Emor: The Impurity of Death and the Departure of Divinity
This week's Torah portion, Emor, is termed the portion of the Priests, and details some of the laws that apply only to them. It begins with the ban on priests coming in any kind of contact with death and a corpse – including even being in the same room. The Ramban explains that these and related laws are rooted in the fact that the priests "are the servants of our G-d, and are therefore instructed to behave with extra honor and greatness… Since they are worthy of this greatness and honor among the people, they are warned not to desecrate this virtue via the impurity of the dead."
