21:8
The Posuk says ח וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ--כִּי-אֶת-לֶחֶם
אֱלֹקיךָ, הוּא
מַקְרִיב; קָדֹשׁ, יִהְיֶה-לָּךְ--כִּי קָדוֹשׁ, אֲנִי יְרוָר מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם Rav
Pam when honored by Yeshiva after 60 years of being in the Yeshiva, said the
following Vort from the Chasam Soifer. There is a Mitzvah to be Mekadeish a
Kohen. Rashi brings a Gemara in Maseches Gittin 59b which is well known ר' חייא בר אבא אמר
מהכא (ויקרא כא) וקדשתו
לכל דבר שבקדושה תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל וקדשתו לכל דבר שבקדושה לפתוח ראשון ולברך
ראשון וליטול מנה יפה ראשון. We
honor the Kohen by allowing him to be first in any Davar Shel Kedusha. The Shulchan Aruch Even Ezer Siman Gimmel
says if a Kohen walks into a Shul and says I am a Kohen, that is not enough to
give him the first Aliyah. This is because we only give someone the Kohen
Aliyah if he is Muchzak to be a Kohen. However, a stranger who just walks in
off the street needs more proof.
The Rama disagrees and is Maikil. The Rama says a
Kohen that walks in is given the first Aliyah. This is the practice that we are
all familiar with. What is the reason for the Rama’s Psak? If he is a Kohen you
are giving him Kohen and if he is not a Kohen, if you would have given the
Aliyah to a Yisrael, you wouldn’t be honoring a Kohen, so you might as well
give him the Aliyah.
Rav Pam asked that this Pshat is Shver because the
explanation would only work if he was the only person who said he was a Kohen
in Shul. So then you lose nothing by giving him the Aliyah. Even if he was
lying a Kohen wouldn’t have received the Aliyah anyway. However, what happens
if there are other Kohanim in Shul. The Rama still says that you can give him
the Aliyah based on his say so. How can you do that, you are being Mevateil a
Mitzvas Asei because it is possible that he is not a Kohen?
The Chasam Sofer answers that the Mitzvah of giving
honor to a Kohen is really to give honor to the institution of Kehuna, to give
honor to the children of Aaron Hakohen. If someone comes into Shul and says he
is a Kohen, perhaps he really is not a Kohen, nevertheless if the reason you
are giving him the Aliyah is because you understand that he is a Kohen, and
based on that you give him the first Aliyah, you are Mekayeim the Mitzvah of
giving honor and Kedusha to the children of Aaron, even though this person
might not be a child of Aaron. You gave him the Aliyah because he claimed to be
a Kohen so you were giving honor to Kehunah.
How did this happen to be Rav Pam’s address at the
dinner? Rav Pam said the following. He said when he was given this honor at the
dinner and people refer to him as the Gadol Hador and a Talmid Chochom, Rav Pam
in his humility said, it causes me pain. He said I know that I am not deserving
of these honors, however, the Chasam Soifer gives me comfort. Rav Pam said even
if I am not deserving of these honors, since people think I am a Talmid
Chochom, and give me honor as a Talmid Chochom, they are honoring the
institution of Talmidei Chachamim. They are honoring the Torah. So Rav Pam was
able to have comfort in getting this honor.
According to this it would turn out that if a Kohen
wanted to serve someone, there is a Machloikes Rishoinim if a Kohen can be
Moichel on his Kehunah. The Mechaber of the Shulchan Aruch in the end of Siman
128 says that a Kohen can be Moichel on his Kavod and can serve someone who is
not a Kohen.
The GRA says that the Rambam disagrees and says that
a Kohen can’t be Moichel on his Kavod. The Mishna h Berurah brings it as a
Machloikes L’halacha. If there is a Kohen nthat wants to be Moichel on his
Kavod he can walk into a Shul that no one knows him and pretends to not being a
Kohen. Then he can be Meshameish someone. Since according to the Chasam Soifer
it all depends on what is going on the mind of the person who is having the
Kohen work for him.
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