- Kohen Gadol and nazir become tamei for meis mitzvah, machlokes who is first
The seventh Perek begins: כהן גדול ונזיר אין מיטמאין לקרוביהן – A Kohen Gadol and a nazir cannot become tamei for their deceased relatives (in contrast to an ordinary Kohen), אבל מיטמאין למת מצוה – but they may become tamei for a corpse with no one else to bury it. If a Kohen Gadol and a nazir were alone and found a meis mitzvah, Rebbe Eliezer says the Kohen Gadol should become tamei rather than the nazir, and the Chachomim say the nazir should become tamei, even before an ordinary Kohen. Rebbe Eliezer explains: יטמא כהן שאינו מביא קרבן על טומאתו – The Kohen should become tamei, because he does not bring a korban for his tumah, ואל יטמא נזיר שהוא מביא קרבן על טומאתו – but the nazir should not become tamei, since he brings a korban for his tumah. This indicates that the nazir’s kedushah is greater. The Chachomim explain their rationale: יטמא נזיר שאין קדושתו קדושת עולם – The nazir should become tamei, because his kedushah is temporary, ואל יטמא כהן שקדושתו קדושת עולם – but the Kohen should not become tamei, because his kedushah is permanent.
- The relative kedushah of various types of Kohanim Gadolim
The Gemara presents three cases dealing with types of a Kohen Gadol and teaches which should become tamei based on their relative kedushah. משוח בשמן המשחה ומרובה בגדים – Between a [Kohen Gadol] anointed with the anointing oil and one invested only through the extra clothing, the one anointed with oil is greater (and the other should become tamei), because the anointed one has the halachah of a Kohen Gadol that he brings a bull for transgressing an issur kares based on his mistaken ruling, (instead of an ordinary chatas of a female sheep), and a מרובה בגדים does not. An active Kohen Gadol, even if invested only as מרובה בגדים, is greater than a משוח שעבר – an anointed [Kohen Gadol] who passed from his position, although he was anointed, because the former is עביד עבודה – performs the avodah actively as Kohen Gadol, and the latter is not fit for avodah. עבר מחמת קירויו – one who passed from position as Kohen Gadol because he is a baal keri is greater than one who was עבר מחמת מומו – passed because of a blemish which disqualified him from avodah, because האי חזי לעבודה למחר – this [baal keri] is fit for avodah tomorrow (when he becomes tahor).
- משוח מלחמה vs. סגן
The Gemara inquires: משוח מלחמה וסגן, הי מינייהו עדיף – Between a Kohen anointed for war and a deputy Kohen Gadol, which of them is greater? משוח מלחמה עדיף דחזי למלחמה – Do we say the one anointed for war is greater, because he is fit for war, as the Gemara will explain, או דלמא סגן עדיף דחזי לעבודה – or perhaps the Sgan is greater because he is fit for avodah as a substitute for the Kohen Gadol when needed? The Gemara quotes a Baraisa which explicitly says that the משוח מלחמה should become tamei for a meis mitzvah before the Sgan. The Gemara asks that another Baraisa states: משוח מלחמה קודם לסגן – the משוח מלחמה precedes the Sgan!? Mar Zutra explains: לענין החיותו משוח מלחמה עדיף – Regarding sustaining him, (i.e., determining whom should be saved first, which is the subject of the second Baraisa) the משוח מלחמה takes precedence, דתלו ביה רבים – because the masses are dependent on him. Regarding tumah, however, the Sgan is more important, because of the role of the Sgan: שאם אירע בו פסול – so that if a pesul occurred to [the Kohen Gadol], הרי נכנס ומשמש תחתיו – [the Sgan] would enter and serve in his stead..
