (a woman who had forbidden relations)
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אִשָּׁ֨ה זֹנָ֤ה וַחֲלָלָה֙ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֔חוּ וְאִשָּׁ֛ה גְּרוּשָׁ֥ה מֵאִישָׁ֖הּ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֑חוּ כִּֽי־קָדֹ֥שׁ ה֖וּא לֵאלֹהָֽיו׃ - פָּרָשַׁת אֱמוֹר
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Leviticus 21:7 - "They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute or who is desecrated, and they shall not marry a woman who is divorced from her husband for he [the kohen] is holy to his God."
This Mitzvah's Summary
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Holiness – קְדוּשָּׁה
A Kohen is forbidden to marry a zonah, a woman who has had prohibited sexual relations.
This mitzvah prohibits a Kohen from marrying a zonah — defined by the Sages as a woman who has had sexual relations forbidden by the Torah (such as with a non-Jew or with a man prohibited to her). The Kohen’s elevated sanctity demands that his household remain free from unions considered defiled. While this restriction applies specifically to Kohanim, it reflects the general Torah principle of preserving holiness within the nation of Israel.
Commentary & Classical Explanation:
- Rambam (Hilchot Issurei Bi’ah 18:1): Clarifies that a zonah is a woman who has had relations with a man forbidden to her, and that a Kohen may not marry her under any circumstance.
- Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 269): The root is to preserve the purity of the Kohen’s lineage, ensuring his descendants remain untainted by unions marked by defilement.
- Talmud (Yevamot 61b): Explains the definition of zonah and why the Torah singled her out as unfit for marriage with a Kohen.
Commentaries
(Source: Chabad.org)
