Leviticus 6:1-23 (8-30)

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Sedra 2, Tsav

Leviticus 6:1 – 8:36

As noted at Leviticus 5:19, the Septuagint, and Christian versions of the Bible, begin Leviticus 6 at what is Leviticus 5:20 in the Yehudit Tanach. I have not repeated the overlapping verses here but I have marked the alternate verses numbers in brackets.


6:1 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר

KJ (King James translation, 6:8): And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

BN (BibleNet translation: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying:


6:2 TSAV ET AHARON VE ET BANAV LEMOR ZOT TORAT HA OLAH HI HA OLAH AL MOKDAH AL HA MIZBE'ACH KOL HA LAILAH AD HA BOKER VE ESH HA MIZBE'ACH TUKAD BO

צַו אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעֹלָה הִוא הָעֹלָה עַל מוֹקְדָה עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כָּל הַלַּיְלָה עַד הַבֹּקֶר וְאֵשׁ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ

KJ (6:9): Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.

BN: Instruct Aharon and his sons, tell them: This is the law of the burnt-offering: the burnt offering shall remain on the hearth, on the altar, all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.


The Mem in MOKDAH is highlighted bold… this is normal in modern Jewish versions of the text …I am unable to explain why, but that makes me too normal among Bible scholars. A "full" list of the unusual letters can be found here, though it too offers no explanation; note that it reckons the Mem should be smaller, rather than in bold - which seems to me entirely probable, as bold is a function of modern computers and modern printing methods, and would have been more difficult fot a traditional sopher.


6:3 VE LAVASH HA KOHEN MIDO VAD U MICHNESEY VAD YILBASH AL BESARO VE HERIM ET HA DESHEN ASHER TO'CHAL HA ESH ET HA OLAH AL HA MIZBE'ACH VE SAMU ETSEL HA MIZBE'ACH

וְלָבַשׁ הַכֹּהֵן מִדּוֹ בַד וּמִכְנְסֵי בַד יִלְבַּשׁ עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ וְהֵרִים אֶת הַדֶּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכַל הָאֵשׁ אֶת הָעֹלָה עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְשָׂמוֹ אֵצֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ

KJ (6:10): And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.

BN: And the Kohen shall put on his linen garment, and put his linen undergarment over his flesh, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar, and put them beside the altar.


6:4 U PHASHAT ET BEGADAV VE LAVASH BEGADIM ACHERIM VE HOTSI ET HA DESHEN EL MI CHUTS LA MACHANEH EL MAKOM TAHOR

וּפָשַׁט אֶת בְּגָדָיו וְלָבַשׁ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים וְהוֹצִיא אֶת הַדֶּשֶׁן אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה אֶל מָקוֹם טָהוֹר

KJ (6:11): And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.

BN: And he shall take off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry the ashes out of the camp to a clean place.


6:5 VE HA ESH AL HA MIZBE'ACH TUKAD BO LO TICHBEH U VI'ER ALEYHA HA KOHEN ETSIM BA BOKER BA BOKER VE ARACH ALEYHA HA OLAH VE HIKTIR ALEYHA CHELVEY HA SHELAMIM

וְהָאֵשׁ עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ לֹא תִכְבֶּה וּבִעֵר עָלֶיהָ הַכֹּהֵן עֵצִים בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר וְעָרַךְ עָלֶיהָ הָעֹלָה וְהִקְטִיר עָלֶיהָ חֶלְבֵי הַשְּׁלָמִים

KJ (6:12): And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.

BN: And by this means the fire on the altar shall be kept burning, it shall never go out; and the Kohen shall kindle wood on it every morning; and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order on it, and shall make smoke on it the fat of the peace-offerings.


This the original reason why a Ner Tamid, an eternal lamp, hangs by the Ark in every synagogue today; a memorial of the eternal fire on the altar before it became a memorial of the Menorah in the Temple.


6:6 ESH TAMID TUKAD AL HA MIZBE'ACH LO TICHBEH

אֵשׁ תָּמִיד תּוּקַד עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לֹא תִכְבֶּה

KJ (6:13): The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.

BN: Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.


My revised translation of verses 1-6, from "A Myrtle Among Reeds": "The Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'Instruct Aaron and his sons. These are the instructions for the elevation offering, The elevation offering is that which stays on the Altar pyre till morning; the Altar fire should be kept burning from it. The Kohen should don his linen garment and put linen breeches on his flesh. He is to pick up the ashes of whatever of the elevation offering the fire has consumed and place it next to the Altar. Then he should remove his garments and don other garments; then he should remove the ashes to the outside of the camp, to a place which is pure. The fire on the Altar must be kept burning - it may not be extinguished. The Kohen shall burn wood on it every morning. He is to prepare the elevation offering on it and burn on it the fats of the peace offerings. A permanent fire should remain burning on the Altar - it may not be extinguished.'"

And quite probably this was ancient practice, long before it became Mosaic. But it is significant at another level. Until now, YHVH has been the volcano-god of Chorev, his presence visible by day in the clouds of lava spilling from the eruption, by night in the fire bursting through the crater. But now they are preparing to travel away from Chorev, and they are going to take this god with them. To mirror the volcano, they need both cloud and fire. The cloud will be achieved through the smoke of the barbeque and the permanent sprinkling of incense, the fire through the hearth of the barbeque and the candles in the Menorah. But in doing this, YHVH becomes a universal god of fire, and as such he will start to be equated with flashes of lightning, and especially with the sun itself. As we watch his phased evolution through the various books of the Tanach, we will see this process of assimilating different deities into the one, until he becomes YHVH Tseva'ot, the Prime Minister at the head of the celestial Round Table, and eventually, but only after the epoch of the Tanach, as President-for-Life, unneeding of a Cabinet because he is now the autocrat.



6:7 VE ZOT TORAT HA MINCHAH HAKREV OTAH BENEY AHARON LIPHNEY YHVH EL PENEY HA MIZBE'ACH

וְזֹאת תּוֹרַת הַמִּנְחָה הַקְרֵב אֹתָהּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֶל פְּנֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ

KJ (6:14): And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.

BN: And this is the law of the meal-offering: the sons of Aharon shall offer it before YHVH, in front of the altar.


6:8 VE HERIM MIMENU BE KUMTSO MI SOLET HA MINCHAH U MI SHAMNAH VE ET KOL HA LEVONAH ASHER AL HA MINCHAH VE HIKTIR HA MIZBE'ACH REYACH NIYCHO'ACH AZKARATAH LA YHVH

וְהֵרִים מִמֶּנּוּ בְּקֻמְצוֹ מִסֹּלֶת הַמִּנְחָה וּמִשַּׁמְנָהּ וְאֵת כָּל הַלְּבֹנָה אֲשֶׁר עַל הַמִּנְחָה וְהִקְטִיר הַמִּזְבֵּחַ רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ אַזְכָּרָתָהּ לַיהוָה

KJ (6:15): And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn itupon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the LORD.

BN: And he shall take from it his portion of the fine flour of the meal-offering, and its oil, and all the frankincense which is on the meal-offering, and burn this as a memorial-portion on the altar, for a sweet savour to YHVH.


6:9 VE HA NOTERET MIMENAH YOCHLU AHARON U VANAV MATSOT TE'ACHEL BE MAKOM KADOSH BA CHATSAR OHEL MO'ED YO'CHLUHA

וְהַנּוֹתֶרֶת מִמֶּנָּה יֹאכְלוּ אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו מַצּוֹת תֵּאָכֵל בְּמָקוֹם קָדֹשׁ בַּחֲצַר אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד יֹאכְלוּהָ

KJ (6:16): And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it.

BN: And whatever remains shall be for Aharon and his sons to eat; it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.


We will start to notice, from this point on, more detailed rules for the consumption of the offerings; until now the only distinction has been whether the sacrificer might also eat, or only the Kohen; now there will be time-limits and location-boundaries, specific to different types of offering.


6:10 LO TE'APHEH CHAMETS CHELKAM NATATI OTAH ME ISHAI KODESH KADASHIM HI KA CHATA'T VE CHA ASHAM

לֹא תֵאָפֶה חָמֵץ חֶלְקָם נָתַתִּי אֹתָהּ מֵאִשָּׁי קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הִוא כַּחַטָּאת וְכָאָשָׁם

KJ (6:17): It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering.

BN: It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as the sin-offering, and as the guilt-offering.


6:11 KOL ZACHAR BIVNEY AHARON YOCHLENAH CHAK OLAM LE DOROTEYCHEM ME ISHEY YHVH KOL ASHER YIGA BA HEM YIKDASH

כָּל זָכָר בִּבְנֵי אַהֲרֹן יֹאכְלֶנָּה חָק עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם מֵאִשֵּׁי יְהוָה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יִגַּע בָּהֶם יִקְדָּשׁ

KJ (6:18): All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy.

BN: Every male among the Beney Aharon may eat of it, as an entitlement for ever throughout your generations, from the offerings made to YHVH by fire; whatever touches them shall be rendered holy.


The statement "every male" may sound obvious, but actually it isn't. This was written down by Ezra, when Nechem-Yah was governor, at a time of much turbulence within the ranks of the priesthood, Blemished males will be formally excluded from service in Leviticus 21:16-22, yet he still has to eat; he also has to earn a living, which is why Numbers 35 designates the land immediately outside the walls of every city to be reserved for the Leviyim, enabling the priests to have easy access to the shrine, the courts, the schools, but also allowing the blemished among them to farm, without having to separate from the family. Nehemiah 4 gives the details of this, in Yeru-Shala'im.

But it wasn't only because of blemished males that there was turbulence, and a need for this verse. Nehemiah 7 undertakes a genealogical search for the Halachic validity of those who were in the priesthood, requiring proof of tribal origin, and in verse 64 large numbers of them were literally expelled. Though we are not told this, it can be assumed that there will have been cousins, or step-brothers, or half-brothers, of whom one had the proof but the other lacked it, and therefore the same problem arose.

And if these laws were indeed Mosaic, originally, then the need is even greater, because this is one tribe, marching together across the wilderness, and people cannot be abandoned hungry just because they have a blemish.

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6:12 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר

KJ (6:19): And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying:


6:13 ZEH KARBAN AHARON U VANAV ASHER YAKRIYVU LA YHVH BE YOM HIMASHACH OTO ASIYRIT HA EPHAH SOLET MINCHAH TAMID MACHATSIYTAH BA BOKER U MACHATSIYTA BA AREV

זֶה קָרְבַּן אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ לַיהוָה בְּיוֹם הִמָּשַׁח אֹתוֹ עֲשִׂירִת הָאֵפָה סֹלֶת מִנְחָה תָּמִיד מַחֲצִיתָהּ בַּבֹּקֶר וּמַחֲצִיתָהּ בָּעָרֶב

KJ (6:20): This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.

BN: This is the offering to be made by Aharon and his sons, which they shall offer to YHVH on the day of their anointment: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half of it in the evening.


Food, food, everything in Judaism is about food! Feasting or fasting. Christianity as the religion of the soul, but Judaism as the religion of the stomach. And of course, it should be like this, it has to be like this. "On the day of their anointment". My son the Kohen. How can there not be a celebratory feast? Or even two, one before the ceremony for the immediate family, then the biggie in the evening with the friends as well. And celebratory feasts require cheese cakes, and salt beef sandwiches, which requires fine flour, and YHVH gets his slice.


6:14 AL MACHAVAT BA SHEMEN TE'ASEH MURBECHET TEVIY'ENAH TUPHIYNEH MINCHAT PITIM TAKRIV REYACH NIYCHO'ACH LA YHVH

עַל מַחֲבַת בַּשֶּׁמֶן תֵּעָשֶׂה מֻרְבֶּכֶת תְּבִיאֶנָּה תֻּפִינֵי מִנְחַת פִּתִּים תַּקְרִיב רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַיהוָה

KJ (6:21): In a pan it shall be made with oil; and when it is baken, thou shalt bring it in: and the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

BN: It shall be made in a griddle, using oil; when it is soaked, you shall bring it in; you shall offer the meal-offering in broken pieces, to provide a sweet savour for YHVH.


6:15 VE HA KOHEN HA MASHIYACH TACHTAV MI BANAV YA'ASEH OTAH CHAK OLAM LA YHVH KALIL TAKTAR

וְהַכֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ תַּחְתָּיו מִבָּנָיו יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָהּ חָק עוֹלָם לַיהוָה כָּלִיל תָּקְטָר

KJ (6:22): And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever unto the LORD; it shall be wholly burnt.

BN: The Kohen from among the Beney Aharon who is anointed to succeed him, he shall offer it to YHVH as decreed, forever. The whole of it shall be burned.


The inference here being that the role is passed on from father to son, and that the son can only be anointed when the father retires. The evidence, especially in the Book of Chronicles, does not support this as Mosaic doctrine, though it would support it as Ezraic ideology, albeit that Ezra was not yet able to put it into practice; that only happened, if it even did, fully, in Hasmonean times.


6:16 VE CHOL MINCHAT KOHEN KALIL TIHEYEH LO TE'ACHEL

וְכָל מִנְחַת כֹּהֵן כָּלִיל תִּהְיֶה לֹא תֵאָכֵל

KJ (6:23): For every meat offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.

BN: For every meat offering made by the Kohen shall be completely burnt: it shall not be eaten.

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6:17 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר

KJ (6:24): And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying:


6:18 DABER EL AHARON VE EL BANAV LEMOR ZOT TORAT HA CHATA'T BI MEKOM ASHER TISHACHET HA OLAH TISHACHET HA CHATA'T LIPHNEY YHVH KODESH KADASHIM HI

דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר זֹאת תּוֹרַת הַחַטָּאת בִּמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר תִּשָּׁחֵט הָעֹלָה תִּשָּׁחֵט הַחַטָּאת לִפְנֵי יְהוָה קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הִוא

KJ (6:25): Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy.

BN: Speak to Aharon and to his sons, saying: This is the law of the sin-offering: the sin-offering shall be slaughtered, before YHVH, in the place where the burnt-offering is killed; it is the "holy of holies".


KODESH KADASHIM: See my note to Leviticus 2:3.


6:19 HA KOHEN HA MECHAT'E OTAH YOCHLENAH BE MAKOM KADOSH TE'ACHEL BA CHATSAR OHEL MO'ED

הַכֹּהֵן הַמְחַטֵּא אֹתָהּ יֹאכְלֶנָּה בְּמָקוֹם קָדֹשׁ תֵּאָכֵל בַּחֲצַר אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד

KJ (6:26): The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation.

BN: The Kohen who offers it as a sin-offering shall eat it; he shall eat it in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting.


6:20 KOL ASHER YIG'A BI VESARAH YIKDASH VA ASHER YIZEH MI DAMAH AL HA BEGED ASHER YIZEH ALEYHA TECHABES BE MAKOM KADOSH

כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יִגַּע בִּבְשָׂרָהּ יִקְדָּשׁ וַאֲשֶׁר יִזֶּה מִדָּמָהּ עַל הַבֶּגֶד אֲשֶׁר יִזֶּה עָלֶיהָ תְּכַבֵּס בְּמָקוֹם קָדֹשׁ

KJ (6:27): Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place.

BN: Anything that touches its flesh shall be rendered holy; but when any of the blood is sprinkled on any garment, you shall wash that garment, and the stains that are on it, in a holy place.



BI VESARAH: Or BIV'SARAH?


6:21 U CHELI CHERES ASHER TEVUSHAL BO YISHAVER VE IM BICHLI NECHOSHET BUSHALAH U MORAK VE SHUPHAT BA MAYIM

וּכְלִי חֶרֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר תְּבֻשַּׁל בּוֹ יִשָּׁבֵר וְאִם בִּכְלִי נְחֹשֶׁת בֻּשָּׁלָה וּמֹרַק וְשֻׁטַּף בַּמָּיִם

KJ (6:28): But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.

BN: But the earthen vessel in which it was soaked shall be broken up; and if it is soaked in a brass vessel, it shall be scoured, and then rinsed in water.


This could become expensive! (On the other hand, working in clay is what most of the slaves in Egypt did, and there isn't a lot of house-building to do for nomadic peoples, so jobs for the plasterers and ceramicists - good for the economy!)


6:22 KOL ZACHAR BA KOHANIM YOCHAL OTAH KODESH KADASHIM HI

כָּל זָכָר בַּכֹּהֲנִים יֹאכַל אֹתָהּ קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הִוא

KJ (6:29): All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy.

BN: Every male among the Kohanim may eat of it; it is most holy.


6:23 VE CHOL CHAT'AT ASHER YUVA MI DAMAH EL OHEL MO'ED LECHAPER BA KODESH LO TE'ACHEL BA ESH TISAREPH

וְכָל חַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר יוּבָא מִדָּמָהּ אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לְכַפֵּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ לֹא תֵאָכֵל בָּאֵשׁ תִּשָּׂרֵף

KJ (6:30): And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.

BN: But no sin-offering, of which any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire.


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