576 —הבהרה על פסק הזהר לכהנים ומדת חסידות

B"H, 26 Adar 5710.

Haraha"g haraha"ch havavac"h iy"a nu"m etc. etc. Mehor"y Halevi

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Surely the kuntres for Purim with its attachment has arrived. I also received what you wrote about the confusion and your letter from 13 Adar. I was startled when I read it—that you demand things from me that were neither given to me nor are within me, not in any way or form. My complaint is not against your honor since you do not know me personally, but an investigation and inquiry should have been done beforehand, as this is a matter of capital law (dinei nefashot) in this regard. May Hashem merit us all to truly connect to the Tree of Life.

P.S. In your previous letters you commented on what I wrote in Zohar III, 145b: that any Kohen who does not have a wife is forbidden to serve. You question this, since this law applies only to the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur. Perhaps even in the Zohar it refers only to that case, even though the language does not indicate so, as you bring proof from the verse about the Kohen Gadol. Now, even if in III, 145b one could force an interpretation that it speaks of the Kohen Gadol since it is supported by that verse, one cannot say so in Zohar III, 5b where it discusses Nadav and Avihu—not Yom Kippur—and see also Zohar I, 239a. It seems to me one can answer based on what we find in many places: the term 'forbidden' sometimes means only a measure of chassidus (extra piety). See Sdei Chemed Klalei HaPoskim klal 16 s.k.12 who brings examples from Tosafot's commentary on Taanit 11a ('forbidden to have marital relations during years of famine'), Nimukei Yosef end of Sanhedrin chapter 7 ('to partner with idolaters'), Maggid Mishneh Hilchot Shechenim ch.2 halacha 16 ('to stand in another's field'), Sefer Mitzvot Gadol positive commandment 87 ('to eat before feeding one's animal'), and more. Also here in the Zohar it refers to a measure of chassidus; see also Magen Avraham Orach Chaim siman 25 s.k.64. As for why Nadav and Avihu were punished by death—one can say that the days of inauguration were different. See there also for the parable in Zohar III, 5b. Also, Hashem is exacting with tzaddikim etc. Note also Targum Yonatan at the beginning of Acharei: 'the sons of Aharon were great Kohanim.' Regarding your other comments—I will address them in my coming letters, G‑d willing.

With wishes for a kosher Pesach.

Summary

The Rebbe clarifies that certain prohibitions mentioned in Zohar regarding Kohanim are measures of extra piety rather than absolute halachic requirements and supports this with sources from classic commentators—teaching us to distinguish between strict law and higher standards.