Why Even Misaligned Eyes Disqualify a Priest

How an apparently redundant phrase in Leviticus expands the disqualifications of priests to encompass asymmetrical eyes and aberrant gazes.

אֽוֹ־גִבֵּ֣ן אוֹ־דַ֔ק א֖וֹ תְּבַלֻּ֣ל בְּעֵינ֑וֹ א֤וֹ גָרָב֙ א֣וֹ יַלֶּ֔פֶת א֖וֹ מְר֥וֹחַ אָֽשֶׁךְ׃

or who is a hunchback, or a dwarf, or who has a growth in his eye, or who has a boil-scar, or scurvy, or crushed testes. (Leviticus 21:20)

The Ocular Defects of Parashat Emor

In Parashat Emor, the Torah enumerates physical blemishes that disqualify a כֹּהֵן (priest) from serving in the Sanctuary. The passage catalogs disorders of the face and eyes. Rashi explains that the term גִּבֵּן describes someone whose eyebrow hairs grow excessively long and droop over his eyes. Ramban observes that the Torah arranges defects systematically, moving from missing limbs to bone fractures and finally to facial abnormalities that disrupt the proper appearance of dignity.

אֽוֹ־גִבֵּ֣ן אוֹ־דַ֔ק א֖וֹ תְּבַלֻּ֣ל בְּעֵינ֑וֹ

Or a hunchback, or a dwarf, or who has a growth in his eye (Leviticus 21:20)

Misaligned Eyes and Divergent Vision

The Mishnah in Bekhorot details unusual ocular defects that render a priest unfit to serve. The Gemara clarifies that the Mishnah is not merely discussing a person who constantly looks up or down. Rather, it refers to anatomical misplacement: both eyes situated higher or lower than their normal place in the skull. Furthermore, having one eye set higher than the other, or seeing the floor and ceiling simultaneously, renders him blemished. The Gemara immediately asks from what scriptural source we deduce that deviations in eye position disqualify a priest.

The Superfluous Phrase in the Eye

To answer this question, the Gemara looks to the phrase "תְּבַלֻּל בְּעֵינוֹ" (a tevallul in his eye) in Leviticus 21:20. Rashi explains that the defects mentioned there, such as דַּק (cataract) and תְּבַלּוּל (mixed eye colors), occur exclusively in the eye. The verse could have simply stated "cataract or tevallul" without mentioning the eye at all. Consequently, the explicit mention of בְּעֵינוֹ ("in his eye") represents an entirely superfluous phrase in the text.

By the standard hermeneutical rule of ribbui (biblical inclusion), an unnecessary word expands the law. The Sages interpret "בְּעֵינוֹ" as meaning "כׇּל מָה שֶׁבְּעֵינוֹ"—anything affecting the eye. This derashah widens the biblical blemish beyond internal diseases of the eye to disqualify external placement abnormalities as well.

בְּעֵינוֹ — כׇּל מָה שֶׁבְּעֵינוֹ

In his eye: any blemish that is in his eye. (Bekhorot 44a:4)

Rava’s Exposition of the Five Terms

Rava analyzes why the Torah required five separate terms regarding ocular blemishes: "איש", "עור", "דק", "תבלול", and "בעינו". The term עִוֵּר ("blind") covers the total absence of the eyes from their sockets. The extra word אִישׁ ("man") in Leviticus 21:18 includes constant tearing or white spots where the eye is intact but blind,. The word דַּק covers partial vision loss, while תְּבַלּוּל disqualifies mixed pigments without vision impairment. Finally, the extra phrase בְּעֵינוֹ is required to include structural and positional deviations,.

מְשַׁנְּיוּתָא — מִ״בְּעֵינוֹ״

Deviations from normal appearance are derived from 'in his eye.' (Bekhorot 44a:9)

The Halachic Standard for Priestly Service

The halachic ruling establishes that any priest whose eyes are positioned unnaturally high, low, or asymmetrically is barred from the altar. The disqualification equally applies to a misaligned gaze where an onlooker cannot determine where the priest is looking. Rashi and Sforno emphasize that standing before the Divine Presence requires unblemished dignity, free from disfigurement,. The derashah on Leviticus 21:20 establishes that every ocular irregularity invalidates priestly service.

Because cataracts and clouded spots can only form in the eye, the Torah's redundant phrase 'in his eye' expands the law to disqualify priests with displaced eyes or abnormal gazes.

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