(Leviticus 9:1 - 9:24)
On the eighth day Moses called together Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. He instructed Aaron, "Take a male calf for a sin offering and a ram for the burnt offering-- both without defect -- and sacrifice them to Jehovah. Tell the people of Israel, 'Select a male goat for a sin offering and for the burnt offering, a calf and lamb, both yearlings and without defects. And, for the peace offering, bring a bull and a ram, for the grain offering, flour moistened with cooking oil. These will be sacrifices to Jehovah -- for today he is going to make an appearance before you!'"
The people presented these sacrifices at the entrance to the Tabernacle, per Moses' instructions. The whole community came forward and congregated in front of the Sanctum. Moses told them, "This is what Jehovah demands of you that he may, in all his glory, appear before you." Moses instructed Aaron, "Approach the Sacrificial Altar and make your sin offering and the burnt offering, in order to make atonement for yourself and for the people. Then, make the sacrifices that were brought by the people, so that you may achieve atonement for them, in accordance with Jehovah's instructions."
Aaron thus approached the altar and slaughtered the calf of his own sin offering. Aaron's sons offered him the blood of sacrificed calf. Aaron dipped his finger in the blood and dabbed it on the horns of the altar. The rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. On top of the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys, and the long lobe of the liver of the sin offering, as Moses was instructed by Jehovah. (The meat and the hide of the calf were burned outside of camp.)
Then Aaron slaughtered the ram of the burnt offering. His sons offered him its blood and he dashed it against all the sides of the altar. Then they offered him the cut-up pieces of the burnt offering, including the head, and he burned them on top of the altar. The internal organs and the legs he also burned on the altar with the rest of the offering, but only after they were washed in water.
Next, Aaron presented the people's offerings. The goat that was to be the people's sin offering he slaughtered and sacrificed it as he had done with his own sin offering. Then he made the burnt offering and did so according to proper procedure. He presented as well the grain offering, taking a handful of it and sprinkling it upon the altar, on top of the morning's customary burnt offering. He slaughtered the bull and the ram of the peace offering. His sons offered him the blood, which Aaron dashed on all sides of the altar. The fat of each of the sacrificed animals, the fat of the broad tail and the fat surrounding it, the kidneys, and the long lobe of the liver were placed on top of the breasts and burned. The breasts and right thighs (the priests’ share) Aaron elevated above the altar and presented to Jehovah, as Moses had instructed.
Afterwards, Aaron raised his hands over the people and gave them his blessing. Completing the sin offerings, the burnt offerings, and the peace offerings, he stepped away from the altar. Moses and Aaron entered the Sanctum and blessed the people when they came out. Then, all the people witnessed the glorious presence of Jehovah. With his appearance, the fire flared up upon the altar and consumed the burnt offering and the fat that was on top of it. Everyone saw this, and when they did, they shouted for joy and fell to the ground in worship.
Notes
1. Jehovah's insistence on the sacrifice as the primary means of worship is emphasized here. Important, too, is the proper procedure for the sacrifice. The modern mind wonders why all this attention to superfluous detail. Adherence to ritual makes the bloody slaughter of some animal a matter of importance, lends it dignity, gravity, and solemnity. Doing things in a certain prescribed manner can make even an offensive, heinous, or ostensibly immoral act seem right and proper. Executions, even today, must be carried out with set procedures, or else they will seem acts of murder. In more traditional times men used to commit adultery following certain rules and conventions that lent, in their minds, quasi-legitimacy to their lustful liaisons.
2. The redundant descriptions of sacrifices are recorded in order to reassure the people that all the priestly rituals originate with Jehovah and are done on direct orders from him and, therefore, must be followed without question and must never be changed. The truth is that they were probably established by the priests and evolved during many years, centuries even -- but no worshiper must suspect that. Their rightness and legitimacy rests upon their being the absolute will of God Almighty and ancient, unalterable practice.
3. After the sacrifices have been made, Moses and Aaron enter the Sanctum. It must be remembered that the Sacrificial Altar is positioned in the Tabernacle courtyard just outside the entrance to the Sanctum. Inside the curtained Sanctum is the menorah, the table for the showbread, the Incense Altar, and the curtained Inner Sanctum, where rests the Sacred Chest of Records (or Ark of the Covenant) housing, among other things, the tablets upon which the Ten Commandments are inscribed and specimens of manna. What Moses and Aaron did after they entered the Sanctum is not revealed. Did they have contact with Jehovah, who is supposed to come down to earth and sit upon the Judgment Seat, the lid to the Sacred Chest of Records? Did he materialize? Or did his voice speak to them? Regardless of what occurred, when they appeared again, Moses and Aaron blessed the people. Jehovah then manifested himself before the people. How, is unclear, save that as a result of his presence the fire on the altar flared up. This apparently impressed the people sufficiently that they cried out in joy and fell to the ground in worship. Did Jehovah actually make a personal, physical appearance? Or did something spectacular occur? Did the fire come out of Jehovah’s body, as some translations suggest? It seems more likely that all the people saw was the flaring fire -- pretty lame, pretty underwhelming, one would think, but then again the masses are often moved to wonder by small things presented in the proper setting in the proper way. The people were told to expect an appearance from Jehovah. They were put in a credulous frame of mind. A fire flaring up might be more than enough to convince them of a godly visitation. Imagining the scenario, one unfortunately feels as if the whole thing is a conjurer's trick -- the witch doctor pretends to have an audience with the god, blesses the people in his name, then, to impress the ignorant and unsuspecting, surreptitiously tosses something into the fire to make it flare up, a miracle eliciting a worshipful awe, but not really a very sophisticated trick. (Of course, the fire may have been the work of Jehovah, or, the fall-back possibility, the incident is fictitious.)
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Ordination of Priests
(Leviticus 8:1 - 8:36)
Jehovah then instructed Moses, "Bring Aaron and his sons, the vestments of the priesthood, the Anointing Oil, the bull to be sacrificed for the sin offering, the two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread to the entrance of the Tabernacle and assemble the entire people there."
Moses did as Jehovah had commanded him. When the congregation had assembled at the entrance to the Tabernacle, he addressed them, "This is what Jehovah has commanded us to do!" --- He presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. He garbed Aaron in the tunic and tied the sash around his waist. He put the robe on him and the sacred vest, securing it with its decorated sash. He fitted the chest piece on him and inserted into its pocket the Urim and the Thimmim. On Aaron's head he placed the turban and on the front of it attached the holy gold medallion, all according to Jehovah's instructions.
With the Anointing Oil Moses consecrated the Tabernacle by sprinkling the oil over everything in it. He sprinkled oil upon the Sacrificial Altar seven times, anointing it, its utensils, as well as the wash basin and its stand. He poured oil over Aaron's head and by that anointment consecrated him as holy. Next, Moses presented Aaron's sons. He garbed them in tunics, tied sashes round them, and placed the caps of priesthood upon their heads, all according to the instructions of Jehovah.
Moses presented the bull for the sin offering. Aaron and his sons held it by the head while Moses slaughtered the animal. Moses took some of its blood and with his finger dabbed it on the four horned corners of the Sacrificial Altar to purify it. The rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. By means of this ritual he consecrated the altar and made it holy. Moses took the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat around them and burned it all on the altar. But the bull itself with its hide, meat, and intestines he incinerated outside the camp, as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering. While Aaron and his sons held it by the neck, Moses slaughtered it. Moses took the ram's blood and splattered it on all sides of the altar. He cut up the ram and burned on the altar the head, the cut-up pieces of flesh, and the fat. He washed the internal organs and the lower part of the legs in water and burned the entire ram on the altar. This food offering, prepared in accordance with Jehovah's instructions, created an aroma that was very pleasing to him.
Next, Moses presented for sacrifice the second ram, the ram for the ordination. While Aaron and his sons held it by the neck, Moses slaughtered it. Moses dabbed some of the ram's blood on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. Moses brought Aaron's sons forward and similarly dabbed blood on the lobes of their right ear, the thumbs of their right hand, and the big toes of their right foot. Then he splashed the rest of blood against the sides of the altar. Moses took the ram's fat, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat surrounding them, and the right thigh. On top of them he placed a thin cake of unleavened bread, a cake of bread mixed with oil, and a wafer with oil spread on it. (These were taken from the basket of unleavened breads that was on display before the Sanctum.) He placed these into the hands of Aaron and his sons who elevated them and waved them as an offering to Jehovah. Moses took back the offerings and burned them on the altar on top of the former burnt offering. This comprised the ordination offering, a food offering with an aroma very pleasing to Jehovah. Moses took the breast of the sacrificed ram as his share of the ordination offering, and waved it before the altar, as Jehovah instructed. Then Moses took some of the Anointing Oil and blood from the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and on his vestments, and on his sons and their vestments, and thereby consecrated Aaron and his sons and their vestments.
Moses instructed Aaron and his sons, "Cook the meat just inside the entrance to the Tabernacle and eat it there along with the bread that was in the basket made up for the ordination. This will conform to my instruction, 'Aaron and his sons may eat it.' Any left-over meat or bread must be burned. You must not leave the Tabernacle compound for seven days, the duration of the ordination ceremony. Everything we have done this day, we have done so that you may be purified and achieve atonement in the eyes of Jehovah. But you must, on pain of death, remain within the confines of the Tabernacle both day and night during those seven days in order to fulfill the requirements set down by Jehovah, for this is what I have been commanded."
And so Aaron and his sons did all that Jehovah had demanded of them through Moses.
Notes
1. The term "entrance to the Tabernacle" is probably used in two ways here. The entire populace is gathered at the "entrance to the Tabernacle;" this surely means outside the Tabernacle, but in front of the entrance. Even if the Israelite community consisted of only a few thousand individuals, as one suspects would be true, then it would be impossible for all of them to be massed inside the Tabernacle courtyard. (The enclosure was only 150 by 75 feet, and yielded an interior space of 11,250 square feet, but, excluding the Sanctum, which was 45 x 15 feet (675 square feet), it would be only 10,575 square feet. Given that each man occupies 4 square feet, then only 2,644 persons could have been packed into the Tabernacle courtyard, but, from a practical standpoint, far fewer. It is conceivable that a few thousand persons could have gathered outside the Tabernacle. However, if the Israelite community consisted of millions of people, as is asserted in Exodus, it is inconceivable that all of them could have gathered at the Tabernacle’s entrance -- or, for that matter, gathered anywhere.) Later, the text refers to the requirement that priests must remain at the "entrance to the Tabernacle," for seven days during their period of ordination. One would assume that this means inside the Tabernacle courtyard. This no doubt means that they were to be confined to the Tabernacle during their ordination. I have reflected this is my translation.
2. The qualifications for priesthood, aside from being descent from Aaron, seems to rest upon adhering to certain ordained rituals. (You can’t be a priest unless you get that big toe dabbed with ram’s blood!) There is no mention, at least as yet, of good personal character being a requisite.
3. In most societies the high priest places himself as an intermediary, a middle man, between the god and the people. In Christian society this function is assumed by the church. (Woe be to mystics like Joan of Arc who seem to bypass the church and commune directly with the divine.) Here, Moses is an intermediary between Jehovah and the high priest, Aaron, who serves his god with sacrifices and the people by furnishing the means by which they can achieve atonement for their sins. Jehovah tells Moses what to do and Moses tells Aaron. Aaron, unlike most high priests, does not communicate directly with the god he serves.
4. The fine linen garments made for the priests are stained with blood and oil during the ordination ceremony. Did the Israelites have great skill in removing stains from clothes? (One worries that the Jehovan priests must have run up really big laundry bills.)
5. One wonders how Jehovah thought up all this stuff, the rigamarole with the blood of sacrificed animals, the oil, and so forth, but it all seems to be a part of common practice with primitive religions. It would be interesting to investigate how these procedures, the sacrifices, the ordination of the priests, compare to the rituals of other religions of the time, those practiced by the Egyptians, Babylonians, Canaanites, etc. It is doubtful that there is anything unique in these early Jehovan practices, save for one thing, that Jehovah prohibited his worship through idols or images of any kind. The reason for this anomaly is never made clear. (One may imagine that Jehovah is like a camera-shy celebrity who doesn't want his picture in the papers, the man behind the curtain who never emerges to reveal himself, but manifests his will through his chosen agent. Or, one may see him as an extraterrestrial being who wishes to exert his will upon earth men and exact their submission, while remaining aloof, invisible even, but working through his human contactee, Moses.)
Jehovah then instructed Moses, "Bring Aaron and his sons, the vestments of the priesthood, the Anointing Oil, the bull to be sacrificed for the sin offering, the two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread to the entrance of the Tabernacle and assemble the entire people there."
Moses did as Jehovah had commanded him. When the congregation had assembled at the entrance to the Tabernacle, he addressed them, "This is what Jehovah has commanded us to do!" --- He presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. He garbed Aaron in the tunic and tied the sash around his waist. He put the robe on him and the sacred vest, securing it with its decorated sash. He fitted the chest piece on him and inserted into its pocket the Urim and the Thimmim. On Aaron's head he placed the turban and on the front of it attached the holy gold medallion, all according to Jehovah's instructions.
With the Anointing Oil Moses consecrated the Tabernacle by sprinkling the oil over everything in it. He sprinkled oil upon the Sacrificial Altar seven times, anointing it, its utensils, as well as the wash basin and its stand. He poured oil over Aaron's head and by that anointment consecrated him as holy. Next, Moses presented Aaron's sons. He garbed them in tunics, tied sashes round them, and placed the caps of priesthood upon their heads, all according to the instructions of Jehovah.
Moses presented the bull for the sin offering. Aaron and his sons held it by the head while Moses slaughtered the animal. Moses took some of its blood and with his finger dabbed it on the four horned corners of the Sacrificial Altar to purify it. The rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. By means of this ritual he consecrated the altar and made it holy. Moses took the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat around them and burned it all on the altar. But the bull itself with its hide, meat, and intestines he incinerated outside the camp, as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering. While Aaron and his sons held it by the neck, Moses slaughtered it. Moses took the ram's blood and splattered it on all sides of the altar. He cut up the ram and burned on the altar the head, the cut-up pieces of flesh, and the fat. He washed the internal organs and the lower part of the legs in water and burned the entire ram on the altar. This food offering, prepared in accordance with Jehovah's instructions, created an aroma that was very pleasing to him.
Next, Moses presented for sacrifice the second ram, the ram for the ordination. While Aaron and his sons held it by the neck, Moses slaughtered it. Moses dabbed some of the ram's blood on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. Moses brought Aaron's sons forward and similarly dabbed blood on the lobes of their right ear, the thumbs of their right hand, and the big toes of their right foot. Then he splashed the rest of blood against the sides of the altar. Moses took the ram's fat, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat surrounding them, and the right thigh. On top of them he placed a thin cake of unleavened bread, a cake of bread mixed with oil, and a wafer with oil spread on it. (These were taken from the basket of unleavened breads that was on display before the Sanctum.) He placed these into the hands of Aaron and his sons who elevated them and waved them as an offering to Jehovah. Moses took back the offerings and burned them on the altar on top of the former burnt offering. This comprised the ordination offering, a food offering with an aroma very pleasing to Jehovah. Moses took the breast of the sacrificed ram as his share of the ordination offering, and waved it before the altar, as Jehovah instructed. Then Moses took some of the Anointing Oil and blood from the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and on his vestments, and on his sons and their vestments, and thereby consecrated Aaron and his sons and their vestments.
Moses instructed Aaron and his sons, "Cook the meat just inside the entrance to the Tabernacle and eat it there along with the bread that was in the basket made up for the ordination. This will conform to my instruction, 'Aaron and his sons may eat it.' Any left-over meat or bread must be burned. You must not leave the Tabernacle compound for seven days, the duration of the ordination ceremony. Everything we have done this day, we have done so that you may be purified and achieve atonement in the eyes of Jehovah. But you must, on pain of death, remain within the confines of the Tabernacle both day and night during those seven days in order to fulfill the requirements set down by Jehovah, for this is what I have been commanded."
And so Aaron and his sons did all that Jehovah had demanded of them through Moses.
Notes
1. The term "entrance to the Tabernacle" is probably used in two ways here. The entire populace is gathered at the "entrance to the Tabernacle;" this surely means outside the Tabernacle, but in front of the entrance. Even if the Israelite community consisted of only a few thousand individuals, as one suspects would be true, then it would be impossible for all of them to be massed inside the Tabernacle courtyard. (The enclosure was only 150 by 75 feet, and yielded an interior space of 11,250 square feet, but, excluding the Sanctum, which was 45 x 15 feet (675 square feet), it would be only 10,575 square feet. Given that each man occupies 4 square feet, then only 2,644 persons could have been packed into the Tabernacle courtyard, but, from a practical standpoint, far fewer. It is conceivable that a few thousand persons could have gathered outside the Tabernacle. However, if the Israelite community consisted of millions of people, as is asserted in Exodus, it is inconceivable that all of them could have gathered at the Tabernacle’s entrance -- or, for that matter, gathered anywhere.) Later, the text refers to the requirement that priests must remain at the "entrance to the Tabernacle," for seven days during their period of ordination. One would assume that this means inside the Tabernacle courtyard. This no doubt means that they were to be confined to the Tabernacle during their ordination. I have reflected this is my translation.
2. The qualifications for priesthood, aside from being descent from Aaron, seems to rest upon adhering to certain ordained rituals. (You can’t be a priest unless you get that big toe dabbed with ram’s blood!) There is no mention, at least as yet, of good personal character being a requisite.
3. In most societies the high priest places himself as an intermediary, a middle man, between the god and the people. In Christian society this function is assumed by the church. (Woe be to mystics like Joan of Arc who seem to bypass the church and commune directly with the divine.) Here, Moses is an intermediary between Jehovah and the high priest, Aaron, who serves his god with sacrifices and the people by furnishing the means by which they can achieve atonement for their sins. Jehovah tells Moses what to do and Moses tells Aaron. Aaron, unlike most high priests, does not communicate directly with the god he serves.
4. The fine linen garments made for the priests are stained with blood and oil during the ordination ceremony. Did the Israelites have great skill in removing stains from clothes? (One worries that the Jehovan priests must have run up really big laundry bills.)
5. One wonders how Jehovah thought up all this stuff, the rigamarole with the blood of sacrificed animals, the oil, and so forth, but it all seems to be a part of common practice with primitive religions. It would be interesting to investigate how these procedures, the sacrifices, the ordination of the priests, compare to the rituals of other religions of the time, those practiced by the Egyptians, Babylonians, Canaanites, etc. It is doubtful that there is anything unique in these early Jehovan practices, save for one thing, that Jehovah prohibited his worship through idols or images of any kind. The reason for this anomaly is never made clear. (One may imagine that Jehovah is like a camera-shy celebrity who doesn't want his picture in the papers, the man behind the curtain who never emerges to reveal himself, but manifests his will through his chosen agent. Or, one may see him as an extraterrestrial being who wishes to exert his will upon earth men and exact their submission, while remaining aloof, invisible even, but working through his human contactee, Moses.)
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Further Instructions Concerning Sacrifices
Leviticus (6:8 - 7:38)
Jehovah then availed upon Moses to convey to Aaron and his sons these instructions: "This the procedure for conducting the burnt offering: The burnt offering should remain upon the Sacrificial Altar all night, and the fire should be kept burning till morning. At that time, the priest, robed in the sacred linen garments (and linen undergarments) of the priesthood, should clean the ashes of the burnt offering from the top of the altar and deposit them to the side of the altar. Then, after he has divested himself of his priestly garments and changed into everyday clothes, the priest should carry the ashes to a place outside the camp that is ritually pure. The altar fire must always be tended so that it will never go out. Every morning the officiating priest should put more wood on the fire and prepare the burnt offering upon the altar. Then, the fat of the sacrificial animal is to be burnt as a peace offering. (And remember: the altar fire must be kept burning at all times and must not be allowed to go out.)
"This is the procedure for conducting the cereal offering: Aaron and his sons are to present this offering to Jehovah in front of the Sacrificial Altar. The officiating priest should take a handful of the finest flour moistened with oil and seasoned with frankincense and burn a token portion of it upon the altar. It will create an aroma most pleasing to Jehovah. The priests, Aaron and his sons, may eat what remains of the flour, but it must be baked into unleavened cakes and eaten in the Sanctum or in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. (Remember: it must not be prepared with yeast.) I have allowed the priests this, their share of the sacrifice, as a reward for their services to me, for it is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. Any male descendant of Aaron is entitled to partake of it; that will remain their perpetual right down through the generations. But it must not be touched by anyone or anything that is not holy.
"On the day that Aaron and his sons are anointed as priests, they must present to Jehovah an ordination offering of a one tenth of an ephah of the finest flour, sacrificing half of it in the morning, half in the evening. The flour should be prepared as cakes, well soaked in oil and cooked on a griddle. The cakes should be broken into pieces and presented as a sacrifice to Jehovah; it will create an aroma very pleasing to him. In every generation, Aaron's successor must perform this same sacrifice. This cereal offering will, by everlasting law, belong to Jehovah and, therefore, must be entirely burned on the altar; none of it should be eaten.
"This is the procedure for conducting the sin offering: The animal to be sacrificed as a sin offering should be slaughtered before the Sanctum where burnt offerings are made. This is a sacred ritual. The priest who makes this offering should partake of it in the Sanctum or in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. It must not be touched by anyone or anything that is not holy. If blood from the sacrificed animal splatters on someone's clothes, the stained garment must be washed in a sacred place. If an earthen pot is used to boil the sacrificial meat, then it must afterwards be broken. If the pot is of bronze, then it should be scoured and thoroughly rinsed with water. As it is holy, the meat of the sacrificed animal may be eaten by any male member of the priest's family. However, the sin offering may not be eaten if its blood was used in an atonement ritual in the Sanctum. In such case, the entire carcass must be incinerated on the altar.
"This is the procedure for conducting the guilt offering, a very holy ritual: The animal to be sacrificed as a guilt offering should be slaughtered before the Sanctum where burnt offerings are made. Its blood should be splattered on all sides of the altar. All the fat should be presented as a sacrifice, as well as the broad tail, the fat surrounding the internal organs, the two kidneys and the fat around them in the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. They should be burned by the priest as a sacrifice to Jehovah. This is the guilt offering. Any male member of the priest's family may eat the flesh of the sacrificed animal, but must do so in the confines of the Tabernacle, for it is holy.
"The same rules apply to both the guilt and the sin offering. The sacrificial animals belong the priest who is making atonement with Jehovah through them. And so the priest who makes a burnt offering will own the hide of the sacrificed animal. Any cereal offering, whether baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle, belongs to the officiating priest. Uncooked cereal offerings, whether dry or soaked in oil, however, belong equally to all the Tabernacle priests, (who are descendants of Aaron).
"This is the procedure for conducting peace offerings that one may make to Jehovah: If you are making an offering of thanksgiving, the customary animal sacrifice must be accompanied by offerings of unleavened bread -- thin cakes of flour mixed with cooking oil, wafers upon which oil is spread, and cakes of the finest flour soaked in oil, all made without yeast. Loaves of unleavened bread must accompany the peace offering of thanksgiving. A sample of each type of bread should be offered as a sacrifice to Jehovah. It will then belong to the officiating priest, the one who will splatter the blood of the peace offering against the altar.
“Meat from the thanksgiving offering must be eaten on the day of the sacrifice; nothing should remain by the morning of the next day. If, however, the sacrifice is a votive or voluntary offering, then, while the meat may be consumed on the day of the offering, left-overs may be eaten on the following day. Whatever remains, though, should be thoroughly burned on the third day. If any meat from the peace offering is eaten on the third day, then the person making the offering will be rejected by Jehovah: he will receive no credit for his sacrifice, the meat will become ritually impure, and anyone who eats it will be guilty of a sin.
"Meat that has come into contact with anything ritually impure should not be eaten, but must be burned. As for meat that has not been made impure, anyone ritually pure may eat it. But anyone who is not ritually pure that eats the meat from the peace offering meant for Jehovah, that person should be ostracized by the community. Anyone who touches something impure, whether it be human waste, or an impure animal or insect and then eats the meat of the peace offering meant for Jehovah, should also be ostracized.
"Also instruct the people of Israel that they must never eat fat, whether it comes from cattle, sheep, or goats. The fat of animals killed or predated by wild animals should not be eaten, though it can be used in other ways. Anyone who eats fat from an animal sacrificed as a burnt offering to Jehovah, should be ostracized by the community. Even at home (wherever it may be) you should never consume blood of any sort, whether from birds or animals, and anyone who does so should be ostracized.
"And tell them that when they present a peace offering to Jehovah, they should bring part of it themselves as a sacrifice to Jehovah. With their own hands they should make an offering of food to Jehovah, bringing the fat and the breast, which they should lift up and wave as an offering before the altar of Jehovah. The fat will be burned upon the altar, while the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons. You should give the right thigh to the priests as a contribution. It must always be given to the officiating priest who presents as a sacrifice the blood and fat of the peace offering. The breast, the waved offering, and the right thigh of the sacrifice are always to be set aside for Aaron and his priestly descendants. The right of the priests to claim a part of the sacrifice has been established at the time that they were chosen to serve Jehovah. On the day they were anointed, Jehovah demanded that the priests always be given these portions of the sacrifices and it should remain so down through the ages."
These were the instructions for the burnt offering, the cereal offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, as well as the ordination offering and the peace offering, that Jehovah conveyed to Moses on Mount Sinai when he commanded the Israelites to make sacrifices to him in the desert of Sinai.
Notes
1. Apparently an important rule is that the fire beneath the Sacrificial Altar should always be tended so that it may never go out. It is a very widespread custom, from all parts of the globe and among many religions and cults, that sacred flames must never be extinguished, symbolizing as they do eternal devotion. The altar fire may also be said to embody the spirit of the deity that consumes the burnt sacrifice.
2. The prerogatives of Aaron, his family, and descendants, the sole claimants to the office of Jehovan high priest, are emphasized and forcefully reiterated. One suspects that the priesthood was defensive in justifying these prerogatives, no doubt against criticism and challenge. By asserting that these prerogatives are demands and commands of their god, the priests have the final word in the argument. The rituals detailed in the Torah promote the interests of the priestly class and one gains the impression that much of the text is self-serving propaganda of the priest/authors.
3. Worshipers of Jehovah can give nothing to their god save earthly food. It is all a people on a primitive level of civilization could give. Food was sustenance, and offering it to others represented generosity and hospitality. (It would be in a later time that food would suggest gluttony and indulgence.) In Christianity, the sacrifice is replaced by prayers of thanksgiving and praise, a commitment to good works, and, one supposes, the erection of magnificent houses of worship.
4. The prohibition against eating fat is curious, but arises from the custom that the fat of sacrificial animals belongs to Jehovah. It is well established that lean meat is more healthy than fatty meat, but a certain amount of fat exists in all meat. How strictly enforced the prohibition against the consumption of animal fat could be is a matter of conjecture.
5. One tenth of an ephah is equivalent to two quarts or two pounds.
6. Peace offerings may be of three types, thanksgiving, for blessings received from Jehovah, votive, in fulfillment of an oath to Jehovah, or voluntary, offerings made from choice and not because of any specific obligation.
7. One who is guilty of offenses such as eating fat or blood, or eating sacrificial meat when ritually impure is, literally, to be “cut off (karet or karath in Hebrew) from his people.” But what does this mean? What is the specific punishment referred to? The term seems to have been used in somewhat different ways throughout the biblical text, so it’s impossible to come to a definite conclusion as to the precise meaning. Some translations cop out and leave the wording as is, totally unclear to the reader. Karet can mean anything from a forcible separation from the body of the religious community to a divine sentence of premature death, extirpation of the family line, and eternal damnation. It has also been suggested that it means as well the denial of an afterlife (but at this point in the Bible there has been no specific reference to any kind of afterlife, except vague ones about joining one’s ancestors). Although karet is asserted to be a punishment inflicted only by Jehovah and not by men, in this context it seems likely that the religious authorities, acting in the place of Jehovah, would exact some punishment upon violators. That punishment would most likely have been ostracism or banishment. Therefore, I have concluded the best translation here is ostracized by the community, although I have previously used banished from the community in other contexts. Perhaps I am incorrectly softening the text, but it seems preposterous that even the ancient Hebrews would think that someone should die and be eternally damned merely because he was caught munching on a piece of fat, or insist on stringing somebody up because his steak was too rare.
Jehovah then availed upon Moses to convey to Aaron and his sons these instructions: "This the procedure for conducting the burnt offering: The burnt offering should remain upon the Sacrificial Altar all night, and the fire should be kept burning till morning. At that time, the priest, robed in the sacred linen garments (and linen undergarments) of the priesthood, should clean the ashes of the burnt offering from the top of the altar and deposit them to the side of the altar. Then, after he has divested himself of his priestly garments and changed into everyday clothes, the priest should carry the ashes to a place outside the camp that is ritually pure. The altar fire must always be tended so that it will never go out. Every morning the officiating priest should put more wood on the fire and prepare the burnt offering upon the altar. Then, the fat of the sacrificial animal is to be burnt as a peace offering. (And remember: the altar fire must be kept burning at all times and must not be allowed to go out.)
"This is the procedure for conducting the cereal offering: Aaron and his sons are to present this offering to Jehovah in front of the Sacrificial Altar. The officiating priest should take a handful of the finest flour moistened with oil and seasoned with frankincense and burn a token portion of it upon the altar. It will create an aroma most pleasing to Jehovah. The priests, Aaron and his sons, may eat what remains of the flour, but it must be baked into unleavened cakes and eaten in the Sanctum or in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. (Remember: it must not be prepared with yeast.) I have allowed the priests this, their share of the sacrifice, as a reward for their services to me, for it is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. Any male descendant of Aaron is entitled to partake of it; that will remain their perpetual right down through the generations. But it must not be touched by anyone or anything that is not holy.
"On the day that Aaron and his sons are anointed as priests, they must present to Jehovah an ordination offering of a one tenth of an ephah of the finest flour, sacrificing half of it in the morning, half in the evening. The flour should be prepared as cakes, well soaked in oil and cooked on a griddle. The cakes should be broken into pieces and presented as a sacrifice to Jehovah; it will create an aroma very pleasing to him. In every generation, Aaron's successor must perform this same sacrifice. This cereal offering will, by everlasting law, belong to Jehovah and, therefore, must be entirely burned on the altar; none of it should be eaten.
"This is the procedure for conducting the sin offering: The animal to be sacrificed as a sin offering should be slaughtered before the Sanctum where burnt offerings are made. This is a sacred ritual. The priest who makes this offering should partake of it in the Sanctum or in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. It must not be touched by anyone or anything that is not holy. If blood from the sacrificed animal splatters on someone's clothes, the stained garment must be washed in a sacred place. If an earthen pot is used to boil the sacrificial meat, then it must afterwards be broken. If the pot is of bronze, then it should be scoured and thoroughly rinsed with water. As it is holy, the meat of the sacrificed animal may be eaten by any male member of the priest's family. However, the sin offering may not be eaten if its blood was used in an atonement ritual in the Sanctum. In such case, the entire carcass must be incinerated on the altar.
"This is the procedure for conducting the guilt offering, a very holy ritual: The animal to be sacrificed as a guilt offering should be slaughtered before the Sanctum where burnt offerings are made. Its blood should be splattered on all sides of the altar. All the fat should be presented as a sacrifice, as well as the broad tail, the fat surrounding the internal organs, the two kidneys and the fat around them in the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. They should be burned by the priest as a sacrifice to Jehovah. This is the guilt offering. Any male member of the priest's family may eat the flesh of the sacrificed animal, but must do so in the confines of the Tabernacle, for it is holy.
"The same rules apply to both the guilt and the sin offering. The sacrificial animals belong the priest who is making atonement with Jehovah through them. And so the priest who makes a burnt offering will own the hide of the sacrificed animal. Any cereal offering, whether baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle, belongs to the officiating priest. Uncooked cereal offerings, whether dry or soaked in oil, however, belong equally to all the Tabernacle priests, (who are descendants of Aaron).
"This is the procedure for conducting peace offerings that one may make to Jehovah: If you are making an offering of thanksgiving, the customary animal sacrifice must be accompanied by offerings of unleavened bread -- thin cakes of flour mixed with cooking oil, wafers upon which oil is spread, and cakes of the finest flour soaked in oil, all made without yeast. Loaves of unleavened bread must accompany the peace offering of thanksgiving. A sample of each type of bread should be offered as a sacrifice to Jehovah. It will then belong to the officiating priest, the one who will splatter the blood of the peace offering against the altar.
“Meat from the thanksgiving offering must be eaten on the day of the sacrifice; nothing should remain by the morning of the next day. If, however, the sacrifice is a votive or voluntary offering, then, while the meat may be consumed on the day of the offering, left-overs may be eaten on the following day. Whatever remains, though, should be thoroughly burned on the third day. If any meat from the peace offering is eaten on the third day, then the person making the offering will be rejected by Jehovah: he will receive no credit for his sacrifice, the meat will become ritually impure, and anyone who eats it will be guilty of a sin.
"Meat that has come into contact with anything ritually impure should not be eaten, but must be burned. As for meat that has not been made impure, anyone ritually pure may eat it. But anyone who is not ritually pure that eats the meat from the peace offering meant for Jehovah, that person should be ostracized by the community. Anyone who touches something impure, whether it be human waste, or an impure animal or insect and then eats the meat of the peace offering meant for Jehovah, should also be ostracized.
"Also instruct the people of Israel that they must never eat fat, whether it comes from cattle, sheep, or goats. The fat of animals killed or predated by wild animals should not be eaten, though it can be used in other ways. Anyone who eats fat from an animal sacrificed as a burnt offering to Jehovah, should be ostracized by the community. Even at home (wherever it may be) you should never consume blood of any sort, whether from birds or animals, and anyone who does so should be ostracized.
"And tell them that when they present a peace offering to Jehovah, they should bring part of it themselves as a sacrifice to Jehovah. With their own hands they should make an offering of food to Jehovah, bringing the fat and the breast, which they should lift up and wave as an offering before the altar of Jehovah. The fat will be burned upon the altar, while the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons. You should give the right thigh to the priests as a contribution. It must always be given to the officiating priest who presents as a sacrifice the blood and fat of the peace offering. The breast, the waved offering, and the right thigh of the sacrifice are always to be set aside for Aaron and his priestly descendants. The right of the priests to claim a part of the sacrifice has been established at the time that they were chosen to serve Jehovah. On the day they were anointed, Jehovah demanded that the priests always be given these portions of the sacrifices and it should remain so down through the ages."
These were the instructions for the burnt offering, the cereal offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, as well as the ordination offering and the peace offering, that Jehovah conveyed to Moses on Mount Sinai when he commanded the Israelites to make sacrifices to him in the desert of Sinai.
Notes
1. Apparently an important rule is that the fire beneath the Sacrificial Altar should always be tended so that it may never go out. It is a very widespread custom, from all parts of the globe and among many religions and cults, that sacred flames must never be extinguished, symbolizing as they do eternal devotion. The altar fire may also be said to embody the spirit of the deity that consumes the burnt sacrifice.
2. The prerogatives of Aaron, his family, and descendants, the sole claimants to the office of Jehovan high priest, are emphasized and forcefully reiterated. One suspects that the priesthood was defensive in justifying these prerogatives, no doubt against criticism and challenge. By asserting that these prerogatives are demands and commands of their god, the priests have the final word in the argument. The rituals detailed in the Torah promote the interests of the priestly class and one gains the impression that much of the text is self-serving propaganda of the priest/authors.
3. Worshipers of Jehovah can give nothing to their god save earthly food. It is all a people on a primitive level of civilization could give. Food was sustenance, and offering it to others represented generosity and hospitality. (It would be in a later time that food would suggest gluttony and indulgence.) In Christianity, the sacrifice is replaced by prayers of thanksgiving and praise, a commitment to good works, and, one supposes, the erection of magnificent houses of worship.
4. The prohibition against eating fat is curious, but arises from the custom that the fat of sacrificial animals belongs to Jehovah. It is well established that lean meat is more healthy than fatty meat, but a certain amount of fat exists in all meat. How strictly enforced the prohibition against the consumption of animal fat could be is a matter of conjecture.
5. One tenth of an ephah is equivalent to two quarts or two pounds.
6. Peace offerings may be of three types, thanksgiving, for blessings received from Jehovah, votive, in fulfillment of an oath to Jehovah, or voluntary, offerings made from choice and not because of any specific obligation.
7. One who is guilty of offenses such as eating fat or blood, or eating sacrificial meat when ritually impure is, literally, to be “cut off (karet or karath in Hebrew) from his people.” But what does this mean? What is the specific punishment referred to? The term seems to have been used in somewhat different ways throughout the biblical text, so it’s impossible to come to a definite conclusion as to the precise meaning. Some translations cop out and leave the wording as is, totally unclear to the reader. Karet can mean anything from a forcible separation from the body of the religious community to a divine sentence of premature death, extirpation of the family line, and eternal damnation. It has also been suggested that it means as well the denial of an afterlife (but at this point in the Bible there has been no specific reference to any kind of afterlife, except vague ones about joining one’s ancestors). Although karet is asserted to be a punishment inflicted only by Jehovah and not by men, in this context it seems likely that the religious authorities, acting in the place of Jehovah, would exact some punishment upon violators. That punishment would most likely have been ostracism or banishment. Therefore, I have concluded the best translation here is ostracized by the community, although I have previously used banished from the community in other contexts. Perhaps I am incorrectly softening the text, but it seems preposterous that even the ancient Hebrews would think that someone should die and be eternally damned merely because he was caught munching on a piece of fat, or insist on stringing somebody up because his steak was too rare.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Guilt Offerings
(Leviticus 5:14- 6:7)
Jehovah then told Moses, "When one of your people unintentionally commits a sin by violating anything that is held sacred by Jehovah, then, as a guilt offering, he must bring for a sacrifice a ram from the flock, one without defect, or else produce an amount of silver sufficient to purchase one. (The value of the silver will be determined by the weights used at the Tabernacle.) Damage to any sacred property should paid for, plus a charge of 20%. This payment should be given to the priest, who will make atonement by means of the guilt offering of the ram, so that the transgressor will then be forgiven.
"If any of you sin unintentional by violating any of Jehovah's commandments and committing acts that have been forbidden, that person is nevertheless guilty and liable to punishment. He must therefore bring to the priest a ram without defect (or else a quantity of silver to buy one). Through its sacrifice the priest will make atonement for the inadvertent sin and the transgressor will be forgiven by Jehovah. This, too, will be a guilt offering, (for that person is guilty of having sinned against Jehovah).
“You have sinned and have betrayed Jehovah if you:
“Deceive or deal falsely with your neighbor in regard to financial matters or to property he has entrusted to your possession,
“Steal from or rob your neighbor,
“Defraud or cheat your neighbor,
“Not admit that you have found lost property,
“Lie or make false claims when you have taken a solemn oath to tell the truth,
“Or commit similar wrongs in dealings with your neighbors.
"When guilt has been established, the transgressor must return whatever was stolen, acquired by fraud, or obtained by swearing falsely. He must restore to the owner what was entrusted to him or whatever lost property he may have found and appropriated. In additional to a full restitution, a payment of 20% above the value of the goods must be given to the owner at the time the guilt offering is made. This guilt offering should consist of a ram from the flock, one without defect. The transgressor should present it to the priest or else purchase a ram of equal value. Through its sacrifice the priest will make atonement for him, and transgressor will be forgiven by Jehovah for the sins he has committed."
Notes
1. Here we have introduced the legal concept of punitive damages, restitution of stolen or damaged property plus 20% being required.
2. The process of atonement in Leviticus consists of establishment and acknowledgment of guilt, restitution to victims, plus punitive damages, and a sacrifice to Jehovah, with the sacrificial animal furnished by the transgressor and the Jehovan priests doing the bloody deed. On the other hand, in Christianity, atonement demands repentance on the part of the sinner and a resolve to sin no more. Instead of the sinner finding forgiveness from Jehovah through a sacrifice, the Christian finds forgiveness through the savior Jesus Christ when he has repented and promises to sin no more. One gains the impression from Leviticus that sin can be paid for, that as long as a person has an endless supply of rams, he can pretty much sin as often as he likes -- rather like a foul-mouthed person feeding the swear jar.
3. Stealing is mentioned here, because it is not one the Ten Commandments. I have concluded that the 8th Commandment, famously, but incorrectly translated as "Thou shalt not steal," actually pertains to kidnapping, abducting free men and selling them into slavery. This makes sense. Kidnapping is regarded by us as a capital offense, while, except for the case of horse thieving in the Old West, stealing is not. Abduction and enslavement would have been regarded as a very serious crime by the ancient Hebrews as well, far less an offense than stealing, and worthy of being including as one of the ten worst moral transgressions. Here the penalty for stealing is merely the restitution of stolen property, plus 20% and a ram sacrifice to Jehovah.
4. The concept of "finders, keepers, losers, weepers," is not accepted here. One is obligated to return loss property. To keep such property is rightly regarded as tantamount to stealing.
5. So far there is no reference to any sort of secular government among the Hebrews. Criminal as well as moral infractions are dealt with by the priesthood. Punishment mostly consists of the obligation to make sacrifices, which, if not empowering and enriching the priestly class, does provide it with good meals.
6. Silver, used here to purchase the sacrificial rams, is regarded as legal tender, although money, in the sense of coinage, would not exist for many hundreds of years. It is unclear in what form the silver is used in transactions, and whether the reference is anachronistic is moot.
Jehovah then told Moses, "When one of your people unintentionally commits a sin by violating anything that is held sacred by Jehovah, then, as a guilt offering, he must bring for a sacrifice a ram from the flock, one without defect, or else produce an amount of silver sufficient to purchase one. (The value of the silver will be determined by the weights used at the Tabernacle.) Damage to any sacred property should paid for, plus a charge of 20%. This payment should be given to the priest, who will make atonement by means of the guilt offering of the ram, so that the transgressor will then be forgiven.
"If any of you sin unintentional by violating any of Jehovah's commandments and committing acts that have been forbidden, that person is nevertheless guilty and liable to punishment. He must therefore bring to the priest a ram without defect (or else a quantity of silver to buy one). Through its sacrifice the priest will make atonement for the inadvertent sin and the transgressor will be forgiven by Jehovah. This, too, will be a guilt offering, (for that person is guilty of having sinned against Jehovah).
“You have sinned and have betrayed Jehovah if you:
“Deceive or deal falsely with your neighbor in regard to financial matters or to property he has entrusted to your possession,
“Steal from or rob your neighbor,
“Defraud or cheat your neighbor,
“Not admit that you have found lost property,
“Lie or make false claims when you have taken a solemn oath to tell the truth,
“Or commit similar wrongs in dealings with your neighbors.
"When guilt has been established, the transgressor must return whatever was stolen, acquired by fraud, or obtained by swearing falsely. He must restore to the owner what was entrusted to him or whatever lost property he may have found and appropriated. In additional to a full restitution, a payment of 20% above the value of the goods must be given to the owner at the time the guilt offering is made. This guilt offering should consist of a ram from the flock, one without defect. The transgressor should present it to the priest or else purchase a ram of equal value. Through its sacrifice the priest will make atonement for him, and transgressor will be forgiven by Jehovah for the sins he has committed."
Notes
1. Here we have introduced the legal concept of punitive damages, restitution of stolen or damaged property plus 20% being required.
2. The process of atonement in Leviticus consists of establishment and acknowledgment of guilt, restitution to victims, plus punitive damages, and a sacrifice to Jehovah, with the sacrificial animal furnished by the transgressor and the Jehovan priests doing the bloody deed. On the other hand, in Christianity, atonement demands repentance on the part of the sinner and a resolve to sin no more. Instead of the sinner finding forgiveness from Jehovah through a sacrifice, the Christian finds forgiveness through the savior Jesus Christ when he has repented and promises to sin no more. One gains the impression from Leviticus that sin can be paid for, that as long as a person has an endless supply of rams, he can pretty much sin as often as he likes -- rather like a foul-mouthed person feeding the swear jar.
3. Stealing is mentioned here, because it is not one the Ten Commandments. I have concluded that the 8th Commandment, famously, but incorrectly translated as "Thou shalt not steal," actually pertains to kidnapping, abducting free men and selling them into slavery. This makes sense. Kidnapping is regarded by us as a capital offense, while, except for the case of horse thieving in the Old West, stealing is not. Abduction and enslavement would have been regarded as a very serious crime by the ancient Hebrews as well, far less an offense than stealing, and worthy of being including as one of the ten worst moral transgressions. Here the penalty for stealing is merely the restitution of stolen property, plus 20% and a ram sacrifice to Jehovah.
4. The concept of "finders, keepers, losers, weepers," is not accepted here. One is obligated to return loss property. To keep such property is rightly regarded as tantamount to stealing.
5. So far there is no reference to any sort of secular government among the Hebrews. Criminal as well as moral infractions are dealt with by the priesthood. Punishment mostly consists of the obligation to make sacrifices, which, if not empowering and enriching the priestly class, does provide it with good meals.
6. Silver, used here to purchase the sacrificial rams, is regarded as legal tender, although money, in the sense of coinage, would not exist for many hundreds of years. It is unclear in what form the silver is used in transactions, and whether the reference is anachronistic is moot.
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