Komentaryo sa Levitico 21:4: Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam & Sforno

לא יטמא בעל בעמיו להחלו This means: he shall not defile himself for his wife if she is really unfitted to be his wife (because he is a כהן) and through whom he consequently becomes profaned as a priest, so long as she remains with him (Sifra, Emor, Section 1 15). The following, therefore, is the literal exposition of the verse: לא יטמא בעל, a husband shall not defile himself for his wife's corpse while it is among its people, which means that there are persons who can bury her so that she is not a מת מצוה (cf. Rashi’s explanation of בעמיו on v. 1). And with reference to what kind of wife do I say this? With reference to such a one who להחלו, i. e. who leads to his being profaned and therefore disqualified from his priestly duties so long as she remains with him (cf. Sifra, Emor, Section 1 15; Yevamot 90b).

Thus, a master may not defile himself for his household whether his people be kohanim or ordinary Israelites, except for the abovementioned relatives. and thereby become unholy This is an infinitive of the nif‘al form. The lamed acquires a dagesh because it absorbs a second lamed .

לא יטמא בעל בעמיו, no husband among the tribe of the priests is to defile himself ritually