Q&A: A Prohibition of a Zona to a Kohen
A Prohibition of a Zona to a Kohen
Question
What is the halakhic ruling regarding a kohen marrying a woman who had sexual relations with other men?
Answer
Ordinary intercourse does not make a woman a zona. She would have to have relations with someone who is halakhically forbidden to her: https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%96%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94_(%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%94)
Discussion on Answer
Are you asking me as a detective consultant?
I’m asking whether there is an obligation to make that inquiry. Whether one asks the woman, or assumes something specific. Sorry if it came across differently.
If you believe her, you can ask. Even in a religious court, “the mouth that forbade is the mouth that permitted” applies. She is the one who said she had relations, so she can also say with whom. And you are not bound by the rules of procedure of a religious court.
There aren’t many possibilities. I assume it wasn’t a relative of hers. So you would need to rule out a mamzer, a disqualified kohen, or a gentile.
This is about a woman who had relations with various men. How does one investigate this, and is there an obligation to clarify with whom she had relations, and whether he was permitted to her?