Commentaire de citation sur Le Lévitique 10:19

An onen is one who has had one of his seven close relatives die, but has not yet buried them (after the burial a person is an avel, a mourner). According to the Torah he is an onen only for the day of the death, but the rabbis extended the status of aninut (being an onen) to include the night after the death, and the entire period until burial. Our mishnah teaches that a high priest continues to offer sacrifices even while he is an onen, as it says in Leviticus 21:12, “He shall not go outside the sanctuary”. He stays in the sanctuary in order to offer sacrifices. However, he does not eat sacrifices on that day. We learn this from Aaron’s words on the day that his sons, Nadav and Avihu, die, “Had I eaten sin offering today would the Lord have approved?” (Leviticus 10:19). It is clear from here that Aaron did not eat sacrifices on that day. In contrast, an ordinary priest who is an onen may neither offer sacrifices, nor eat them. Since an ordinary priest is allowed to become impure for one of these seven relatives, his status during this period is basically the same as that of ordinary people.

כהן גדול מקריב אונן ולא אוכל – from the Holy Things, for such we found with Aaron on the day that Nadav and Avihu died, he said (Leviticus 10:19): “Had I eaten purification offering today, would the LORD have approved?” On the eating he was stringent but not n the bringing of the offering. And specifically, Aaron who was the High Priest, but his sons who were common priests, they were forbidden that entire day whether to offer [a sacrifice] or to eat from it.

אונן טובל ואוכל פסחו לערב – since there is no status of a mourner between death and burial from the Torah other than during the daytime, as it states (Leviticus 10:19): “Had I eaten sin offering today,[would the LORD have approved?]” The daytime is prohibited; the nighttime is permitted. And he requires immersion [in a ritual bath, since he is forbidden until now with Holy Things, the Rabbis had to acquire immersion. But, the Onen/mourner between death and burial does not eat the rest of Holy Things in the evening. But mourning between death and burial is forbidden at night according to the Rabbis, but regarding the Passover sacrifice, they did not let their words stand in the place of extirpation. But the eating of other Holy Things is a mere positive commandment (Exodus 29:33): “These things shall be eaten only by those for whom expiation was made with them [when they were ordained and consecrated; they may not be eaten by a layman, for they are holy].