PEH939

A father and his 2 sons moved to a Jewish community. They identified themselves as Cohanim, meaning they allowed themselves to be called up first to the Torah, recited the priestly blessings, and signed their letters as 'Cohen.' When a rumor circulated that one of the sons had secretly married a wealthy, older woman who had previously been divorced, he was confronted. He admitted to the marriage but now denied being a Cohen. He claimed he had only represented himself as such until now. Samuel Mendes de Sola decided that these new claims should not be believed. The man was considered a Cohen and must divorce the woman. He could regain the privileges of a Cohen only by publicly renouncing all prohibited women.

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1806-10-12

1806-10-13

Acohen d'Azevedo, Daniel