The Kohen - Levi - Yisrael Tradition
What does it mean today to be a Kohen, Levi or Yisrael? When someone says they are a Kohen or a Levi, how do we know for sure? Join Rabbi Dr. Stuart Fischman as he explores this fascinating topic as it stands in the realm of halacha and Jewish thought.
The Kohen - Levi - Yisrael Tradition: Lesson
Hello Everyone
Welcome to the series of classes on the subject of כהנים, לויים וישראל.
In our first meeting tomorrow we will discuss how it came to be that the Jewish people are divided into three distinct groups. We will see how through our history this division was ultimately corrupted towards the end of the First Temple period and how it was brought back at the beginning of the Second Temple period.
I look forward to meeting with you
Stuart Fischman
The Kohen - Levi - Yisrael Tradition: Lesson
Hello Everyone,
It is well known that Kohanim were not given a distinct share in the Land of Israel. Instead, the Jewish people were instructed to support the Kohanim by giving them gifts known as the מתנות כהונה. We will discuss this tomorrow with a particular emphasis on a delicacy known in New York as pickled tongue.
I look forward to meeting with you tomorrow.
The Kohen - Levi - Yisrael Tradition: Lesson
Hello Everyone,
We have seen that the selection of Kohanim and Levi’im represented an ideal- that a section of Jewish society would devote itself to the pursuit (and propagation) of spirituality. We also saw that sadly this ideal was not achieved and that the Kohanim and Levi’im did not live the sort of life that was expected.
This leads to a question that we will discuss tomorrow? If a Kohen does not live a life of holiness is he or she somehow disqualified? If the gifts that are given to Kohanim are meant to support them, if the honors that we accord them are meant to show respect, are those privileges abrogated when a Kohen lives a life of crude debauchery?
Rabbi Dr. Stuart Fischman graduated from Yeshiva University in 1980 and the dental school of Columbia University in 1985. In 1989 he began studying and teaching at Yeshivat Hamivtar and now studies and teaches at Yeshivat Machanaim in Efrat. He has rabbinic ordination from Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg.