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Is a Kohein superior to a non-Kohein?
Is a Levi superior to a Yisroel?
Obviously not, because I trace my ancestry as a Kohen all the way back to Tanach times,
yet Mr. Common Saychel insults me often, and the moderators allow him to do it.When I wrote a comment rebuking Mr. Common Saychel for unfairly insulting
Rabbi Lazer Brody, my comment was immediately deleted by moderators.it would not have been deleted if that was the list of it. Please be honest with yourself.
No and no. The lesson of yiddishkeit is that there are people with different levels of responsibility who thus have different needs.
It says ממזר תלמיד חכם קודם לכהן עם הארץ so I would say no
Especially for work in the Beis ha-Mikdash (no big deal today, but great long term prospects).
Joseph,
A Jew has the potential to rise above angels or to sink below animals, it all depends on the choices being made. If someone constantly behaves in an arrogant and superior manner that causes chilul Hashem in the eyes of others, it’s would have been better for them not to exist.
How do you define “superior”
Yidden are one body, some are the head, some are the feet, but the head needs the feet, without them it can’t walk. See Tanya perek 2,30,32.
We need to respect kohanim because they were chosen to live a higher life, entirely devoted to serve hashem, the rambam writes (end of Seder zrayim) that any yid can elevate himself to live a life like kohanim separate from mondaine things and entirely devoted to serve hashem@ujm
du host nish bessr tsu ton vi onfangen aza topic ?
vu iz dain haham enav berosho ?Joe,
If I understand you clearly you’re asking “all things equal is a כהן superior to a non כהן”
I would say yes because he’s מחויב in more מצוות
I was taught Hungarian Jews are superior to Eastern European Jews.
The word “superior” is not appropriate. It implies that one is better by virtue of something that they did not accomplish. Now in terms of yidden/ainom yehudim, the difference is that of absolute substance…not only are they better in every way spiritually, but they are entirly different, as they have a nefesh elokis, imbued with kedushah.
But among klal yisroel, the differences are more in terms of madregos. A Cohen is on a higher madrega in his creation, but that doesn’t make him superior/better, just like malaachim are higher than people, but people can be “better” and greater than malachim by virtue of their choices.
Hashem loves all yidden (at their base, absent their choices) equally; he created some with a higher level, such as kohanim, and neshomos of “tzadikim” that the Tanya is maarich on, but those people can also become reshoim; they have that choice. And in shomayim, a mamzer who sanctifies himself will be higher than a person born from tzadikim who didn’t do much with his life. He’s “better” but the tzadik might still be on a different madrega in some ways.
@Square Root Hakohen,
My issue was never with you, just the people you expect us to be impressed with when you quote them,
for example, when you quote some New Ager who became a breslover telling me how to run my shabbos sudah, or a 20 something who’s total real-life experience is running a sports league.״As far as the “why” these categories are on a higher madreiga than others, ‘coffee addict’ proffered the reason being that because he’s מחויב in more מצוות concerning a כהן. But that point isn’t applicable regarding a תלמיד חכם, who has the chiyuvim as everyone else״
ה judges a person based on his/her level therefore a ת״ח since he knows more is judged stricter than a regular person so your premise isn’t fully correct
UJM, that’s not what I meant. I differentiate between inherent qualities/madregos and chosen ones. A talmid chacham is a choice that virtually every jew can make, and it makes them superior to everyone else, as the rambam writes that the tachlis of the world is to serve the talmid chacham.
Regarding a melech, i don’t think that’s a fair comparison – he has an office…i don’t think that makes him even on a higher spiritual madrega in itself. The opposite is true – a king was chosen BECAUSE of his lofty spiritual accomplishments.
The Chiyuv of וקדשתם or of giving honor doesn’t translate right into bring superior. A king is obviously special in his position, but there are Mitzvos that are specifically set to make sure that בלתי רם לבבו.
I haven’t ever seen that a Kohen has a higher Neshama. On the contrary, it has been mentioned that people are נתגלגל as one in order to end up with all the commandments. So obviously it’s not because of the Neshama. It is an honor to Aharon and his progeny, and the Kohen is tasked with special duties and therefore deserves certain honors. If this causes him to be proud of himself, he is silly. And it’s embarrassing to be proud of what you didn’t accomplish.
However, he is indeed born into a special position that he should realize is special, and make sure not to ruin the honor of that position. The same goes for any special bloodline, or Yichus.
It says kohanim are diligent. The Ben Ish Chai explains on lo yikrechu karcha berasham, they should not tear into the letters before them, before ‘chaf’ ‘yud’ before ‘heh’ daled and before ‘nun’ mem making the word miyad, zerizus.
yes a kohen and/or levi are “superior” to yisraelim. if one has a choice of a kohen/levi bentching (zimun) or a yisrael, the kohen/levi has kedima
The Levi when asked by Moshe Rabbenu Mi Lashem Eilai, voluntered,, so they were rewarded.
I would take the ‘sting’ out of this whole debate with the following :
We do not live in a one dimensional world .
Yesh bezeh ma she’ein bazeh. And le’hepach.Sometimes we do need to decide on a one-dimensional course of action.
For example who is first in pidyon shvuyim or birkat hamazon.
But in real “superiority” we will never know.Rashi Psahim 25B [quoting sanhedrin?] ma hazi dami didach sumek tfei – who can know, who HKBH favors more ?
Even if the other guy is a t’ch . Even if he is gadol hador. Even if he is a Tsadik.
That is the source that retsiha is yehareg veal yaavor.This is a logical reasoning strong enough to deduct a dinei nefashot psak halaha lema’aseh. [!]
Cf Rambam Hilch Tshuva . Sometimes one avera is shakul neged kama mitsvot. Sometimes the opposite.
No human can make these heshbonot , only Kel Hogeh Dei’ot [gist of Rambams words]
.Is a YWN coffeeroom writer more superior than some just reading the news on YWN?
Is Joe a bigger troll than anyone else in the CR? I think that’s an obvious yes.
Is any normal person superior to a big CR troll?
Is a person who doesn’t obsess over trying to rank people superior to Joe?Avira: “a king was chosen BECAUSE of his lofty spiritual accomplishments.” While this may have been true for Shaul and Dovid, I don’t think that was the case for future kings. Future kings were chosen because they descended from Dovid. There were plenty of kings who were horrible people, yet they still held the halachik status of a king.
On the other side, why could not the avos mary the kenanim rather than Lavan’s family who were also no good? Explains the Daroshrs Haran that the kenanim had the bad modos inbred in them. Similarly. maybe the levyim and kohanim had good midos inbread in them.
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