For the source text click/tap here: Bechorot 44
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With regard to the disqualification of priests (kohanim) who have physical blemishes, one can investigate whether the disqualification is:
(a) a technical disqualification, arising from some degree of impairment in the functioning of the blemished priest. In this context, “impaired functioning” could also include an appearance that does not appropriately dignify the Temple service, or conduct that demeans the status of the priesthood in the eyes of the people;
or
(b) a substantive disqualification, reflecting a deficiency that the Torah perceives in the blemished person himself.
Echoes of this conceptual question can be found in the different emphases woven into the words of the author of Sefer HaChinuch in his explanation of the underlying rationale for the commandments concerning the disqualification of priests with physical blemishes.
We explore the peripatetic nature of these blemishes in our 3 mishnayot.