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.)