ויקרא, פרק כ״א, פסוק ט״ו

The elevated position of the High Priest carries a heavy responsibility regarding family purity, as any deviation from the strict laws of marriage brings profound consequences for his lineage. The priesthood is a unique spiritual gift passed down from generation to generation. If a priest enters into a forbidden union, the resulting child loses the sacred status of the priesthood and becomes profaned [רש״י, רמב״ן, גור אריה]. This child is not considered illegitimate; rather, male offspring are simply treated as regular Israelites. They are permitted to become impure to the dead and may marry women who are otherwise forbidden to priests, but they are permanently barred from Temple service and from consuming priestly tithes [שפתי חכמים, תורה תמימה, רש״ר הירש, ביאור יש״ר, תורה תמימה].

There are differing perspectives on the exact nature of this restriction. Some commentators view it as a direct continuation of the preceding laws, explaining that a priest is forbidden to marry certain women specifically to prevent the profanation of his descendants [רש״י, הטור הארוך, גור אריה]. However, the primary approach among commentators is that this constitutes an entirely separate and independent prohibition. Under this view, a priest who both marries and engages in relations with a forbidden woman is penalized twice for two distinct violations, and even intimate relations outside of marriage trigger this prohibition [רמב״ן, מזרחי, תורה תמימה, העמק דבר, פירושי רד״צ הופמן]. Others suggest that this specific rule serves to warn against taking a forbidden woman in secret, contrasting with earlier laws concerning public marriages [אבן עזרא, חזקוני]. Regardless of the approach, the profanation takes effect only once the physical act is completed, and it applies even in cases of coercion [תורה תמימה].

The consequences of this transgression extend beyond the offspring. The woman involved is also profaned and stripped of her priestly privileges, such as the right to consume sacred tithes. This is understood through a logical deduction: if the innocent child loses its sacred status, certainly the woman who participated in the forbidden act is profaned as well [תורה תמימה, רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, בכור שור, אדרת אליהו]. As for the priest himself, his fundamental sanctity remains intact, and he does not become permanently profaned. However, he is temporarily disqualified from performing Temple service until he divorces the forbidden woman [רש״ר הירש, העמק דבר, בכור שור].

The requirement for the priest to maintain his lineage among his people carries both public and legal weight. On a national level, it demands that the High Priest serve as a flawless role model of family purity before the entire nation [פירושי רד״צ הופמן]. Legally, it establishes that the profaned status is transmitted eternally, but strictly through the male line. The daughter of a profaned male is forever disqualified from marrying into the priesthood. Conversely, if a profaned woman marries a standard Israelite, her daughter remains eligible to marry a priest, as priestly lineage is determined exclusively by the father [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, רש״ר הירש, אדרת אליהו].

The underlying reason for these strict boundaries is rooted in the divine origin of the priesthood. Because God Himself selected and sanctified the priest for sacred service, the priest must distance himself from inappropriate unions and actively protect his honor [רלב״ג, פירושי רד״צ הופמן]. This highlights a profound distinction between a standard Israelite and a priest. When an ordinary Israelite enters a forbidden relationship, the national status of his descendants remains unchanged. In contrast, a priest carries an elevated sanctity granted by God; a single violation can cause his descendants to forfeit this unique spiritual inheritance forever [ביאור יש״ר, העמק דבר].