[All Lists] [By Thread] [By Date] [Previous] [Next]
From: R. Kovacs
Subject: Self-attestation
Date: 9 Kislev 5781
My zeyde told me about a man who came to Munkács claiming to be a Cohen. He wanted to be called first to the Torah. The rabbi asked: how do we know you are a Cohen?
The man said: "My father was a Cohen."
The rabbi said: "How do we know your father was a Cohen?"
The man said: "His father was a Cohen."
The rabbi said: "We could do this all the way back to Aaron. At some point, we trust the chain. Where do you want to start trusting?"
The man was called to the Torah.
Self-attestation is not new. It is how Jewish identity has always worked. You are Jewish because someone said you were, and someone trusted them.
Thread: