ויקרא, פרק כ״א, פסוק י״ג

The elevated spiritual status of the High Priest brings with it unique boundaries regarding his family life. However, his supreme holiness does not require complete celibacy. On the contrary, he has a positive duty to marry and establish a home, though he must do so under strict conditions of purity [ביאור יש"ר]. Commentators agree that this directive serves as a positive Commandment, complementing the prohibitions that forbid him from marrying a widow or a woman otherwise disqualified from the priesthood [רמב"ן, פרדס יוסף].

This standard is directed exclusively at the High Priest, setting him apart from regular priests [רד"צ הופמן, שטיינזלץ]. The requirement extends even to a High Priest who has stepped down from his position due to a physical blemish or impurity, as well as to a priest specially anointed to accompany the army into battle [תורה תמימה, מלבי"ם]. Conversely, this rule specifically excludes the king and the Nazirite; although they are crowned with supreme holiness, they are not bound by this particular restriction [תורה תמימה, תיבת גמא, מלבי"ם, פרדס יוסף]. On an allegorical level, this requirement hints at the personal purity of Aaron during the sin of the Golden Calf, as his mind remained completely untainted by sinful thoughts, much like a young woman who has never known a man [שפתי כהן].

The High Priest is permitted to marry only one woman. The primary approach among commentators is that this limitation serves to minimize material desires and preserve his supreme holiness [רלב"ג, תורה תמימה, פרדס יוסף]. This raises a question regarding the biblical account of Yehoyada the High Priest, who took two wives. Some resolve this by explaining that he actually arranged their marriage to King Yoash rather than to himself, while others suggest he married them consecutively rather than concurrently [תורה תמימה, פרדס יוסף]. This requirement also sparks a legal discussion regarding a regular priest who is already married and is later appointed as High Priest, questioning whether he must divorce his current wife to fulfill the Commandment of marrying a virgin anew [חתם סופר, פרדס יוסף].

Regarding the bride herself, she must be a woman of intellectual maturity and educated in the fear of God, despite her young age [העמק דבר]. The core requirement is that she has never engaged in marital relations [רלב"ג]. Furthermore, the directive focuses on a specific developmental stage. The High Priest must marry a young girl and is forbidden from marrying a woman who has reached full physical adulthood, as the natural physical changes of adulthood diminish the physical signs of her virginity [תורה תמימה, מלבי"ם, רש"ר הירש, רד"צ הופמן]. This requirement applies strictly to the completion of the marriage process. If the High Priest betrothed a young girl but she reached full physical maturity before the wedding was finalized, he is forbidden from bringing her to the marriage canopy. She must remain in her designated youthful state at the exact time of the marriage itself [תורה תמימה].