SELECTED REFORM RESPONSA
power of the law, he urged upon the kohen the wisdom to refund the sum given him for the redemption of the first-born, and thus preserve his own moral integrity. Since he could not be sure of his priestly origin, Emden declared, the kohen, in keeping the redemption fee, ran the risk of pocketing money to which he had no legal claim:“Nir-eh she-ein kohen yafeh lehafkia mamon bechezkato hageru-a. Vechimat she-ani omer demidina tserichin lehachzir, ulefachot kol kohen yachush la-a tsmo lifrosh misafek gadol shems eino kohen"(She-elot Ya-avets, part 1, Responsum 155).
When, therefore, Reform Judaism chose to ignore the nominal distinction between the ordinary Israelite and the kohen- a distinction which has persisted to this very day- it did not so much depart from tradition as it did display the resolute will to surrender a notion the validity of which eminent Rabbinic authorities had repeatedly called in question.