# A new Jewish High Priest?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-jewish-high-priest/109217>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 15, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-jewish-high-priest/109217 "2002-05-15T17:33:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 3

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**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-jewish-high-priest/109217/3 "2002-05-15T19:22:41Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by stv \*  
> \*\*I hope this hasn’t been covered here before – I’ve done searches to no avail – but my old college Poli Sci professor told us once that there are currently boys (from the line of Aaron) being trained(?) to serve as the high priest of the new Temple, if and when it is ever built.
> 
> My questions are these:  
> 1- is this true?

\*\*

Don’t know. I know that there is a place in Jerusalem making vessels to be used in the next Temple, but I don’t know if there is a “training center” for _kohanim_. In any event, the study of sacrifical law and temple service is something that is common in _yeshivos_ today, where all students (not just _kohanim_) study them.

> [@](#):
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> \*\*  
> 2- besides being a male Levite, what are the qualifications for becoming a high priest?

\*\*

Any _kohen_ is eligible to become the _kohen gadol_ (high priest). A _kohen_ must be a straight male-line descendant from Aaron. While there are (to my knowledge) no formal requirements for a _kohen_ to become the _kohen gadol_, there are some precedents. Usually, the son of the previous _kohen gadol_ became the next one. Secondly, the _kohen gadol_ was usually someone who was wiser, more respected, a greater Torah-scholar than other _kohanim_.

As a side note, it should be pointed out that there were times when there was more than one _kohen gadol_. There were a number of circumstances that could result in multiple _kohanim gedolim_.

> [@](#):
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> \*\*  
> 3- what sort of training/preparations are needed to make a high priest? what age were the younguns plucked from their mother’s teat to begin preparation?

\*\*

As mentioned above, all Jewish students recieve a thourough education in Jewish law, including the laws of temple service, consecrated items, etc. Young _kohanim_ (I’m not sure from what age, but definitely not before _bar mitzvah_(13)) would be trained in the Temple service. They weren’t "plucked from their mother’s teat"s. And, in addition, anyone who was a _kohen_ had relatives who were _kohanim_ as well (since his father, paternal uncles and paternal brothers were all _kohanim_ too.

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> \*\*  
> 4 - who was the last high priest before the last temple was destroyed?

\*\*

Don’t know.

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> \*\*  
> thanks,

\*\*

You’re welcome.

Zev Steinhardt

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