Israel, Religion

In our mouths and in our hearts: Day 27

(Introduction.)
Today: For priests only
316. “Sanctify him, for he offers the food of your God.” (Leviticus 21:8) = sanctify the priests for service
317. “If a Levite would go, from any of the settlements throughout Israel where s/he has been residing, to the place that God has chosen … they shall receive equal shares of the dues.” (Deuteronomy 18:6-8) = the different groups of priests (which serve one at a time throughout the year, in one-week shifts) all serve at the same time during the pilgrimage festivals and split things up evenly
318. “Make sacral vestments for your brother Aaron, for dignity and adornment.” (Exodus 28:2) = the priests should wear their uniforms when they’re on duty
319. “The opening [of the robe of the ephod] shall have a binding of woven work round about — it shall be like the opening of a coat of mail — so that it does not tear.” (Exodus 28:32) = don’t tear the robe of the ephod, one of the high priest’s garments
320. “The breastplate shall not come loose from the ephod.” (Exodus 28:28)
321. “Drink no wine or other intoxicant, you or your sons, when you enter the Tent of Meeting.” (Leviticus 10:9) = a drunk person can’t enter the Temple
322. “Do not let your hair grow.” (Leviticus 10:6) = a person with long hair may not enter the Temple
323. “Do not tear your clothes.” (Leviticus 10:6) = a person with torn clothes may not enter the Temple
324. “He may not come at any time into the sacred, behind the curtain.” (Leviticus 16:2) = a priest can’t enter the Temple at any old time; they need a reason to be there
325. “Do not go outside the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.” (Leviticus 10:7) = a priest may not leave the Temple while doing the service
326. “They shall remove from the camp anyone with an eruption or a discharge and anyone defiled by a corpse.” (Numbers 5:2) = send anyone who is tamei (ritually unclean) out of the Temple
327. “They shall not defile the camp of those in whose midst I dwell.” (Numbers 5:3) = someone who is tamei may not enter the Temple
328. “If anyone among you has been rendered unclean by a nocturnal emission, he must leave the camp, and he must not reenter the camp.” (Deuteronomy 23:11) = someone who is tamei may not enter the Temple Mount either
329. “They shall separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel.” (Leviticus 22:2) = someone who is tamei may not serve in the Temple
330. “They shall not profane the name of their God.” (Leviticus 21:6) = a tevul yom (someone who was tamei, and then immersed so that s/he will become tahor at sunset, but the sun hasn’t set yet) may not serve in the Temple

2 thoughts on “In our mouths and in our hearts: Day 27

  1. I wonder who wrote these laws down?

    “If a Levite would go, from any of the settlements throughout Israel where s/he has been residing, to the place that God has chosen … they shall receive equal shares of the dues.”

    Possibly a Levite? This set of commandments always makes it so easy for me to believe that God had very little to do with writing the Torah. I can understand the stories and the commandments that seem to come from nowhere and have no basis in societal issues, but this is pure and simple self promotion by the people who controlled the religious texts of the time period.
    All the same very interesting.

  2. Sidestepping the question of authorship, this particular commandment seems to be an internal Levite issue, making sure they split up their income equally among themselves; this doesn’t address how much they should get from the Israelites.

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