Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies. The priestly prohibitions on mourning rites mirror the community prohibitions of Leviticus 19:27–28: the priests who are required to avoid corpse impurity are also required to avoid the mourning practices associated with death. The shaved head, trimmed beard, and body cuts that expressed grief in the ancient world are prohibited for the priesthood. The priest's body must not bear the marks of mourning because the priest's vocation is the mediation of life and presence, not the rituals of death and absence.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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