Leviticus 21: Extra Words, Extra Wives, Extra Lessons

Within the discussion of the prohibited marriages for the kohen the commentators learn a few additional rules from the exact wording of the verse: “וְאִשָּׁה זֹנָה וַחֲלָלָה לֹא יִקָּחוּ, וְאִשָּׁה גְרוּשָׁה מֵאִישָׁהּ לֹא יִקָּחוּ—כִּי קָדֹשׁ הוּא לֵא לֹהָיו” (ויקרא כ״א:ז׳) — “They shall not take [into their household as their wife] a woman who is a zonah, nor shall they take one divorced from her husband. For they are holy to their God” (verse 7). A regular kohen is not allowed to marry a woman who is a zonah- i.e., a woman that has been involved in certain illicit relationships. He is also not allowed to marry a divorcee. What is odd in this verse is that the Torah says “one divorced from her husband.” This seems obvious! Of course, a divorcee is someone divorced from her husband. This comes to teach a unique case where a priest abandons his wife and disappears. The woman assumes he is dead and remarries. One day the priest returns. Because he was not really dead, she must leave her second husband and return to the first. Even if the second husband grants her a bill of divorce, because he was never truly her husband, she can still return to her first husband the priest. This “divorce” is meaningless. The additional words of “divorced from her husband” teaches that if she is divorced by someone other than her husband, she can still marry a priest. The Gemara also explains that this extra phrase teaches a case where the husband grants a bill of divorce that forbids her from marrying anyone else. Even in this case, because she was only divorced from her husband, she is still not allowed to marry a kohen. Another superfluous word in the verse is the repeated word “woman”. The verse could simply have stated that the kohen is not allowed to marry a woman who is a zonah or who is divorced. The Gemera in Yevamot 24a explains that the additional mention of “woman” comes to include not just a woman who receives a bill of divorce, but also a woman who performed the halitzah ceremony for being rejecting from a Levirate marriage. Even though this is not a traditional divorce with a bill of divorce, she is still considered a divorcee for the purposes of this prohibition. Why does this prohibition exist? According to Rashi / Torat Kohanim: The kohen’s elevated sanctity requires that his marriage reflect purity and holiness. Ramban: The kohen must embody moral integrity, so his marriage cannot involve relationships that imply rupture or compromise. Sefer HaChinuch: The kohen serves as a role model for the nation, and his marriage must inspire dignity and spiritual uplift. Sforno: A kohen’s union must support his mission of drawing the people closer to Heaven, unmarred by associations of brokenness. Ibn Ezra: The Torah protects the clarity and purity of priestly lineage by preventing marriages that complicate genealogical status. Rav Hirsch: The kohen symbolizes ideal family wholeness, so he may only enter relationships reflecting harmony and completeness.