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ShareOutline of the Parashah
- Olah - The Burnt Offering (6:1-6)
- Minchah - The Meal Offering (6:7-16)
- Chatat - The Purgation Offering (6:17-23)
- Asham - The Reparation Offering (7:1-6)
- Postscript for Minchah, Chatat, and Asham (7:7-10)
- Shlamim - The Well-Being Offering (7:11-21)
- Prohibitions re: Fat and Blood (7:22-27)
- Postscript for Shleimim (7:28-36)
- Conclusion (7:37-38)
- God's Instructions to Moses (8:1-3)
- Moses's Ordination of the Priests (8:4-30)
- Seven Days of Isolation (8:31-36)
Summary of the Parshah
Study #1: Keeping the Fires Burning
ופשט את בגדיו. אֵין זוֹ חוֹבָה אֶלָּא דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, שֶׁלֹּא יְלַכְלֵךְ בְּהוֹצָאַת הַדֶּשֶׁן בְּגָדִים שֶׁהוּא מְשַׁמֵּשׁ בָּהֶן תָּמִיד — בְּגָדִים שֶׁבִּשֵּׁל בָּהֶן קְדֵרָה לְרַבּוֹ, אַל יִמְזֹג בָּהֶן כּוֹס לְרַבּוֹ, לְכָךְ וְלָבַשׁ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים פְּחוּתִין מֵהֶם (ספרא):
ופשט את בגדיו AND HE SHALL PUT OFF HIS GARMENTS — This is not compulsory (cf., however, Nachmanides) but it is a matter of decency so that he should not, through removing the ashes, soil the garments in which he has regularly to minister at the altar; in the clothes he wore when he boiled the pot for his master (a menial task) he should not pour out a glass of wine for him (an honourable office). On this account it states: And he shall put on other garments — inferior to those in which he ministers at the altar (Yoma 23b; Shabbat 114a).
The elimination of the altar's ashes takes place in two stages, their removal to the side of the altar and, afterward, their removal outside the camp. The two-stage removal stems not from ritualistic considerations but from more pragmatic ones. All acts involving the altar are eo ipso rituals and require the priests to wear their sacred vestments. Conversely, all acts taking place outside the sanctuary are profane and hence bar the wearing of sacred vestments. Thus, it is simply the priest's need to change his clothes that has resulted in separating the ash removal into two parts, its removal from the altar and its removal outside the camp.
By instructing the priests to put on their finest clothing for the removal of the ashes from the altar, the Torah seems to emphasize the need for the priests to pay close attention to what might appear to be the most inconsequential details of their special work.
The fire both consumes the offerings and cleanses the altar from any leftover meat.
The requirement for a perpetual fire (v. 6) stresses the importance of maintaining the fire even if the sacrifices are totally consumed. This prescription, found in other cultures as well (e.g. the ancient Greeks), may stem from the mundane necessity of keeping the fire burning during days on which kindling one was difficult. But a more likely explanation is indigenous to Israel's priestly circles. The sacrifices offered up at the inauguration of the public cult were consumed miraculously by a Divine fire (9:24), and it is this fire that is not allowed to die out so that all subsequent sacrifices might claim Divine acceptance.
- Why, do you think, does the Torah emphasize the need to change clothes as part of removing the ashes? What might we infer from this instruction?
- What, do you think, the perpetual flame upon the altar represents?
Study #2: Fat and Blood
(כב) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃(כג) דַּבֵּ֛ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר כׇּל־חֵ֜לֶב שׁ֥וֹר וְכֶ֛שֶׂב וָעֵ֖ז לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽלוּ׃(כד) וְחֵ֤לֶב נְבֵלָה֙ וְחֵ֣לֶב טְרֵפָ֔ה יֵעָשֶׂ֖ה לְכׇל־מְלָאכָ֑ה וְאָכֹ֖ל לֹ֥א תֹאכְלֻֽהוּ׃(כה) כִּ֚י כׇּל־אֹכֵ֣ל חֵ֔לֶב מִ֨ן־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַקְרִ֥יב מִמֶּ֛נָּה אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהוה וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הָאֹכֶ֖לֶת מֵֽעַמֶּֽיהָ׃(כו) וְכׇל־דָּם֙ לֹ֣א תֹאכְל֔וּ בְּכֹ֖ל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם לָע֖וֹף וְלַבְּהֵמָֽה׃(כז) כׇּל־נֶ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאכַ֣ל כׇּל־דָּ֑ם וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מֵֽעַמֶּֽיהָ׃ {פ}
*(אין פרשה בספרי תימן)
(22) And יהוה spoke to Moses, saying:(23) Speak to the Israelite people thus: You shall eat no fat of ox or sheep or goat. (24)Fat from animals that died or were torn by beasts may be put to any use, but you must not eat it. (25) If anyone eats the fat of animals from which offerings by fire may be made to יהוה, the person who eats it shall be cut off from kin. (26) And you must not consume any blood, either of bird or of animal, in any of your settlements.(27) Anyone who eats blood shall be cut off from kin.
Fat
(ג) וְהִקְרִיב֙ מִזֶּ֣בַח הַשְּׁלָמִ֔ים אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהוה אֶת־הַחֵ֙לֶב֙הַֽמְכַסֶּ֣ה אֶת־הַקֶּ֔רֶב וְאֵת֙ כׇּל־הַחֵ֔לֶבאֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־הַקֶּֽרֶב׃(ד) וְאֵת֙ שְׁתֵּ֣י הַכְּלָיֹ֔ת וְאֶת־הַחֵ֙לֶב֙אֲשֶׁ֣ר עֲלֵהֶ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־הַכְּסָלִ֑ים וְאֶת־הַיֹּתֶ֙רֶת֙ עַל־הַכָּבֵ֔ד עַל־הַכְּלָי֖וֹת יְסִירֶֽנָּה׃(ה) וְהִקְטִ֨ירוּ אֹת֤וֹ בְנֵֽי־אַהֲרֹן֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה עַל־הָ֣עֹלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל־הָעֵצִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־הָאֵ֑שׁ אִשֵּׁ֛ה רֵ֥יחַ נִיחֹ֖חַ לַֽיהוה׃ {פ}
(3) Then present from the sacrifice of well-being, as an offering by fire to יהוה, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is about the entrails;(4) the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, that is at the loins; and the protuberance on the liver, which you shall remove with the kidneys.(5) Aaron’s sons shall turn these into smoke on the altar, with the burnt offering which is upon the wood that is on the fire, as an offering by fire, of pleasing odor to יהוה.
(יג) יַרְכִּבֵ֙הוּ֙ עַל־[בָּ֣מֳתֵי] (במותי) אָ֔רֶץ וַיֹּאכַ֖ל תְּנוּבֹ֣ת שָׂדָ֑י וַיֵּנִקֵ֤הֽוּ דְבַשׁ֙ מִסֶּ֔לַע וְשֶׁ֖מֶן מֵחַלְמִ֥ישׁ צֽוּר׃(יד) חֶמְאַ֨ת בָּקָ֜ר וַחֲלֵ֣ב צֹ֗אן עִם־חֵ֨לֶבכָּרִ֜ים וְאֵילִ֤ים בְּנֵֽי־בָשָׁן֙ וְעַתּוּדִ֔ים עִם־חֵ֖לֶבכִּלְי֣וֹת חִטָּ֑ה וְדַם־עֵנָ֖ב תִּשְׁתֶּה־חָֽמֶר׃
(13) [God] set them atop the highlands,
To feast on the yield of the earth;
Nursing them with honey from the crag,
And oil from the flinty rock,(14) Curd of kine and milk of flocks;
With the fat of lambs,
And rams of Bashan, and he-goats;
With the fat of wheat—
And foaming grape-blood was your drink.
(יח) וּקְח֧וּ אֶת־אֲבִיכֶ֛ם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּיכֶ֖ם וּבֹ֣אוּ אֵלָ֑י וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה לָכֶ֗ם אֶת־טוּב֙ אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם וְאִכְל֖וּ אֶת־חֵ֥לֶב הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(18) Take your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you shall live off the fat of the land.’
Without exception, the suet of a sacrificial animal belongs to God; for this reason, if anyone eats the suet, even if the animal died naturally and can no longer be offered on the altar, it is as if that person had encroached upon Divine property and is subject to Divine sanctions.
Blood
(י) וְאִ֨ישׁ אִ֜ישׁ מִבֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וּמִן־הַגֵּר֙ הַגָּ֣ר בְּתוֹכָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֹאכַ֖ל כׇּל־דָּ֑ם וְנָתַתִּ֣י פָנַ֗י בַּנֶּ֙פֶשׁ֙ הָאֹכֶ֣לֶת אֶת־הַדָּ֔ם וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י אֹתָ֖הּ מִקֶּ֥רֶב עַמָּֽהּ׃(יא) כִּ֣י נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַבָּשָׂר֮ בַּדָּ֣ם הִוא֒ וַאֲנִ֞י נְתַתִּ֤יו לָכֶם֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ לְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־הַדָּ֥ם ה֖וּא בַּנֶּ֥פֶשׁ יְכַפֵּֽר׃(יב) עַל־כֵּ֤ן אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כׇּל־נֶ֥פֶשׁ מִכֶּ֖ם לֹא־תֹ֣אכַל דָּ֑ם וְהַגֵּ֛ר הַגָּ֥ר בְּתוֹכְכֶ֖ם לֹא־יֹ֥אכַל דָּֽם׃
(10) And if anyone of the house of Israel or of the strangers who reside among them partakes of any blood, I will set My face against the person who partakes of the blood; I will cut that person off from among kin.(11) For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have assigned it to you for making expiation for your lives upon the altar; because the blood is the life force, which effects expiation.(12) Therefore I say to the Israelite people: No person among you shall partake of blood, nor shall the stranger who resides among you partake of blood.
1. Why, do you think, the Torah forbids the Israelites to ear fat from sacrificial animals?
2. Why proscribe eating blood?
3. What might we learn from each proscription?
