There are many reasons advanced for this prohibition. Ramban attributes it to the special spiritual quality of the priests whose awareness of God is so constant and concentrated that they do not need the reminder of death, human frailty and mortality that all other humans require. There is no reason to subject them to the ritual impurity that death imposes upon those that attend, to those who have passed on.

 

But, there can be other ideas advanced as well. Among them is the thought that the spiritual leaders of Israel are to concentrate on life. There is a natural realization of human mortality but very little in life can be accomplished if one is constantly thinking of one’s demise. The priest of Israel is to concentrate on building the future of the Jewish people, to create generations of loyal and productive Jews and to serve as a role model of probity, holiness and public service. As such, he is almost bound to avoid death, which is a condition, to put it mildly, that inhibits a positive and optimistic view of the future. 

 

Another idea involved here in this discussion is that a priest, a spiritual leader, has to have a cheerful disposition. A dour personality is not an asset for any spiritual leader. The Chovat Halvovot famously remarks that even if one has a broken heart one must display a cheerful disposition to others.

 

Short tempers and depressing attitudes certainly do not inspire others to commit themselves to following a leader or emulating that personality. Dealing with death on a regular basis is not conducive to an optimistic frame of mind . I knew a number of rabbis who, after a number of years, no longer officiated at funerals simply because of the emotional and psychological toll that this task was exacting from them.

 

The Ponovezher Rav, Rabbi Yosef Kaheneman, was a kohein, a priest. He told me that originally there were objections in his community to his becoming the rabbi there since this would not allow him to conduct funeral services. He in turn claimed that it was to be viewed as an asset and not a liability since he would remain in a cheerful mood - and that there were enough troubles besetting Lithuanian Jewry in the 1920’s without having a community with a saddened spiritual leader.

 

Be that as it may be, funerals are part of life and part of a rabbi’s job description. Nevertheless, the prohibition against associating with death for the priests remains in force and it is one of the hallmarks of that special class of Jews.

 

Shabat shalom