The Priests of Solomon's Temple Quiz

Answer: Aaron

Aaron was Moses' older brother, and came from the tribe of Levi. In Exodus 28:1 we are told "Bring close Aaron your brothers and his sons with him from among he children of Israel to become Cohanim (priests) to Me." According to Jewish tradition, only male descendants of Aaron are considered Cohanim.

Answer: Cohanim were allotted prime land for agricultural purposes.

The Cohanim, or priests, were responsible for all aspects of worship in the Temple. This included conducting sacrifices, preparing and burning incense, and preparing the showbread. The Cohanim were divided into 24 watches, each of which spent two weeks in the Temple.

In return for their Temple responsibilities, the Cohanim were allotted some of the sacrifices brought to the Temple. Unlike the remaining eleven tribes of Israel, the Levi clan were not allotted a specific territory, and they did not engage in agriculture.

Answer: They were forbidden to drink wine.

Cohanim were not permitted to marry divorced or widowed women, or a woman whose purity was in doubt. Since they were forbidden to come into close contact with a dead body, they could only participate in the funerals of first degree relatives. And various physical deformities would prevent a Cohen from serving in the Temple.

In modern times, Orthodox men who are Cohanim continue to observe these restrictions. In the modern State of Israel, where there are no civil marriages, a Cohen may not marry a widowed or divorced woman.

In some Israeli hospitals you may see a sign at the entrance reading "Entrance to Cohanim is Forbidden". This is to indicate that there is a recently deceased body in the hospital, which has not yet been moved to the morgue.

Some men of priestly descent who are not otherwise observant refrain from visiting cemeteries out of respect for their heritage.

Answer: True

Advances made in genetic research reveal more than information about a single individual. "Haplotypes", or a set of common genetic markers, can be found amongst people descended from a common ancestor. This information can be used, for example, to trace the migratory patterns of ancient people.

In this case, Dr. Karl Skorecki, a Cohen himself, as well as a senior genetic researcher, attempted to discover if men who claimed a Cohen lineage indeed shared common genetic markings. The results of initial tests made on 188 men surprised even Skorecki himself; a common marker was found in 98.5 percent of the men who were Cohanim. Additional genetic samples taken from Cohen males from far-flung communities, including Kurdistan, Eastern Europe and North Africa, only strengthened Skorecki's findings.

The common genetic markings were give the name Cohen Modal Haplotype. In addition to this find, researchers are able to date the Most Recent Common Ancestor for people sharing a haplotype. In this case, the Most Recent Common Ancestor lived about 3,300 years ago, or 106 generations.

This is approximately the time-frame of the Exodus from Egypt, when Aaron was alive. As Dr. Skorecki said, "The oral tradition of the priesthood has a DNA or genetic counterpart."

Answer: All of these

The Cohanim are a privileged class in Jewish tradition, despite the fact that the Temple has not existed for two thousand years. When the Torah is read in the synagogue, the first person to be called to the reading will be a Cohen. The Cohanim continue to bless the congregation with the ancient three-fold blessing, "May the Lord bless you and watch over you. May the Lord shine His Presence upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His Countenance to you, and grant you peace". This is recited daily in Sephardic synagogues and Ashkenazic synagogues in Israel, and on holidays in Ashkenazic synagogues elsewhere.

When there is a Cohen present, it is considered proper to ask him to recite any blessings said at the table, such as the blessings over wine or bread.

Answer: Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement)

The High Priest, dressed in white linen, entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, confessed his own sins, those of his families, and the sins of the entire nation. When the congregation that was assembled outside heard him pronounce the true Name of the Lord, they prostrated themselves on the floor.

The High Priest entered the Holy of Holies with a rope tied around him, for if he was not a righteous man, he would die in the Holy of Holies, and other Cohanim would have to pull him out. The memory of this service is kept alive in modern times, when the order of the service in the Holy of Holies is chanted during the additional (musaf) service on the Day of Atonement.

At the end, the congregation sings joyfully "Truthfully, how wonderful it is to see the High Priest when he exits the Holy of Holies safe and sound".

Answer: Redemption of the first-born

The "Redemption of the First-born" ceremony takes place thirty days after the birth of a male child. The first-born sons were originally slated to be responsible for the worship service in the Tabernacle. Regretfully, they joined in when the Children of Israel built the Golden Calf, and thus lost their special standing.

The Tribe of Levi, who refused to join the other tribes in worshiping the calf, then replaced the first-born sons as the priests in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temples. Though all this transpired three thousand years ago, Jewish families continue to "redeem" their first-born sons from service in the Temple.

The "redemption", which is purely ceremonial, is an excuse to have another celebration following the birth of a couple's first son.

Answer: None of these

Not all Cohanim are called "Cohen". There are some rather obvious variations on the name, such as "Kahana" or "Katz", which is actually an acronym for "Cohen Tzedek", or "Righteous Cohen". The name "Rapaport" which traces its lineage back to Rabbi Yaakov Hacohen of Porto, a city in Italy, is documented from the mid-fifteenth century. Our maternal grandfather was a Cohen, and his surname was "Gelber".

Answer: Benjamin Disraeli

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) was a British writer and statesman, serving twice as Prime Minister of Great Britian. Born to a Jewish family, his father had him baptized into the Anglican Church at the age of 13. Despite his conversion, Disraeli was often faced with anti-Semitism in public life.

When a heckler in Parliament jeered at his background, Disraeli quickly retorted, "Yes, I am a Jew, and when the ancestors of the honorable gentleman were brutal savages in an unknown island, mine were priest in the temple of Solomon". Disraeli's reply would have resonated with the British public, who were avid readers of the Bible and familiar with glory associated with the Temple service.

Answer: True

To many people, the Temple of Jerusalem sounds more legendary than historical. Even for most believing Jews, the Temple is something that belongs to the distant past. However, there are people who are actively preparing for the construction of the Third Temple by preparing the necessary implements, by studding the service of the Temple, and even by breeding a red heifer! You may learn more about them at a web site called templeinstitute.org.

Much of the information for this quiz comes from Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman's book "DNA and Tradition" published by Devora Publishing Company.