Negative Commandment 166 (Digest)
A Priest's Ritual Purity
"He shall not become impure for the dead among his people"—Leviticus 21:1.
A kohen (priest) may not contract ritual impurity through contact with a human corpse. The exception to this rule are his next of kin [—his father, mother, brother, unmarried sister, son and daughter. The Sages added his wife to the list].
This prohibition only applies to male priests.
The 166th prohibition is that a regular kohen is forbidden from becoming tameh for any dead person other than the relatives listed in the Torah.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "He shall not become tameh through the dead of his people."
One who transgresses this prohibition and becomes tameh for anyone other than the six specified relatives is punished by lashes.
This prohibition does not apply to women. The Oral Tradition explains the phrase, "Sons of Aaron," to mean, "Only the 'sons of Aaron,' not the daughters of Aaron."
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