Home -- Content: Series 7 (Laws) -- Translation: English -- Book: 1 (Tora) -- Part: 1 (Positive) -- Command: 37 -- Text
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The Sharia of Moses in the TORA
Part 1 - The 248 Positive Commandments of the Tora
37 - PRIESTS DEFILING THEMSELVES FOR DECEASED RELATIVES
Leviticus 21:2-3 -- 2 “Except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother; 3 also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.”
Leviticus 21:1 -- “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: “None shall defile himself for the dead among his people.”’”
The priests are to defile themselves and mourn only for the loss of the following relatives: mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister; a husband and wife are under this obligation by rabbinic ordinance only.*
* Mishneh Torah, Shoftim. Hilchoth Abel II, 1