Yevamot 70 – An uncircumcised Kohen

Generally, a Kohen and his family can eat the priestly portion of the grain (terumah), separated by Jews in the Land of Israel. This is also true for slaves that he acquires. However, if this Kohen is uncircumcised or ritually impure, he cannot eat terumah. This does not change his family's status, and they can continue to eat terumah just as they did before - because they are still his family and did not change in any way.

When a Kohen is uncircumcised, we are not talking about a willful violator because the Talmud usually does not speak about violators. Instead, his two older brothers have previously died due to circumcision, which left him with the presumption that circumcision is dangerous to his health and should not be done. Still, when he becomes healthy, and experts assess this, the mitzvah of circumcision is again incumbent on him.

The situation is reversed for a Kohen who has wounded or crushed testicles or whose member is severed. He is prohibited from marrying and cohabiting with a Jewish woman, but this does not take away his status as a Kohen. Therefore, he may still eat terumah. However, his wife is different: once he cohabits with her, she loses the right to terumah because she had cohabitation with someone unfit for her.

Art: Self Portrait with Father and Brother by John Hamilton Mortimer