Unwashed Hands and the Priest Who Serves Anyway

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 387:2

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

Any sacrifices whose blood was received by one whose hands and feet were not washed are invalid; this is derived through the [shared term] 'statute, statute' from the case of one lacking the proper garments. Our masters taught: a high priest who did not immerse and did not sanctify his hands and feet between one garment and the next, or between one service and the next, and performed the service, his service is valid. But whether a high priest or an ordinary priest, one who did not sanctify his hands and feet in the morning and performed the service, his service is invalid. Rav Asi said to Rabbi Yohanan: now, the five immersions and ten sanctifications are biblical, and 'statute' is written concerning them, so let them be indispensable. He said to him: Scripture says 'and they shall put them on' (Exodus 29:30), teaching that putting on the garments is indispensable but nothing else is indispensable. His face lit up. Rav Asi said: a single vav has been written for you against a whole tractate. If so, the morning sanctification too should not be indispensable. Hezekiah said: Scripture says, 'and it shall be for them a perpetual statute, to him and to his offspring throughout their generations,' meaning a matter that is indispensable for his offspring is indispensable for him, and a matter that is not indispensable for his offspring is not indispensable for him. Rabbi Yonatan says: it is derived from here, 'and Moses and Aaron and his sons washed from it' (Exodus 40:31), meaning a matter indispensable for his sons is indispensable for him, and a matter not indispensable for his sons is not indispensable for him. Why did Rabbi Yonatan not derive it from the first verse? He could say to you: that verse is written for the generations. And why did the other not derive it from this verse? He needs it for the teaching of Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Hanina, who said: any basin that does not contain enough to sanctify four priests from it, they do not sanctify from it, as it is said, 'and Moses and Aaron and his sons washed from it.'

Themes

PriesthoodSacrificeCommandments

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