Menachem Bluming ponders why a Kohen Does not Marry a Convert
A convert is
allowed to marry a king. A convert can also marry a prophet and even a rabbi,
the highest echelon of Jewish society (if you ask me :). So there is no sense
in saying that a convert can't marry a cohen because they are second class
citizens. There has to be some other reason.
Here’s a thought to
reflect on:
When the Torah says
no to a marriage, it is never because one party is not good enough for the
other. The reason is as the parties are not matched to each other. They are
simply not soulmates. In the case of the cohen and the convert, the dynamics of
their souls clash, with spiritual energies contradicting they can't marry.
The holiness of a
cohen is inherited. If your father is a cohen, then so are you. Priesthood is a
birthright that is not reached through a person's effort nor deserved through a
person's righteousness. It is an honor that is imparted at birth.
The sacredness of a
convert is the exact opposite. It is completely earned. The convert was not
born Jewish. It was acquired through a choice they made. They achieve
Jewishness of their own initiative and with their own diligence. They are
self-made souls.
The two souls of
the cohen and the convert, are moving in opposite ways. The cohen receives
their power from heaven. The convert creates their own soul energy from earth.
The cohen has the ability to transport down blessings to others, just as their
soul was given to them as a blessing. The convert has the spirit of innovation,
of initiative, of creating holiness from the ground up. They are going different
directions. For this reason their souls do not match.
Both the cohen and
the convert have tremendous holiness. It is a great privilege to be granted
with the soul of a cohen. And yet, the self-made soul of a convert features a
depth of experience that inherited holiness cannot compete with. Neither are 2nd
class souls.
The cohen is
crowned with a legacy through past generations. A convert creates their own
legacy for future ones. The Jewish people is richer as they have both of them.
Rabbi Mendel
Bluming and Rabbi Moss