Not for the first time, I find myself questioning the chronology of these books. We witnessed the ordination of the priesthood some while ago ( Exodus 28 and 29, Leviticus 8 and 9), and the promotion of Aharon and his sons to the leadership of the priesthood. Then, two chapters ago, the "rebellion" of Korach, as a result of which each of the tribes brought its tribal staff to the Tent, and by some method not fully explained Aharon's was chosen, in consequence of which... we now find him being appointed to the post that he already holds, and his sons with him. Nor did it seem to be a "rebellion", at least in the spaces between the lines, while the lines themselves insisted that it was one: the spaces were filled up with volcanic lava and attempts to propitiate the volcano-god, which repeated failure ended in thousands of deaths. I am not able to explain these disaparities; I merely point them out. As this new chapter begins, Aharon and his sons are either the newly-appointed chiefs of the priesthood, and the tale of the rebellion belongs much earlier, or the reinstated chiefs after an attempted overthrow, or simply cleaning up after the latest volcanic eruption and earthquake.
18:1 VA YOMER YHVH EL AHARON ATAH U VANEYCHA U VEIT AVICHA ITACH TIS'U ET AVON HA MIKDASH VE ATAH U VANEYCHA ITACH TIS'U ET AVON KEHUNAT'CHEM
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל אַהֲרֹן אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ וּבֵית אָבִיךָ אִתָּךְ תִּשְׂאוּ אֶת עֲוֹן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְאַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ תִּשְׂאוּ אֶת עֲוֹן כְּהֻנַּתְכֶם
BN (BibleNet translation): Then YHVH said to Aharon: "You and your sons, and all of your clan with you, shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood...
Why are these two considered iniquitous? Surely they are two of the holiest things in existence - and the Yehudit word translated here as "the Sanctuary" is MIKDASH, from the root KODESH, which means preciselt that: "holy"? Are we misunderstanding the word AVON? Or is there an element of sin even within the holy act? This is theology, and therefore not (fortunately!) the provenance of TheBibleNet.
18:2 VE GAM ET ACHEYCHA MATEH LEVI SHEVET AVIYCHA HAKREV ITACH VE YILAVU ALEYCHA VIY'SHARTUCHA VE ATAH U VANEYCHA ITACH LIPHNEY OHEL HA EDUT
וְגַם אֶת אַחֶיךָ מַטֵּה לֵוִי שֵׁבֶט אָבִיךָ הַקְרֵב אִתָּךְ וְיִלָּווּ עָלֶיךָ וִישָׁרְתוּךָ וְאַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ לִפְנֵי אֹהֶל הָעֵדֻת
KJ: And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
BN: "And your kinsmen too, the tribe of Levi, your ancestral tribe, gather them around you, that they may be joined with you, and minister to you, you and your sons with you, before the Tent of the Testimony...
HAKREV ITACH: Make sure you stay close to them - in the sense of a strong extended family? No, but also yes - in the sense that this is more about the establishment of a guild, a "partnership", in the way that we think of law-firms and accountancy-firms and corporations today: indeed, the full mediaeval name for those guilds was "Worshipful Company". and here, apparently, their originator.
VIY'SHARTUCHA: Here too we have a word that doesn't quite make sense: or at least, one that has become confused by ambivalent usage, because there is the tribe of Levi, from which come both the Kohanim and the Leviyim, and Aharon and his sons are specifically the Kohanim, and the rest of the clan will do all the other jobs. The ministry "before the Tent" is the sacrifices, which only the Kohanim can perform; yet here the instruction is for the Leviyim to "minister" to the Kohanim. How? Does the term here simply mean "serve" - the Leviyim preparing the animals, cleaning the ramp if it gets soiled, making sure the knives are sharp etc? And if so, as with HAKREV ITACH, it seems that we are establishing not just a guild but a caste, with a very specific status in society, through its very specific status in the religious life. And SHARET therefore isn't "ministry" so much as "jobs".
But even that explanation isn't going to work - because, in the very next verse...
18:3 VE SHAMRU MISHMARTECHA U MISHMERET KOL HA OHEL ACH EL KLEY HA KODESH VE EL HA MIZBE'ACH LO YIKARVU VE LO YAMUTU GAM HEM GAM ATEM
18:3 VE SHAMRU MISHMARTECHA U MISHMERET KOL HA OHEL ACH EL KLEY HA KODESH VE EL HA MIZBE'ACH LO YIKARVU VE LO YAMUTU GAM HEM GAM ATEM
וְשָׁמְרוּ מִשְׁמַרְתְּךָ וּמִשְׁמֶרֶת כָּל הָאֹהֶל אַךְ אֶל כְּלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לֹא יִקְרָבוּ וְלֹא יָמֻתוּ גַם הֵם גַּם אַתֶּם
KJ: And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
BN: "And they shall perform the duties that you delegate to them, in particular the duties of the Tent; only they shall not have any contact with the holy furniture or the altar, lest they die: neither they, nor you...
Is Aharon being demoted here - previously he had full rights to touch everything, because he is Kohen Gadol as well as CEO of the Leviyim? Or is this simply a threat: if they do touch anything they shouldn't, you will be held responsible, and die with them? It does appear to change his, and his sons' role, but again I am unable to explain either what precisely, or why.
18:4 VE NILVU ALEYCHA SHAMRU ET MISHMERET OHEL MO'ED LE CHOL AVODAT HA OHEL VE ZAR LO YIKRAV ALEYCHEM
וְנִלְווּ עָלֶיךָ שָׁמְרוּ אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לְכֹל עֲבֹדַת הָאֹהֶל וְזָר לֹא יִקְרַב אֲלֵיכֶם
KJ: And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
BN: "And they shall be joined with you, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, whatever the service of the Tent may be; but a common man shall not draw close to you...
NILVU: From the same root (LAVAH - לוה) that yields the name Levi; the word means "to join", or "to bind", exactly as the members of a Guild or Worshipful Company are joined; and it may well be that the name of the tribe comes from the caste, rather than the other way around.
AVODAT HA OHEL: How are they supposed to carry out these duties if they are also bound by the prohibitions in the previous verse?
18:5 U SHEMARTEM ET MISHMERET HA KODESH VE ET MISHMERET HA MIZBE'ACH VE LO YIHEYEH OD KETSEPH AL BENEY YISRA-EL
KJ: And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
BN: "And you shall keep the charge of the holy things, and the charge of the altar, that there be end of wrath against the Beney Yisra-El...
18:6 VA ANI HINEH LAKACHTI ET ACHEYCHEM LA LEVIYIM MI TOCH BENEY YISRA-EL LACHEM MATANAH NETUNIM LA YHVH LA'AVOD ET AVODAT OHEL MO'ED
KJ: And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
BN: "And I, behold, I have taken your kinsmen the Leviyim from among the Beney Yisra-El; they are given to you as a gift to YHVH, to undertake the service of the Tent of Meeting...
KJ: Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
BN: "And you and your sons with you shall observe your priestly responsibilities in everything that pertains to the altar, and to everything that takes place behind the veil. And you shall serve. I give you the priesthood as a service and as a gift. But any common man who approaches shall be put to death."
In the end , I think the distinction being made is the removal of the Leviyim from certain specific jobs connected with the holy furniture and the altar (verse 3); the Kohanim are now going to have to do these themselves; but all other duties rest with the Leviyim. So the Kohanim are separated from the Leviyim, not just by religious but now also by social status: a Brahmin caste, yet related by tribe to the Dalit.
pey break
18:8 VA YEDABER YHVH EL AHARON VA ANI HINEH NATATI LECHA ET MISHMERET TERUMOTAI LE CHOL KADSHEY VENEY YISRA-EL LECHA NETATIM LE MASH'CHAH U LE VANEYCHA LE CHAK OLAM
KJ: And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.
BN: Then YHVH spoke to Aharon: "And I, behold, I have given you charge of my heave-offerings; every one of the holy objects of the Beney Yisra-El is now yours, and your sons', as a due for ever. I have given them as a consecrated portion...
And if Korach and co were rebelling because Mosheh and Aharon had too much power, and Korach wanted it shared more widely among the tribe of Levi... well, they just lost, didn't they? Because they are dead, while Aharon and his sons have more power even than before, and the rest of the Leviyim just got reduced to a status about as low as that of the enslaved Habiru in Mitsrayim. I hereby rename it "The Night of the Long Fire-Pans!" (click here if you don't understand the allusion)
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֵת מִשְׁמֶרֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֵת מִשְׁמֶרֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְלֹא יִהְיֶה עוֹד קֶצֶף עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
BN: "And you shall keep the charge of the holy things, and the charge of the altar, that there be end of wrath against the Beney Yisra-El...
18:6 VA ANI HINEH LAKACHTI ET ACHEYCHEM LA LEVIYIM MI TOCH BENEY YISRA-EL LACHEM MATANAH NETUNIM LA YHVH LA'AVOD ET AVODAT OHEL MO'ED
וַאֲנִי הִנֵּה לָקַחְתִּי אֶת אֲחֵיכֶם הַלְוִיִּם מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָכֶם מַתָּנָה נְתֻנִים לַיהוָה לַעֲבֹד אֶת עֲבֹדַת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד
KJ: And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
BN: "And I, behold, I have taken your kinsmen the Leviyim from among the Beney Yisra-El; they are given to you as a gift to YHVH, to undertake the service of the Tent of Meeting...
There is of course one obvious explanation, though it will not be acceptable in the world of Jewish orthodoxy: that Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers are three completely separate books, giving more or less the same account, but each in its own version, at its own epoch: the equivalent, say, of an account of the writing of the French Constitution, in Le Figaro in 1794, in Le Monde in 1849, in Combat in 1943 - I have chosen both the dates and the newspapers very deliberately - but all three then presented as though they were sections of a single book, by a single author, at a single moment.
18:7 VE ATAH U VANEYCHA ITACH TISHMERU ET KEHUNAT'CHEM LE CHOL DEVAR HA MIZBE'ACH U LE MI BEIT LA PAROCHET VA AVADETEM AVODAT MATANAH ETEN ET KEHUNAT'CHEM VE HA ZAR HA KAREV YUMAT
18:7 VE ATAH U VANEYCHA ITACH TISHMERU ET KEHUNAT'CHEM LE CHOL DEVAR HA MIZBE'ACH U LE MI BEIT LA PAROCHET VA AVADETEM AVODAT MATANAH ETEN ET KEHUNAT'CHEM VE HA ZAR HA KAREV YUMAT
וְאַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ אִתְּךָ תִּשְׁמְרוּ אֶת כְּהֻנַּתְכֶם לְכָל דְּבַר הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וּלְמִבֵּית לַפָּרֹכֶת וַעֲבַדְתֶּם עֲבֹדַת מַתָּנָה אֶתֵּן אֶת כְּהֻנַּתְכֶם וְהַזָּר הַקָּרֵב יוּמָת
KJ: Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
BN: "And you and your sons with you shall observe your priestly responsibilities in everything that pertains to the altar, and to everything that takes place behind the veil. And you shall serve. I give you the priesthood as a service and as a gift. But any common man who approaches shall be put to death."
In the end , I think the distinction being made is the removal of the Leviyim from certain specific jobs connected with the holy furniture and the altar (verse 3); the Kohanim are now going to have to do these themselves; but all other duties rest with the Leviyim. So the Kohanim are separated from the Leviyim, not just by religious but now also by social status: a Brahmin caste, yet related by tribe to the Dalit.
pey break
18:8 VA YEDABER YHVH EL AHARON VA ANI HINEH NATATI LECHA ET MISHMERET TERUMOTAI LE CHOL KADSHEY VENEY YISRA-EL LECHA NETATIM LE MASH'CHAH U LE VANEYCHA LE CHAK OLAM
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל אַהֲרֹן וַאֲנִי הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לְךָ אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת תְּרוּמֹתָי לְכָל קָדְשֵׁי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְךָ נְתַתִּים לְמָשְׁחָה וּלְבָנֶיךָ לְחָק עוֹלָם
BN: Then YHVH spoke to Aharon: "And I, behold, I have given you charge of my heave-offerings; every one of the holy objects of the Beney Yisra-El is now yours, and your sons', as a due for ever. I have given them as a consecrated portion...
And if Korach and co were rebelling because Mosheh and Aharon had too much power, and Korach wanted it shared more widely among the tribe of Levi... well, they just lost, didn't they? Because they are dead, while Aharon and his sons have more power even than before, and the rest of the Leviyim just got reduced to a status about as low as that of the enslaved Habiru in Mitsrayim. I hereby rename it "The Night of the Long Fire-Pans!" (click here if you don't understand the allusion)
18:9 ZEH YIHEYEH LECHA MI KODESH HA KADASHIM MIN HA ESH KOL KARBANAM LE CHOL MINCHATAM U LE CHOL CHATATAM U LE CHOL ASHAMAM ASHER YASHIYVU LI KODESH KADASHIM LECHA HU U LE VANEYCHA
KJ: This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.
BN: "This shall be yours of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering that they bring, including every meal-offering that they bring, and every sin-offering that they bring, and every guilt-offering that they bring, whatever they render to me, it shall be set apart for you and for your sons as holy...
For an agricultural community this is crucial; as noted before, the sacrifices were the means of eating, and especially of eating meat. If the tribe of Levi are doing nothing but the work of the shrine, how do they eat? Either by charitable stipend taxed on the community, and/or by having first choice of the best of the meat. (One exception to this, as we know from elsewhere: Levitical tribe-members with blemishes were excluded from service; to them will be given the best land immediately beyond the city-walls, so that they can farm it - see for example ny notes at Nehemiah 3:21, and especially Numbers 35:2-5 for the details.
זֶה יִהְיֶה לְךָ מִקֹּדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים מִן הָאֵשׁ כָּל קָרְבָּנָם לְכָל מִנְחָתָם וּלְכָל חַטָּאתָם וּלְכָל אֲשָׁמָם אֲשֶׁר יָשִׁיבוּ לִי קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים לְךָ הוּא וּלְבָנֶיךָ
BN: "This shall be yours of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering that they bring, including every meal-offering that they bring, and every sin-offering that they bring, and every guilt-offering that they bring, whatever they render to me, it shall be set apart for you and for your sons as holy...
For an agricultural community this is crucial; as noted before, the sacrifices were the means of eating, and especially of eating meat. If the tribe of Levi are doing nothing but the work of the shrine, how do they eat? Either by charitable stipend taxed on the community, and/or by having first choice of the best of the meat. (One exception to this, as we know from elsewhere: Levitical tribe-members with blemishes were excluded from service; to them will be given the best land immediately beyond the city-walls, so that they can farm it - see for example ny notes at Nehemiah 3:21, and especially Numbers 35:2-5 for the details.
18:10 BE KODESH HA KADASHIM TOCHLENU KOL ZACHAR YOCHAL OTO KODESH YIHEYEH LACH
KJ: In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
BN: "But you may only eat in a place that is also set apart as holy. Every male may eat of it; it shall be set apart for you...
Almost as if YHVH is passing on the crumbs from his table as their gratuity; it is sacrificed to YHVH, but he doesn't eat, so they are his proxy.
KODESH is being used here in its strictest sense, of something set apart.
KOL ZACHAR is important because, as noted above, there will be members of the tribe who will be excluded from service, on the grounds of blemishes and impurities; but they too need to eat.
18:11 VE ZEH LECHA TERUMAT MATANAM LE CHOL TENUPHOT BENEY YISRA-EL LECHA NETATIM U LE VANEYCHA VE LIVNOTEYCHA ITACH LE CHAK OLAM KOL TAHOR BE BEITECHA YOCHAL OTO
בְּקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים תֹּאכְלֶנּוּ כָּל זָכָר יֹאכַל אֹתוֹ קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָּךְ
KJ: In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
BN: "But you may only eat in a place that is also set apart as holy. Every male may eat of it; it shall be set apart for you...
Almost as if YHVH is passing on the crumbs from his table as their gratuity; it is sacrificed to YHVH, but he doesn't eat, so they are his proxy.
KODESH is being used here in its strictest sense, of something set apart.
KOL ZACHAR is important because, as noted above, there will be members of the tribe who will be excluded from service, on the grounds of blemishes and impurities; but they too need to eat.
18:11 VE ZEH LECHA TERUMAT MATANAM LE CHOL TENUPHOT BENEY YISRA-EL LECHA NETATIM U LE VANEYCHA VE LIVNOTEYCHA ITACH LE CHAK OLAM KOL TAHOR BE BEITECHA YOCHAL OTO
וְזֶה לְּךָ תְּרוּמַת מַתָּנָם לְכָל תְּנוּפֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְךָ נְתַתִּים וּלְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֹתֶיךָ אִתְּךָ לְחָק עוֹלָם כָּל טָהוֹר בְּבֵיתְךָ יֹאכַל אֹתוֹ
KJ: And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it.
BN: "And this is yours: the heave-offering that they bring, including all the wave-offerings of the Beney Yisra-El; I have given them to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a due for ever. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat of it...
This clause is also essential. Even though the daughters - which is to say any of the women of the family - do not undertake any form of service related to the sacrifices, they are nevertheless included in the banquet. Without the stated clause, it would be easy to assume that they were formally excluded.
18:12 KOL CHELEV YITS'HAR VE CHOL CHELEV TIROS VE DAGAN RESHIYTAM ASHER YITNU LA YHVH LECHA NETATIM
כֹּל חֵלֶב יִצְהָר וְכָל חֵלֶב תִּירוֹשׁ וְדָגָן רֵאשִׁיתָם אֲשֶׁר יִתְּנוּ לַיהוָה לְךָ נְתַתִּים
KJ: All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee.
BN: "All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the corn, the first part of everything that they give to YHVH, to you have I given them...
There is, nevertheless, something decidedly Magna Carta about this, but not in the false sense that the world chooses to remember Magna Carta: a document that granted right to "free men" - of whom there were none in England, save only the Freemen of the City Guilds, about 4% of the population: all the rest of the rights went to the clergy and the barons, to Aharon and Mosheh, in our parallel: so this establishes the Brahmin caste as an aristocracy, and takes the best from the remainder; as a simple peasant, with few goats and sheep, and just a single dairy cow whose male calf, if she produces one, I am required to sacrifice... and when I take my yearling for my daughter's wedding banquet or my son's Bar Mitzvah lunch, how come that fat and hypocritical Hophni gets the shoulder, and that womanising Levite Pinchas who never does a day's work in the shrine, how come he gets to share it with his brother?
And not terribly different, from the manner in which Yoseph established the authority of the priests and the royal household, in the latter chapters of Genesis!
18:13 BIKUREY KOL ASHER BE ARTSAM ASHER YAVIY'U LA YHVH LECHA YIHEYEH KOL TAHOR BE VEITECHA YOCHLENU
בִּכּוּרֵי כָּל אֲשֶׁר בְּאַרְצָם אֲשֶׁר יָבִיאוּ לַיהוָה לְךָ יִהְיֶה כָּל טָהוֹר בְּבֵיתְךָ יֹאכְלֶנּוּ
KJ: And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the LORD, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it.
BN: "The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to YHVH, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your house may eat of them...
TAHOR: Clean for women relates primarily to menstruation, for men mostly to contact with the dead. This is not about washing you hands before you sit down for the meal.
18:14 KOL CHEREM BE YISRA-EL LECHA YIHEYEH
כָּל חֵרֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לְךָ יִהְיֶה
KJ: Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.
BN: "Everything rendered as a sacrifice in Yisra-El shall be yours...
CHEREM: On July 27th 1656, the Amsterdam Jewish community issued its notice of excommunication against the philosopher Baruch Spinoza (click here, and especially here), saying, in a deliberate pastiche of the Shema:
"Cursed be he by day and cursed be he by night; cursed be he when he lies down, and cursed be he when he rises up; cursed be he when he goes out, and cursed be he when he comes in. The Lord will not spare him; the anger and wrath of the Lord will rage against this man, and bring upon him all the curses which are written in this book, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven, and the Lord will separate him to his injury from all the tribes of Israel with all the curses of the covenant, which are written in the Book of the Law. But you who cleave unto the Lord God are all alive this day. We order that no one should communicate with him orally or in writing, or show him any favor, or stay with him under the same roof, or within four ells of him, or read anything composed or written by him".
This document, the equivalent of the fatwah issued against Salman Rushdie on February 14th 1989 (click here), is known in the Jewish world as a CHEREM.
But clearly that is not what is intended here (though the word could well be applied to Korach and his colleagues earlier). How do we get from excommunication to "devoted objects"?
The root, CHARAM, means "to draw in", or "to close", and is specifically applied to the nostrils, which contract with breathing - or which become inflamed when angry, whence the description of YHVH's anger that we have encountered many times; when YHVH is angry he tends to NICHRETAH, which is even stronger than mere excommunication, though it was also the intention of the Rushdie Ayatollah.
The English word HAREM also derives from this root, the harem being the place in which the King kept his "devoted" wives and concubines shut up.
There is also HARAM, as in Haram al-Sharif, the "Noble Sanctuary", the Moslem name for that area of old Jerusalem which Jews call the Temple Mount - it too a closed area, an area "devoted" to the deity.
And then there is the concept of "holiness", KADESH in Yehudit, which, as I have pointed out on numerous occasions, really means "set apart": so something may be devoted to the deity because it is "shut off" from the profane world, or it may be devoted to the deity because it is "set apart" from the profane world, and many are the ways of achieving either of these.
18:15 KOL PETER RECHEM LE CHOL BESAR ASHER YAKRIYVU LA YHVH BA ADAM U VA BEHEMAH YIHEYEH LACH ACH PADOH TIPHDEH ET BECHOR HA ADAM VE ET BECHOR HA BEHEMAH HA TEMEYAH TIPHDEH
כָּל פֶּטֶר רֶחֶם לְכָל בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ לַיהוָה בָּאָדָם וּבַבְּהֵמָה יִהְיֶה לָּךְ אַךְ פָּדֹה תִפְדֶּה אֵת בְּכוֹר הָאָדָם וְאֵת בְּכוֹר הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּמֵאָה תִּפְדֶּה
KJ: Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
BN: "Everything that opens the womb, any type of flesh that is offered to YHVH, whether of man or of beast, shall be yours; however, the first-born of man you are required to redeem, and the firstlings of unclean beasts likewise...
18:16 U PHEDUYAV MI BEN CHODESH TIPHDEH BE ERCHECHA KESEPH CHAMESHET SHEKALIM BE SHEKEL HA KODESH ESRIM GERAH HU
וּפְדוּיָו מִבֶּן חֹדֶשׁ תִּפְדֶּה בְּעֶרְכְּךָ כֶּסֶף חֲמֵשֶׁת שְׁקָלִים בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ עֶשְׂרִים גֵּרָה הוּא
KJ: And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
BN: "As to their redemption-money - from a month old you shall redeem them - it shall be, according to your valuation, five shekels of silver, after the shekel of the Sanctuary; the same is twenty gerahs...
For details of these values, click here. See also my notes at Exodus 30:13 and Leviticus 27:3.
18:17 ACH BECHOR SHOR O BECHOR KESEV O BECHOR EZ LO TIPHDEH KODESH HEM ET DAMAM TIZROK AL HA MIZBE'ACH VE ET CHELBAM TAKTIR ISHEH LE REYACH NIYCHO'ACH LA YHVH
אַךְ בְּכוֹר שׁוֹר אוֹ בְכוֹר כֶּשֶׂב אוֹ בְכוֹר עֵז לֹא תִפְדֶּה קֹדֶשׁ הֵם אֶת דָּמָם תִּזְרֹק עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְאֶת חֶלְבָּם תַּקְטִיר אִשֶּׁה לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַיהוָה
BN: "But the firstling of an ox, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy: you shall dash their blood against the altar, and make their fat smoke for a fire-offering, for a sweet savour to YHVH...
KESEV: See my note at Leviticus 3:7.
18:18 U VESARAM YIHEYEH LACH KA CHAZEH HA TENUPHAH U CHE SHOK HA YAMIN LECHA YIHEYEH
וּבְשָׂרָם יִהְיֶה לָּךְ כַּחֲזֵה הַתְּנוּפָה וּכְשׁוֹק הַיָּמִין לְךָ יִהְיֶה
KJ: And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.
BN: "And their flesh shall be yours, both the wave-breast and the right thigh, they shall be yours...
18:19 KOL TERUMAH HA KADASHIM ASHER YARIYMU VENEY YISRA-EL LA YHVH NATATI LECHA U LE VANEYCHA VE LIVNOTEYCHA ITACH LE CHAK OLAM BERIT MELACH OLAM HI LIPHNEY YHVH LECHA U LE ZARACHA ITACH
כֹּל תְּרוּמֹת הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יָרִימוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַיהוָה נָתַתִּי לְךָ וּלְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֹתֶיךָ אִתְּךָ לְחָק עוֹלָם בְּרִית מֶלַח עוֹלָם הִוא לִפְנֵי יְהוָה לְךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אִתָּךְ
KJ: All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
BN: "All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the Beney Yisra-El offer to YHVH, these I have given to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a due for ever; it is an everlasting covenant of salt before YHVH, to you and to your seed with you."
BERIT MELACH: click here.
18:20 VA YOMER YHVH EL AHARON BE ARTSAM LO TINCHAL VE CHELEK LO YIHEYEH LECHA BETOCHAM ANI CHELKECHA VE NACHALAT'CHA BETOCH BENEY YISRA-EL
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל אַהֲרֹן בְּאַרְצָם לֹא תִנְחָל וְחֵלֶק לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּתוֹכָם אֲנִי חֶלְקְךָ וְנַחֲלָתְךָ בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
BN: Then YHVH said to Aharon: "You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the Beney Yisra-El...
The rare event of YHVH apparently talking to Aharon without Mosheh being present; or perhaps with him present, but it is Aharon who is being personally addressed.
samech break
18:21 VE LIVNEY LEVI NATATI KOL MA'ASER BE YISRA-EL LE NACHALAH CHELEPH AVODATAM ASHER HEM OVDIM ET AVODAT OHEL MO'ED
18:21 VE LIVNEY LEVI NATATI KOL MA'ASER BE YISRA-EL LE NACHALAH CHELEPH AVODATAM ASHER HEM OVDIM ET AVODAT OHEL MO'ED
וְלִבְנֵי לֵוִי הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי כָּל מַעֲשֵׂר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לְנַחֲלָה חֵלֶף עֲבֹדָתָם אֲשֶׁר הֵם עֹבְדִים אֶת עֲבֹדַת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד
KJ: And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
BN: "Instead, I have given all the tithe in Yisra-El to the Beney Levi as their inheritance, in return for their service which they give, which is to say the service of the Tent of Meeting..
All of which, as we have seen, describes the establishment of a very significant aristocracy, whose caste-role is to provide for the clerical needs of the community, without any call to agricultural or building labour, merchanting, banking or any of the service industry jobs that the remainder of the people will undertake, under their authority, paying them their taxes, providing them with the choicest of meat, fruit, vegetable and wine. And all of it founded in a carefully generated fear of an imaginary god!
And this, of course, was the principal complaint of the Pharisees against the Sadducees, and it will become the most significant change when the proto-Judaism of the Ezraic world collapses in 70 CE and the Sadducee authority is overthrown, when Talmudic Judaism, which is Pharisaic Judaism, emerges in its wake. When Christian and secular scholars describe and define the difference between the Pharisees and Sadducees, they generally offer a class-distinction, representing the Sadducees as the aristocrats and the Pharisees as the middle-class; this verse helps us understand how that distinction emerged, and how, four hundred years after Ezra, it had become embedded to such an extent that it was now the common understanding.
The Sadducees, which is to say the Kohanim and Leviyim as the principal authority in the religious life of the kingdom, were set apart from the ordinary people, precisely because they were chosen by YHVH to speak and act on his behalf on Earth. You would not expect to find a Kohen, or his wife, in the village grocery store - and not because they were socially far too superior to go shopping with the hoi poloi; lay servants did this for them, because the Kohen could not take the risk of becoming impure by contact, even indirectly. But inevitably, as the Pharisees complained, a sense of social superiority, and entitlement, grew up anyway, as it always does, when people acquire wealth and power.
And this, of course, was the principal complaint of the Pharisees against the Sadducees, and it will become the most significant change when the proto-Judaism of the Ezraic world collapses in 70 CE and the Sadducee authority is overthrown, when Talmudic Judaism, which is Pharisaic Judaism, emerges in its wake. When Christian and secular scholars describe and define the difference between the Pharisees and Sadducees, they generally offer a class-distinction, representing the Sadducees as the aristocrats and the Pharisees as the middle-class; this verse helps us understand how that distinction emerged, and how, four hundred years after Ezra, it had become embedded to such an extent that it was now the common understanding.
The Sadducees, which is to say the Kohanim and Leviyim as the principal authority in the religious life of the kingdom, were set apart from the ordinary people, precisely because they were chosen by YHVH to speak and act on his behalf on Earth. You would not expect to find a Kohen, or his wife, in the village grocery store - and not because they were socially far too superior to go shopping with the hoi poloi; lay servants did this for them, because the Kohen could not take the risk of becoming impure by contact, even indirectly. But inevitably, as the Pharisees complained, a sense of social superiority, and entitlement, grew up anyway, as it always does, when people acquire wealth and power.
It is not as a politico-economic class, however, that we should be making this distinction; and we can see the real distinction most clearly if we compare the layout of the Temple with the layout of a traditional synagogue (not a Reform synagogue, which has reverted to the Temple model, albeit only architecturallly). In the Sadducaic Temple, because this was their role, the Kohanim were at the front, on the altar, facing the congregation the way that actors on the proscenium will do - representatives of the deity on Earth, bringing his word down to the people, taking their offerings up to him. But go into a traditional synagogue (always Pharisaic) and you will find the bimah in the very heart of the synagogue, facing the Ark on the eastern wall, with the congregation "in the round"; the Pharisaic Rabbi is the people's representative (shali'ach tsibur) up to the deity, not the deity's representative down to the people. And yes, expect to find the Rabbi in the grocery store; expect to be invited to ushpizin in his sukkah, or his Friday evening se'udah. This was probably the most fundamental change that had ever taken place in the history of the Beney Yisrae-El, and it explains why Talmud and Tosephta and Rashi and Maimonides and the Ba'al Shem Tov and even TheBibleNet: YHVH has given his Torah, which was his job; and now he can retire, and leave it to his creation Humankind,as he said he would on the seventh day of Creation. In the Pharisaic world, Yitro and Korach, not Mosheh, win the argument between delegated authority, shared authority and despotism.
18:22 VE LO YIKREVU OD BENEY YISRA-EL EL OHEL MO'ED LASET CHET LAMUT
וְלֹא יִקְרְבוּ עוֹד בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לָשֵׂאת חֵטְא לָמוּת
KJ: Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.
BN: "And henceforth the Beney Yisra-El shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die...
This really does make it sound as if the anointment of the Leviyim is only happening now, as a consequence of the Korachite incident, and that before this the people could come to the Ohel as they liked (Numbers 17:27 confirms this); do we then need to reorganise the text, so that the earlier instructions about the Leviyim come now? Or is this a response to the Korach mutiny - by not allowing the people near the Tent, the charlatanry of the supposed miracles, the quackery of the oracles, and the rigging of the e-chads, will be less likely to be found out. The modern equivalent in despotry is the shutting down of the media. I wonder if Mosheh posted security guards with swords on a twenty-four hour basis to carry out the last part of this verse. Thus do the despots seize autocratic power.
18:23 VE AVAD HA LEVI HU ET AVODAT OHEL MO'ED VE HEM YIS'U AVONAM CHUKAT OLAM LE DOROTEYCHEM U VETOCH BENEY YISRA-EL LO YINCHALU NACHALAH
וְעָבַד הַלֵּוִי הוּא אֶת עֲבֹדַת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְהֵם יִשְׂאוּ עֲוֹנָם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם וּבְתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יִנְחֲלוּ נַחֲלָה
KJ: But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
BN: "But the Leviyim alone shall undertake the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, and among the Beney Yisra-El they shall have no inheritance...
We have to read this in the context of the opening verses of this chapter, where a very unclear distinction was being made between the tribe of Levi, those members of the tribe who acquired the caste-status of Leviyim (which ought, from the name, to be the whole tribe), and those members of Aharon's clan which are now separated as Kohanim. The lack of clarity will follow us confusingly through the remainder of the Tanach.
18:24 KI ET MA'SAR BENEY YISRA-EL ASHER YARIYMU LA YHVH TERUMAH NATATI LA LEVIYIM LE NACHALAH AL KEN AMARTI LAHEM BETOCH BENEY YISRA-EL LO YINCHALU NACHALAH
כִּי אֶת מַעְשַׂר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָרִימוּ לַיהוָה תְּרוּמָה נָתַתִּי לַלְוִיִּם לְנַחֲלָה עַל כֵּן אָמַרְתִּי לָהֶם בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יִנְחֲלוּ נַחֲלָה
KJ: But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
BN: "For the tithe of the Beney Yisra-El, which they set apart as a gift to YHVH, I have given to the Leviyim for an inheritance; therefore I have said to them: Among the Beney Yisra-El they shall have no inheritance."
pey break
18:25 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר
KJ: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying:
18:26 VE EL HE LEVIYIM TEDABER VE AMARTA ALEYHEM KI TIK'CHU ME ET BENEY YISRA-EL ET HA MA'ASER ASHER NATATI LACHEM ME ITAM BE NACHALAT'CHEM VA HAREMOTEM MIMENU TERUMAH YHVH MA'ASER MIN HA MA'ASER
וְאֶל הַלְוִיִּם תְּדַבֵּר וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם כִּי תִקְחוּ מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַמַּעֲשֵׂר אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לָכֶם מֵאִתָּם בְּנַחֲלַתְכֶם וַהֲרֵמֹתֶם מִמֶּנּוּ תְּרוּמַת יְהוָה מַעֲשֵׂר מִן הַמַּעֲשֵׂר
KJ: Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.
BN: "Go and speak to the Leviyim, and say to them: When you take from the Beney Yisra-El the tithe which I have given you - from them to you as your inheritance - then you shall set aside a part of it as a gift for YHVH, even a tithe of the tithe...
This could be depicted as an equalisation, the fact that the Leviyim are also paying taxes, but it is only 10% of 10%, and anyway, to who are they giving these tithes, except back to themselves (see next verse - but then see the one that follows that!), since all donations to YHVH come back to them. So it is really just another clever ruse in the assertion of power.
18:27 VE NECHSHAV LACHEM TERUMAT'CHEM KA DAGAN MIN HA GOREN VE CHA MELEYAH MIN HA YAKEV
וְנֶחְשַׁב לָכֶם תְּרוּמַתְכֶם כַּדָּגָן מִן הַגֹּרֶן וְכַמְלֵאָה מִן הַיָּקֶב
KJ: And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.
BN: "And the gift which you set apart shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the corn of the threshing-floor, and as the fullness of the wine-press...
18:28 KEN TARIYMU GAM ATEM TERUMAT YHVH MI KOL MA'SOROTEYCHEM ASHER TIK'CHU MEY ET BENEY YISRA-EL U NETATEM MIMENU ET TERUMAT YHVH LE AHARON HA KOHEN
כֵּן תָּרִימוּ גַם אַתֶּם תְּרוּמַת יְהוָה מִכֹּל מַעְשְׂרֹתֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר תִּקְחוּ מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּנְתַתֶּם מִמֶּנּוּ אֶת תְּרוּמַת יְהוָה לְאַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן
KJ: Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD'S heave offering to Aaron the priest.
BN: "Thus you shall also set apart a gift to YHVH of all your tithes, which you receive from the Beney Yisra-El; and from it you shall give the gift which is set apart to YHVH to Aharon the priest...
It gets better and better! The higher up the hierarchy you get, the more power you have to make your gains-by-corruption legitimate (the very practices which Nechem-Yah complained were happening when he came back for the second time (Nehemiah 13:6 ff); and which are recorded as the sins of Hophni and Pinchas in the tale of the young Shemu-El (see my note to verse 12, above).
18:29 MI KOL MATNOTEYCHEM TARIYMU ET KOL TERUMAT YHVH MI KOL CHELBO ET MIKDESHO MIMENU
מִכֹּל מַתְּנֹתֵיכֶם תָּרִימוּ אֵת כָּל תְּרוּמַת יְהוָה מִכָּל חֶלְבּוֹ אֶת מִקְדְּשׁוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ
KJ: Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.
BN: "Out of everything that is given you, you shall set apart everything that is due to YHVH, all the best of it, even the parts of it already set apart as holy...
18:30 VE AMARTA ALEYHEM BA HARIYM'CHEM ET CHELBO MIMENU VE NECHSHAV LA LEVIYIM KI TEVU'AT GOREN VE CHI TEVU'AT YAKEV
וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם בַּהֲרִימְכֶם אֶת חֶלְבּוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ וְנֶחְשַׁב לַלְוִיִּם כִּתְבוּאַת גֹּרֶן וְכִתְבוּאַת יָקֶב
KJ: Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.
BN: "And you shall say to them: When you set apart the best of it, it shall be counted to the Leviyim as the surplus from the threshing-floor, and as the surplus from the wine-press...
TEVU'AT: Is that the same as the "gleanings", because the gleanings have been set apart for the poor - see Exodus 23:11 - my notes there also suggest looking at Leviticus 19:9 and 23:22, among others. In the Exodus text, the "surplus" is rendered as YITRAM, which really means the "residue", while both the Leviticus texts have LEKET - subtle nuances of difference, but different for all that.
18:31 VA ACHALTEM OTO BE CHOL MAKOM ATEM U VENEYCHEM KI SACHAR HU LACHEM CHELEPH AVODAT'CHEM BE OHEL MO'ED
וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בְּכָל מָקוֹם אַתֶּם וּבֵיתְכֶם כִּי שָׂכָר הוּא לָכֶם חֵלֶף עֲבֹדַתְכֶם בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד
KJ: And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it isyour reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.
BN: "And you may eat it wherever you please, you and your households; for it is your reward in return for your service in the Tent of Meeting...
18:32 VE LO TIS'U ALAV CHET BA HARIM'CHEM ET CHELBO MIMENU VE ET KADSHEY VENEY YISRA-EL LO TECHALELU VE LO TAMUTU
וְלֹא תִשְׂאוּ עָלָיו חֵטְא בַּהֲרִימְכֶם אֶת חֶלְבּוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ וְאֶת קָדְשֵׁי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא תְחַלְּלוּ וְלֹא תָמוּתוּ
KJ: And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.
BN: "And you shall bear no sin by reason of it, seeing that you have set apart from it the best of it; and you shall not profane the holy things of the Beney Yisra'El, and so you will not die."
So in the end it becomes a reward, a merited and deserved reward, for the willingness to take on the intolerable burden of responsibility, exactly as Dostoievski's Grand Inquisitor explained. So despotism and corruption invariably self-vindicate. So the rebellion of Korach becomes - go look at the news reports of the Taksim Square uprising in Turkey in 2013, and how then Prime Minister Erdogan used the crushing of that uprising to destroy the opposition, to build his power-base for a lifelong Presidency, with tens of thousands of arrests, clamp-down of the media etc. No different from what we have just been reading here. The Brothers Aharon and Mosheh Castro, now in full possession of their desert island!
So in the end it becomes a reward, a merited and deserved reward, for the willingness to take on the intolerable burden of responsibility, exactly as Dostoievski's Grand Inquisitor explained. So despotism and corruption invariably self-vindicate. So the rebellion of Korach becomes - go look at the news reports of the Taksim Square uprising in Turkey in 2013, and how then Prime Minister Erdogan used the crushing of that uprising to destroy the opposition, to build his power-base for a lifelong Presidency, with tens of thousands of arrests, clamp-down of the media etc. No different from what we have just been reading here. The Brothers Aharon and Mosheh Castro, now in full possession of their desert island!
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