Part of a series of articles on |
Priesthood in Judaism |
---|
Priestly covenant |
In Judaism, the twenty-four priestly gifts are an enumeration of the various gifts which halakha requires to be given to Jewish priests ( kohanim). [1]
These gifts were considered compensation for their service in the Temple in Jerusalem. The majority of these gifts were food items. Of these twenty-four gifts, ten gifts were given to the priests in the Temple, four were to be consumed by the priests in Jerusalem, and ten were to be given to the priests outside the land of Israel.
Most of the gifts are not given today, because there is no Temple. For example, most practicing Jews today do not give first-born of their animals to modern Kohanim. Other practices may be followed, such as selling the mother animal to a non-Jew before it gives birth to the firstborn, and then buying back both the mother and the firstborn. [2]
According to the Tosefta, [3] ten 'gifts' which were to be given to the Kohanim within the Temple area were portions of:
Four further gifts to be given (or to be consumed) within the confines of the walls of Jerusalem were:
Ten gifts which might be given (or consumed) outside of Jerusalem were:
Females, who did not serve in the Tabernacle or the Temple, were permitted to consume and/or benefit from some of the twenty-four priestly gifts. But if a priest's daughter married a non-priest, she was no longer permitted to benefit from the priestly gifts. [6] Conversely, the daughter of a non-priest who married a priest took on the same rights as an unmarried daughter of a priest.
Firstborn male animals are one of the twenty-four gifts which were given to Kohanim. Many halachos apply to firstborn animals (e.g. one may not slaughter them, eat their meat, etc.). Today, when there is no Temple, first-born animals are not given to Kohanim, but it is customary to sell the mother cow, sheep, or goat to a non-Jew before she gives birth to her firstborn, and then buy back the mother and the firstborn.
Part of a series of articles on |
Priesthood in Judaism |
---|
Priestly covenant |
In Judaism, the twenty-four priestly gifts are an enumeration of the various gifts which halakha requires to be given to Jewish priests ( kohanim). [1]
These gifts were considered compensation for their service in the Temple in Jerusalem. The majority of these gifts were food items. Of these twenty-four gifts, ten gifts were given to the priests in the Temple, four were to be consumed by the priests in Jerusalem, and ten were to be given to the priests outside the land of Israel.
Most of the gifts are not given today, because there is no Temple. For example, most practicing Jews today do not give first-born of their animals to modern Kohanim. Other practices may be followed, such as selling the mother animal to a non-Jew before it gives birth to the firstborn, and then buying back both the mother and the firstborn. [2]
According to the Tosefta, [3] ten 'gifts' which were to be given to the Kohanim within the Temple area were portions of:
Four further gifts to be given (or to be consumed) within the confines of the walls of Jerusalem were:
Ten gifts which might be given (or consumed) outside of Jerusalem were:
Females, who did not serve in the Tabernacle or the Temple, were permitted to consume and/or benefit from some of the twenty-four priestly gifts. But if a priest's daughter married a non-priest, she was no longer permitted to benefit from the priestly gifts. [6] Conversely, the daughter of a non-priest who married a priest took on the same rights as an unmarried daughter of a priest.
Firstborn male animals are one of the twenty-four gifts which were given to Kohanim. Many halachos apply to firstborn animals (e.g. one may not slaughter them, eat their meat, etc.). Today, when there is no Temple, first-born animals are not given to Kohanim, but it is customary to sell the mother cow, sheep, or goat to a non-Jew before she gives birth to her firstborn, and then buy back the mother and the firstborn.