Kahen or Kohane ( ''kahən'' "priest", plural ''kahənat'') is a religious role in

Beta Israel Beta Israel, or Ethiopian Jews, is a Jewish group originating from the territory of the Amhara Region, Amhara and Tigray Region, Tigray regions in northern Ethiopia, where they are spread out across more than 500 small villages over a wide ter ...

second only to the

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

or ''falasyan''. Their duty is to maintain and preserve the

Haymanot Haymanot () is the branch of Judaism which is practiced by the Beta Israel, also known as Ethiopian Jews. In Geʽez, Tigrinya and Amharic, ''Haymanot'' means 'religion' or 'faith'. Thus in modern Amharic and Tigrinya, it is common to speak of ...

among the people. This has become more difficult by the people's encounter with the modernity of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, where most of the Ethiopian Jewish people now live. The high priest ( ''liqa kahən'', plural ''liqanä kahhənat'') is the leader of the priests in a certain area. An aspiring kahen must spend time studying as a

debtera A debtera (or dabtara; Ge'ez/ Tigrinya/Amharic: ደብተራ (''Däbtära)''; plural, Ge'ez\Tigrinya: ''debterat'', Amharic: ''debtrawoch'' ) is an itinerant religious figure in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches, A debtera w ...

before being ordained. As a debtera, he will be closer to the laypeople and serve as an intermediary between them and the clergy. Upon becoming a kahen, he will no longer perform the services of a debtera, though he may take them up again if he gives up his position or is deposed.Isaac Greenfield, "The Debtera and the education among Ethiopian Jewry until the arrival of Dr. Faitlovitch" in Menachem Waldman (ed.), ''Studies in the History of Ethiopian Jews'', Habermann Institute for Literary Research, 2011, pp. 109–135 (Hebrew). The term ''qäsis'' (, ''qes''; ''qäši''), which refers to married priest in the

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

and

Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is one of the Oriental Orthodox Churches with its headquarters in Asmara, Eritrea. It was given autocephaly by Shenouda III of Alexandria, pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, after Eritrea gained its in ...

es, is a synonym for kahen, an unmarried priest, among the Beta Israel.Emmanuel Fritsch, "Qäsis" in Siegbert Uhlig (ed.), ''Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: O-X'', Harrassowitz, 2010, , pp. 262-264. With the aliyah of Beta Israel to Israel, the Amharic "qes" Hebraized was translated as Kes ( or , plural or ''Kesim'').

Notable priests

*Liqa Kahenat Berhan Baruch (1910–1984) – main leader of the Beta Israel from the Italian occupation until his death. *Liqa Kahenat

Isaac Yaso Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in which he is the son of ...

(1892–1997) – main leader of the Jews in

Tigray The Tigray Region (or simply Tigray; officially the Tigray National Regional State) is the northernmost Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob people, Irob and Kunama people. I ...

. *Liqa Kahenat

Raphael Hadane Raphael Hadane (, ; 12 August 1923 – 8 November 2020), also known as Hadana Takoya, was the Liqa Kahenat (High priest) of Beta Israel in Israel. Biography Hadane was born in Seqelt, Ethiopia and studied with the Qessim as a child. During th ...

(1923–2020) – religious leader of the Jews in Ambover. *Kes Avihu Azariya – head of the council of Ethiopian High Priests.

References

{{reflist Jewish religious occupations Haymanot * Religious leadership roles Jews and Judaism in Ethiopia Levites

Notable priests

See also

References