Pinchas: The Biological Kohen (and Why I Identify as a Levi)

The article I spent all of 17th of Tammuz writing didn't come together, so I churned out this one in 3.5 hours. It's a bit more meandering and associative than usual, but I hope it's interesting!

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my great-great grandfather, the Chinese warlord

Pinchas: The Biological Kohen (and Why I Identify as a Levi)

Last time I was a guest in a shul (shout out to KBI in Richmond, VA for hosting me as a scholar-in-residence!) the gabbai approached me and said: “I’m going to ask you the same question I ask every guest: are you a Kohen or a Levi?” I responded: “Nope, sorry!” to which he replied: “No problem. That’s the answer I usually get.” I was feeling rather cheeky, so I asked him: “Would you like me to give you an answer you’ve never gotten?” He said, “Sure!” I said: “I’m halachically a Yisrael, but I’m a biological Kohen who identifies as a Levi.” Allow me to explain.

I am a ger. Like all gerim, I have the halachic status of “ke’katan she’nolad” (“like a newborn infant”). I have no halachic familial ties, including tribal affiliation (see Hilchos Issurei Biah 14:11). My dad was a Kohen who married my mom and had me when she was a non-Jew. I say that my dad “was a Kohen,” in past tense, because my dad subsequently received a psak which retroactively de-kehufanied him to allow my parents to marry after my mom’s conversion – but that’s a story for another time. In an alternate universe, I would have been a Kohen.

This fact has led me to feel a certain kinship – not only with Kohanim, but with the entire Tribe of Levi. Whenever I see a Kohen or a Levi, I feel a sense of affinity. Whenever I read about Leviim, I think to myself, “Those are my ancestors! That’s my tribe! You are my brothers!”

Of course, I knew that there was no halachic significance to this self-identification. True, I have the blood of Levi ben Yaakov Avinu and Aharon ha’Kohen flowing through my veins, and I might be the recipient of whichever positive or negative epigenetic traits come with membership in these groups (if such epigenetic traits even exist), but halachically, I’m just a ger without a tribe … or so I thought!

One day, just a couple of years ago, it occurred to me that I am a Levi – just not in the traditional sense. In the closing paragraphs of Hilchos Shemitah v’Yovel (13:12-13), Rambam spells out what it really means to be a Levi:

Why didn’t the Tribe of Levi merit in the inheritance of the Land of Israel and its spoils along with their brethren? Because they are set aside to serve Hashem and to minister to Him and to teach His upright ways and righteous laws to the many, as it is stated: “They shall teach Your laws to Jacob and Your teachings to Israel” (Devarim 33:10).

Therefore, they are separated from the ways of the world. They do not go to war like the rest of Israel, nor do they receive an inheritance, nor do they acquire for themselves through their bodily power; rather, they are the legion of Hashem, as it is stated: “Bless, O Hashem, His legion” (ibid. 33:11), and He, Blessed is He, provides for them, as it is stated, “I am your Portion and your Inheritance” (Bamidbar 18:20).

Not only the Tribe of Levi, but each and every member of humanity whose spirit voluntarily moves him and whose understanding causes him to separate himself to stand before Hashem to minister unto Him and to serve Him in order to know Hashem, who walks with uprightness as God made him, who casts off from upon his neck the yoke of the many calculations which people seek – such an individual becomes sanctified as holy of holies. God will be His portion and heritage forever and ever, and He will provide for him what he needs in this world, just as He provides for the Kohanim and Leviim. Thus David declared: “Hashem is the lot of my portion; You are my cup; You support my lot” (Tehilim 16:5).

I realized that this is the life I have been striving to lead ever since I became a teacher. I have "separated myself" from "the yoke of the many calculations which people seek" (cf. Koheles 7:29) and I have dedicated myself to serving Hashem by "teaching His upright ways and righteous laws to the many." At least, that's why I try to do, day in and day out. I am grateful to Hashem for providing me with my needs to allow me to continue serving Him in this manner. It is in this sense that I identify as a proud member of the Tribe of Levi.

If you made it this far, you might be wondering: “What does this have to do with Parashas Pinchas?” I’m glad you asked! When I was looking for something to write about this week, I encountered support for the idea that there is a reality to being a biological Kohen, outside of halacha, which is still acknowledged by the Torah. The Sages teach: “Pinchas did not become a Kohen until he killed Zimri” (Zevachim 101b). Torah Temimah explains:

Ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu intentionally waited to make Pinchas into a Kohen until after he killed Zimri  … because the masses were zealous against Pinchas for his zealotry on behalf of Hashem, and they disparaged and insulted him. Since people commonly say that Kohanim are short-tempered and angry … therefore, if Pinchas were a Kohen beforehand, his accusers would have room to say that he didn't do what he did out of [genuine] zealotry for Hashem, but only because he was a short-tempered and angry [Kohen], and he got angry at Zimri’s public act. But since he wasn't a Kohen beforehand, therefore, [it would be clear to people that] he didn't do this out of shortsighted anger, but [rather, he] acted zealously for Hashem after deliberation and foreknowledge. Even though, in truth, [the quick-temperedness of Kohanim] is not dependent on their [halachic] priestly status but on their genetic roots, nevertheless, the masses tend to ascribe this character trait on the basis of the [social] designation [of Kohen] and on the [halachic] priestly status.

The Torah Temimah’s explanation is based on the notion that Kohanim are known for being short-tempered. This isn’t a mere stereotype, but a real phenomenon with halachic ramifications. The Sages instituted something called a get mekushar (lit. “tied divorce document”). The Gemara in Bava Basra 160b (presented here using the Steinsaltz translation and commentary, with minor emendations) explains the origin of this ordinance:

The Gemara asks: And what is the reason that the Sages instituted the get mekushar? The Gemara explains: There was a place where there were many Kohanim, and they were very quick tempered, and they would seek to divorce their wives impetuously. The halacha is that a priest may not marry a divorcée, even his own ex-wife. These Kohanim, who acted impetuously, often regretted having divorced their wives. And therefore, the Sages instituted an ordinance that the bill of divorce for these people should be of the mekushar format, which is a long, drawn-out process, hoping that meanwhile, their composure would be regained and they would reconsider their decision to divorce.

The Torah Temimah theorizes that since Kohanim have a reputation for being short-tempered, and since the Omniscient Hashem knew in advance that people would have ascribed Pinchas’s act of zealotry to his “hot-blooded Kohen nature,” He therefore intentionally did not make Pinchas into a Kohen until after his act of zealotry. This way, people would recognize his virtuous act for what it was, instead of chalking it up to a tribal character defect. Even though the short-temperedness of Kohanim is rooted in a biological reality, the masses don’t see things this way. Instead, they attach the stereotype to the halachic and social status of being a Kohen.

When I read this, I couldn’t help but think of my own struggles with zealotry and short-temperedness. From my late teens to my mid-twenties, I was quite the zealous lad. (Perhaps I still am, but I’d like to think I’ve made some improvement.) Whenever my zealotry got me into hot water, I’d make excuses for myself, saying, “I have the blood of a Kohen on my dad’s side and the blood of a Chinese warlord on my mom’s side. What do you expect?”

Of course, this line of reasoning is a rationalization, not a legit excuse. Rambam writes (Hilchos Teshuvah 5:2):

Do not let yourself think that thing which is said by the foolish gentiles and the majority of the undeveloped Israelites, that the Holy One, Blessed is He, decrees upon a person from birth to be a tzadik or a rasha. This is not true; rather, each and every person is fit to be a tzadik like Moshe Rabbeinu or a rasha like Yeravam, wise or foolish, merciful or cruel, stingy or generous, and likewise with all other character traits. There is nothing which compels him or decrees upon him, nor is there anything which pulls him to one of the two paths; rather he – by himself and with his mind – inclines himself to whichever path he desires.

This is the takeaway: despite the natural human tendency to explain behavior – good or bad, our own or that of others – based on genetics, social classes, or even halachic designations, at the end of the day, who we are and what we do is a choice we make with our own free will. You, too, can become a Levi. You, too, can be a Pinchas.

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In addition to wanting to hear your thoughts on this article, I’d love to hear from other gerim who are in similar circumstances (i.e. born to a Kohen or a Levi father). Do you feel any sort of affinity with the Tribe of Levi?

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