Question:
Thank you very much for your thorough answer to question 57647 and for not complicating it with extraneous issues such as “is he really a Kohen.”
If you are between, say, 30 and 75 years old, i.e., too old for never-marrieds and too young for widows (of course there are at least a few of all categories at any age), trying to get halachically remarried as a Kohen is truly difficult. About 98% of the women I meet are forbidden to Kohanim. Applying various halachic technicalities, maybe only 95% would be. And, of course, many of these women are not good matches for a variety of other reasons.
I’m not engaged to be married yet but wondered about the implications should I get to that point. At least my sons are Kohanim, no matter what I do, so the ancient chain continues.
Thank you again!
Answer:
You are very correct. Getting remarried as a Kohen is not easy, but it isn’t impossible. I have two divorced friends that are kohanim and remarried after they got divorced. Just know there is hope and with a lot of tefilla, H-shem will find you friends a suitable wife. Even though the market isn’t so big, you only need one.
Another idea to keep in mind, your difficulty is coming because you are special. Your great grandfather Aaron Hakohen was singled out and chosen, that he and his descendants, will be special forever to have the special job. That IY”H when the Bais Hamikdash will be rebuilt, hopefully soon, you are going to go inside and perform the avoda, and I am going to have to stay outside. You are also the one who has to power to give over H-shem’s special bracha- birkas kohanim, which by the way is the worlds most powerful bracha, and it can only be given over by you- a kohen. A yisroel is not “wired” to be able to transmit this bracha- only a special kohen. Due to this special stature, the kohanim have special mitzvos and restriction, in order to preserve this specialness, and the torah tells us that it is worth the difficulty. Just make sure to preserve your special identity, throughout the difficult periods.
As a side point there is a fascinating study that was done, which identifies a gene that is basically only found in kohanim called ” Y-chromosomal Aaron”. Meaning that the specialness of being a kohen is part of your essential makeup and genes. If you wold like to see an article about this see https://www.aish.com/ci/sam/48936742.html .
May H-shem help that you should be zoche to remarry soon.
