וְהַכֹּהֵן֩ הַגָּד֨וֹל מֵאֶחָ֜יו אֲֽשֶׁר־יוּצַ֥ק עַל־רֹאשׁ֣וֹ ׀ שֶׁ֤מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה֙ וּמִלֵּ֣א אֶת־יָד֔וֹ לִלְבֹּ֖שׁ אֶת־הַבְּגָדִ֑ים אֶת־רֹאשׁוֹ֙ לֹ֣א יִפְרָ֔ע וּבְגָדָ֖יו לֹ֥א יִפְרֹֽם׃
The priest who is exalted above his fellows, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been ordained to wear the vestments, shall not bare his head or rend his vestments.
כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה גָּדוֹל מִכָּל אֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנוֹי בְּכֹחַ בְּעשֶׁר בְּחָכְמָה וּבְמַרְאֶה. אֵין לוֹ מָמוֹן כָּל הַכֹּהֲנִים נוֹתְנִין לוֹ מִשֶּׁלָּהֶן כָּל אֶחָד לְפִי עָשְׁרוֹ עַד שֶׁיַּעֲשִׁיר יוֹתֵר מֵעָשִׁיר שֶׁבְּכֻלָּן:
The high priest had to excel his fellow priests in beauty, strength, wealth, wisdom, and appearance. If he had no wealth, all the priests gave him of their own, each according to his means, until he became richer than the richest among them.
כהן גדול צריך שיהיה גדול וכו'. בת״כ וביומא (דף י״ח) ובפרק הורה כהן משיח (הוריות דף ט') ובסוף פרק הזרוע (חולין דף קל״ד):
וְהָתַנְיָא: ״וְהַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל מֵאֶחָיו״, שֶׁיְּהֵא גָּדוֹל מֵאֶחָיו בְּכֹחַ, בְּנוֹי, בְּחָכְמָה, וּבְעוֹשֶׁר. אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: מִנַּיִן שֶׁאִם אֵין לוֹ, שֶׁאֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים מְגַדְּלִין אוֹתוֹ — תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וְהַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל מֵאֶחָיו״ — גַּדְּלֵהוּ מִשֶּׁל אֶחָיו.
But wasn’t it taught in a baraita that it is stated: “And the priest who is greater than his brethren” (Leviticus 21:10); this teaches that he must be greater than his priestly brethren in strength, in beauty, in wisdom, and in wealth. Aḥerim say: Wealth is not a prerequisite for selecting a High Priest, but from where is it derived that if he does not have property of his own that his brethren the priests elevate him and render him wealthy from their own property? The verse states: “And the priest who is greater [haggadol] than his brethren”; elevate him [gaddelehu] from the property of his brethren. In any event, there is a consensus that wisdom is a prerequisite for his selection.
אחרים אומרים מנין שאם אין לו שאחיו הכהנים מגדלין אותו תלמוד לומר והכהן הגדול מאחיו גדלהו משל אחיו:
Others say: From where is it derived that if the High Priest does not have property of his own, his brethren the priests elevate him and render him wealthy from their own property? The verse states: “And the priest who is greater than his brethren,” i.e., they must elevate him from the property of his brethren. Since the members of the study hall are required to enrich Rabbi Ami from their own property, it is certainly permitted for him to take these gifts for himself.
נשיא דכתיב (ויקרא ד, כב) ועשה אחת מכל מצות ה' אלהיו מי שאין על גביו אלא ה' אלהיו משיח דכתיב (ויקרא כא, י) והכהן הגדול מאחיו שהוא גדול מאחיו בנוי בכח בחכמה ובעושר אחרים אומרים מנין שאם אין לו גדלהו משל אחיו ת"ל והכהן הגדול מאחיו אשר יוצק על ראשו גדלהו מאחיו
The king cannot become poor, as it is written concerning him: “And he performed one of all the mitzvot of the Lord his God” (Leviticus 4:22), referring to the king as one who has only the Lord his God upon him. He is greater than the entire nation and is not a poor person dependent on others. An anointed priest cannot become poor, as it is written: “And the priest that is greatest among his brethren” (Leviticus 21:10), meaning that he is greater than his brethren in beauty, in power, in wisdom, and in wealth, not a poor person. Others say: From where is it derived that if the High Priest does not have personal wealth, one should make him great from the property of his brethren? The verse states: “And the priest that is greatest among his brethren upon whose head the anointing oil is poured” (Leviticus 21:10), from which it is derived: Make him great from the property of his brethren, who will provide him with enough property to render him wealthy.
והכהן הגדול מאחיו. ע"ד הפשט אחר שהחמיר על כהן הדיוט ואסר עליו טומאת מת זולתי במתים ידועים, ואסר עליו גם כן השנים והן זונה וחללה וגרושה זולתי אלמנה, הוסיף עתה והחמיר על הכהן הגדול שהוא מקודש ופנימי יותר מיוחד לעבודת ה', לא ימיש מתוך המקדש, שיהיה אסור לו להטמא בשום מת בעולם ואפילו על אביו ועל אמו, ושיהיה ג"כ אסור בכל הנשים זולתי הבתולה הכשרה, וטעם הדבר כדי שתהיה נמשכת לדעתו ולרצונו, והכהן הגדול יצטרך שיהיה גדור ביותר בענין המשגל ולכך נאסרה עליו אם היתה רגילה תחלה באיש אחר, פן תמשכנו היא לדעתה.
ע"ד המדרש והכהן הגדול מאחיו, שיהא גדול מאחיו בחמשה דברים, בנוי בכח בעושר בחכמה בכבוד. ואם אין לו, אחיו הכהנים מעשירין אותו, שנאמר והכהן הגדול מאחיו, גדלהו משל אחיו. ומעשה בפנחס הסתת שמנוהו כהן גדול ויצאו אחיו הכהנים וראו אותו חוצב אבנים ומלאו המחצב לפניו דינרי זהב.
וע"ד הקבלה הכהן הגדול ידוע מי הוא דוגמתו, וכבר הזכרתי מזה בסדר צו, והיה הסגן מימינו וראש בית אב משמאלו דוגמת השרפים, וזהו שאמר המלאך ליהושע הכהן הגדול (זכריה ג) ונתתי לך מהלכים וגו', רמז לו מקומו ודוגמתו, ותרגם יונתן בין שרפיא האלין, ממה שכתוב (ישעיה ו) שרפים עומדים ממעל לו.
ואמרו במסכת יומא פרק הממונה הסגן מימינו וראש בית אב משמאלו, ועוד תניא, שלשה מהלכים בדרך הרב באמצע גדול בימינו וקטן בשמאלו, וכן מצינו בשלשה מלאכים שבאו אצל אברהם מיכאל באמצע גבריאל מימינו רפאל משמאלו.
ואם תזכה תבין כי לכך הזכיר בו הכתוב הלשון הזה הכהן הגדול כענין שכתוב (דברים יא) את כל מעשה ה' הגדול וגו', שהרי עבודתו של כהן גדול לשם הגדול, וזהו שאמרו רז"ל במסכת הוריות פרק כהן משיח (ויקרא כא) את ראשו לא יפרע ובגדיו לא יפרום, לא יפרום כלל דברי ר' יהודה, ר' שמעון אומר אינו פורם מלמעלה אבל פורם הוא מלמטה, כלומר תחת בגדיו, לא בבגד העליון כמשפט הקריעה בכהן הדיוט ובשאר ישראל, ובא לרמוז שהפרימה אינה אלא למי שהוא למטה ממנו זהו כהן הדיוט, ולכך כהן גדול פורם מלמטה לפי שאין בדוגמתו ירידה אלא התעלות למעלה למעלה עד אין סוף, ולשון פרימה קריעה, כתרגומו יבזע.
והכהן הגדול מאחיו, “and the priest who is exalted above his brethren,” according to the plain meaning of the text seeing that the Torah had already listed special restrictions applicable to ordinary priests who must not marry certain categories of women and who must refrain from defiling themselves other than to the closest relatives, the Torah now adds additional restrictions which apply to the High Priest. This is natural seeing that the High Priest’s duties require him to be even closer to the Shechinah than ordinary priests. The Torah categorized the High Priest’s function as מן המקדש לא יצא, “he must not leave the Sanctuary.” The reason that the High Priest is to marry only a previously unmarried virgin is to ensure that she will be amenable to his outlook and opinions. Such a woman cannot make comparisons between her husband the High Priest and her previous husband. A Midrashic approach: (Sifra Emor 2,1) The words והכהן הגדול מאחיו (emphasis on the letter ה in הגדול) mean that the High Priest must be superior to his priestly colleagues in five areas. He has to be more handsome, physically stronger, materially wealthier, wiser, and more dignified. If he does not have sufficient material wealth, the other priests are to chip in from their own wealth to make him independently wealthy. This is alluded to in the word מאחיו, i.e. his wealth may originate with his brethren.
It happened with a priest called Pinchas who was a professional stone mason that he was elected to become High Priest; when his fellow priests came to the quarry from which he made his livelihood, they filled it with gold pieces in order to make him financially independent. A kabbalistic approach to the words והכהן הגדול מאחיו; he is the person who is always conscious who his role model is, i.e. the Lord Himself. He is flanked by his deputy on the right and the president of the Supreme Court on his left. This parallels the vision of the seraphim described in Yuma 37, a reference to the encounter between an angel and Yehoshua the High Priest in Zecharyah 3,7 where the angel assured the High Priest that he would be someone making spiritual progress as opposed to the angels flanking him who are spiritually stationary. This was a hint that the spiritual parameters within which the High Priest was to move consisted of the Sanctuary and what this symbolised. In the verse from Zecharyah mentioned, Yonatan ben Uzziel translated the words בין העומדים האלה as a reference to the angels called seraphim which were flanking him. The Targum based himself on what Isaiah described in his opening vision (Isaiah 6,2) שרפים עומדים ממעל לו, that he had perceived the seraphim as standing in attendance for the Shechinah which he beheld seated on a throne in that vision. There is another Baraitha which discusses these phenomena describing three men walking together, the tallest in the middle, flanked by a גדול on his right and a קטן on his left. When the three angels visited Avraham (Genesis 18,3) the angel Michael was in the centre, Gavriel on his right, and Raphael on his left. If you are fortunate you will appreciate that our verse tries to teach us something analogous and that is why the wording הכהן הגדול has been selected to describe the High Priest. It is reminiscent of Deut. 11,7 את כל מעשה ה' הגדול אשר עשה, “all the great work of Hashem which He did;” The word גדול has first and foremost a qualitative dimension rather than being a description of physical properties possessed by the High Priest; our sages in Horiot 12 understood the second half of our verse in which the Torah directs that the High Priest must not leave his head unshorn, etc., as a direct corollary of his function of being the people’s representative before the Lord. They understand the restrictions mentioned here as applying also to the two people always flanking the High Priest. There is some disagreement as to whether the words לא יפרום, that the High Priest must not rend his garments (as a sign of mourning for a relative who has died), refer only to the visible outer garments or also to the garments covering his skin. The disagreement of the scholars as to the halachah in that instance reflects 1) the view that only people of a lesser stature than he, i.e. ordinary priests, are allowed to rend their garments in acknowledging their state of mourning. 2) the other opinion which holds that the High Priest must tear an inner garment which is not visible. This would be an allusion that the procedure where it is visible is aimed at people of a spiritually lower level, whereas seeing that the High Priest is in a class by himself, addressing himself only to the highest spiritual level, Hashem, does not display such signs of mourning to his peers but gives vent to the emotion of mourning nonetheless by rending his inner garments.
It happened with a priest called Pinchas who was a professional stone mason that he was elected to become High Priest; when his fellow priests came to the quarry from which he made his livelihood, they filled it with gold pieces in order to make him financially independent. A kabbalistic approach to the words והכהן הגדול מאחיו; he is the person who is always conscious who his role model is, i.e. the Lord Himself. He is flanked by his deputy on the right and the president of the Supreme Court on his left. This parallels the vision of the seraphim described in Yuma 37, a reference to the encounter between an angel and Yehoshua the High Priest in Zecharyah 3,7 where the angel assured the High Priest that he would be someone making spiritual progress as opposed to the angels flanking him who are spiritually stationary. This was a hint that the spiritual parameters within which the High Priest was to move consisted of the Sanctuary and what this symbolised. In the verse from Zecharyah mentioned, Yonatan ben Uzziel translated the words בין העומדים האלה as a reference to the angels called seraphim which were flanking him. The Targum based himself on what Isaiah described in his opening vision (Isaiah 6,2) שרפים עומדים ממעל לו, that he had perceived the seraphim as standing in attendance for the Shechinah which he beheld seated on a throne in that vision. There is another Baraitha which discusses these phenomena describing three men walking together, the tallest in the middle, flanked by a גדול on his right and a קטן on his left. When the three angels visited Avraham (Genesis 18,3) the angel Michael was in the centre, Gavriel on his right, and Raphael on his left. If you are fortunate you will appreciate that our verse tries to teach us something analogous and that is why the wording הכהן הגדול has been selected to describe the High Priest. It is reminiscent of Deut. 11,7 את כל מעשה ה' הגדול אשר עשה, “all the great work of Hashem which He did;” The word גדול has first and foremost a qualitative dimension rather than being a description of physical properties possessed by the High Priest; our sages in Horiot 12 understood the second half of our verse in which the Torah directs that the High Priest must not leave his head unshorn, etc., as a direct corollary of his function of being the people’s representative before the Lord. They understand the restrictions mentioned here as applying also to the two people always flanking the High Priest. There is some disagreement as to whether the words לא יפרום, that the High Priest must not rend his garments (as a sign of mourning for a relative who has died), refer only to the visible outer garments or also to the garments covering his skin. The disagreement of the scholars as to the halachah in that instance reflects 1) the view that only people of a lesser stature than he, i.e. ordinary priests, are allowed to rend their garments in acknowledging their state of mourning. 2) the other opinion which holds that the High Priest must tear an inner garment which is not visible. This would be an allusion that the procedure where it is visible is aimed at people of a spiritually lower level, whereas seeing that the High Priest is in a class by himself, addressing himself only to the highest spiritual level, Hashem, does not display such signs of mourning to his peers but gives vent to the emotion of mourning nonetheless by rending his inner garments.