“And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled.”
Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. The prohibition on the priestly signs of mourning — disheveled hair and torn clothes — is the requirement that the priests maintain their consecrated state even in the face of personal loss. The ordinary signs of grief (Leviticus 21:10 specifies that the high priest cannot dishevel his hair or tear his clothes) are incompatible with the priestly service that must continue. The community may mourn; the priests must serve. The distinction between the priests' required composure and the community's permitted mourning communicates the different vocation: the priest is always on duty, always consecrated, even when the loss is personal.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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