Q: A priest may defile himself by burying his parent, child, or sibling, but not his wife. (Leviticus 21:1-4) Why is this?

A: After death, a parent remains a parent and a child remains a child or else Father Abraham wouldn't be our father. But death severs the covenant of marriage. The priest will miss his wife, mourn her, still love her even, but she won't be his wife. The teachings of Paul and Yeshua on marriage and death were based in part on this passage, which is explicitly about death and burial but also implies that marriage ends at death. Ultimately all of Paul's and Yeshua's teachings were based on #torah.