Leviticus 1: Rules for Killing and Burning Offerings

Synopsis: 

The rules of what to offer, how to offer it, how to kill it, where to sprinkle the blood, and exactly how to cook it are laid out. Three classifications of animals are included in these rules: cows, flock animals like sheep and goats and fowl. All offerings must be unblemished.

In other words:

God tells Moses how to kill and cook meat.

Favorite bit:

Leviticus 1:16 –“And he shall pluck his crop and feathers, and cast it besides the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes.”

Moral Lessons Learned:

Flay your meat before cooking it. (Leviticus 1)

Leviticus 2: Rules for Offering Bread

Synopsis: 

If you offer flour – you must also offer oil and frankincense.  A portion of this will be burned by the priests.  Any baked bread must be unleavened and made with fine flour and oil. Same rule applies if the bread is baked in a pan or in an oven. All bread offerings must include salt. A portion of bread will be burnt, the rest is the property of the priests. Raw grains can be offered as long as they are dried. This is treated the same way as an offering of flour and you must include oil and frankincense.

In other words: 

You may offer bread as an offering, but it must be unleavened and include salt.

Favorite bit:

That “meat” offerings are actually offerings of flour goods.

Most interesting bit:

That you aren’t allowed to burn leavened bread or bread made with honey.

Moral Lesson Learned:

Don’t forget to put salt in your bread. (Leviticus 2)

Leviticus 3: Peace Offerings

Synopsis:

A peace offering can be cow, sheep or goat. Same rules for slaughter and cooking except you are not allowed to cook the kidneys and the fat upon the kidneys. Those have to be taken away. Also, you are not allowed to eat blood or fat ever.

In other words:

If you want to make a peace offering, don’t cook the kidneys.

Favorite bit:

That the kidneys and the fat on the kidneys are to be taken away. No idea why, just, if it’s a peace offering, don’t cook those.

Most interesting bit:

That at the end, a blanket prohibition on eating fat and blood is given. This doesn’t appear to be related to the sacrifices, it’s literally “a perpetual statue for your generations that ye eat neither fat nor blood.” (Leviticus 3:17)

Moral Lesson Learned:

Don’t drink blood. (Leviticus 3)
And
Don’t eat animal fat (Leviticus 3) – though I don’t agree with that.

Leviticus 4: What happens if you violate any of the commandments

Synopsis:

If a priest violates a commandment, bring a bullock to be slaughtered. The priest will take the blood, dip his fingers in it, put some on the horns of the altar and then take the fat and burn it on the altar. The rest of the cow will be taken out of town and burned. If the entire congregation sins, then all the heads of the tribes have to put their hands on the bullock before the ritual is done and then the entire congregation will be forgiven. If a ruler sins and violates the commandments He needs to bring the kid of a goat, and then the blood ritual is done and the fat burned. Not sure what happens to the rest of the goat. If a commoner sins and violates the commandment they need to bring a female got, and then the blood is offered and fat burned. If he brings a lamb instead of a goat, this is ok, the sacrifice will be done and the person forgiven.

In other words:

If you violate the 10 commandments, that’s ok, as long as you did it out of ignorance. Just make a sin offering and all will be forgiven.

Most interesting bit:

That it was assumed the priests, as well as everyone else, would sin and that there is a method to atone, fairly easily for those sins.

Favorite bit:

Leviticus 4:11 “And the kin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards and his dung.”  Not sure if this is for burning or part of the bull being taken out to be burnt out of town.

Moral Lessons Learned:

If you make a mistake, fix it. (Leviticus 4)

Leviticus 5: Don’t Swear

Synopsis:

This chapter lays out the rules on how to atone for swearing or for touching unclean things and unclean parts of a man. It doesn’t matter if the words leaving your lips were evil or nice. You have to provide a female sheep or a kid of a goat. If you can’t afford that, you can bring two turtledoves or pigeons.  The blood will be sprinkled besides the altar and at the bottom to atone for your sins.  If you can’t afford that, you can bring some flour, but don’t put oil or frankincense on it, for it’s a sin offering.  If someone commits a sin against holy things, than they need to provide a ram plus you have to make amends for what you did.

In other words:

If you swear, you have to pay a small fine in the form of a sheep or some birds.

Favorite bit:

Leviticus 5:3 – “Or if he touch the uncleanliness of man, whatsoever uncleanliness it be that a man defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty. “ I have no idea what this is referring to, probably skin sores because that takes up quite of bit of this book later, but you never know. My first thought is that it is referring to a penis or poo, so this bit amuses me.

Moral Lesson:

Don’t swear (Leviticus 5) and/or
If you do something wrong, make amends and fix it (Leviticus 5:16)

Leviticus 6: Rules about lying and the burnt offerings

Synopsis:

If you lie, or are deceitful or take someone else’s property by force, you need to return it plus another 1/5th of what it was worth and bring an unblemished ram for sacrifice. This chapter then pivots to Aaron having to keep the fire burning all the time and how to dispose of the ashes (Put on your blood soaked linen garments, take the ashes out and put them to the side. Change into your regular clothes and take the ashes out of town to a clean place.) Finally it closes with how much Aaron and his sons are supposed to eat of the offerings and exactly where in the complex they are to eat things. And what they aren’t supposed to eat (If it is a meat/bread offering from the priests themselves – that isn’t to be eaten).

In other words:

Don’t lie cheat or steal and keep your altar clean of ashes.

Favorite bit:

That in order to clean the ashes out Aaron has to wear the blood soaked linen outfit. (Leviticus 6:10)

Most interesting bit:

That things are holy if they get the blood of the sacrifice on them except for earthen vessels, which need to be broken if sodden. Metal vessels can be scoured and cleaned. (Leviticus 6:28)

This must be important:

(Leviticus 6:30) Don’t eat blood offerings. Burn it on the altar instead.

Moral Lesson Learned: 

Keep your grill and fireplace clean of ashes. (Leviticus 6)

Leviticus 7: Trespass Offerings, Peace Offerings and Portions for the Priests

Synopsis: 

It is a trespass offering, give the rump and the fat, the kidneys get taken away. It’s all burned and the male priests shall eat it. If it is a sin offering, the priest gets the skin of the burnt offering. If it is a meat offering,  if it is baked in a pan or fried it is for the priest. Any offering needs to be eaten the same day. You can eat anything left over the 2nd day. But if it goes to a third day, don’t eat it.  If it is unclean, don’t eat it. If it is clean, that you can eat.  If you eat anything unclean, you will be cut off from the people.  Don’t eat fat. You can use it for other things, but don’t eat it.  If you eat fat, you will be cut off from the people. Don’t eat blood. If you eat blood, you will be cut off from the people.  If it is a peace offering, the fat shall be burned but Aaron and the priests get the right shoulder.

In other words: 

Aaron and his sons, the other priests, get a portion of all offerings for themselves, but they have to eat it promptly. If it goes more than a few days, they need to burn the rest of it, presumably so they don’t get food poisoning.

Favorite bit:

(Leviticus 7: 18) Don’t eat flesh offerings after 3 days. I like this because it makes sense. They didn’t have refrigeration. The meat would probably go bad if left too long.

Odd bit:

If you eat fat, or blood you will be cut off from the people. Not sure what was so bad about that. I understand if you touch something unclean (Leviticus 7:21) getting cut off, because you could be contagious too, but blood and fat eating. Not sure how that would make you dangerous to the others.

Moral Lesson Learned:

Don’t let your food go to waste (Leviticus 7:18)

Leviticus 8: The blood sacrifice begins

Synopsis:

After all the talking and discussing and laying of rules, the blood sacrifice begins. Aaron is clothed, anointed with oil and a bull is killed, blood sprinkled and the bull cooked. A ram is killed, blood sprinkled and the ram cooked. Another ram is killed, this blood is poured on Aaron and his sons. They are then told to boil this ram and eat it and then stay within the tabernacle for seven days until they are “officially” consecrated.

In other words:

The first sacrifice is finally made. It doesn’t seem nearly as bad as it was described, but perhaps that’s just the redundancy.

Favorite bit:

That we probably don’t have to hear about this first sacrifice in such detail ever again.

Moral Lesson Learned:

If you have to do something unpleasant – just get it over with. (Leviticus 8)

Leviticus 9: Burning fat causes a fire

Synopsis:

On the 8th day, after the initial consecration, Aaron emerges and they start the other sacrifices, peace, sin, etc. All is going as it should, but apparently they put too much fat upon the altar that they weren’t supposed to and a huge fire erupts out of the altar.

In other words:

Burning fat for a sacrifice inside a tent causes a fire.

Favorite bit:

Leviticus 9:24 – “And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat which when all the people saw, they shouted and fell on their faces.” It must have been some fire that erupted.

Moral Lesson Learned:

Be careful when grilling, always have a fire extinguisher ready in case of fire. (Leviticus9:24)

Leviticus 10: Two Sons of Aaron are killed in the altar fire

Synopsis:

It turns out that two of Aarons sons were killed in the fire in chapter 9. This is attributed to them not doing things EXACTLY as the lord wanted. The bodies are taken out of town and they are not to be mourned. Aaron promises to do better and to take better care to make sure his kids do the offerings properly in the future. This appeases Moses.

In other words:

2 sons of Aaron are killed in the altar fire.

Favorite bit:

That new rules are placed upon Aaron and his sons and daughters concerning what they may eat or drink so that this doesn’t happen again. Basically, it comes down to this (Leviticus 10:9) “Do not drink wine nor strong drink thou, nor thy sons with they, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation lest ye die.”

Moral Lesson Learned:

Don’t grill while drunk, for safety reasons. It’s important that you don’t let your fire get out of control. (Leviticus 10:9)

Leviticus 11: Food Rules

Synopsis:

The rules about what is ok to eat and what isn’t are laid out.  Cows are ok. Camels and coneys are not. Hares and hogs are not ok.  Fish with scales are ok to eat. Fish without scales are not. If a fish has no fins or scales, don’t eat it. For birds, all the class of raptors are not to be eaten. Ravens, kites, swans storks and herons are also prohibited. Most bugs are not ok to eat but locusts beetles and grasshoppers are ok.  Anything with paws is not ok to eat.  You aren’t allowed to use the skins of anything considered unclean. Road kills is unclean. Water and bread is ok as long as it hasn’t touched anything that is unclean, the exception is a deep well, which can be considered clean. If you touch or eat something that isn’t clean, you have to clean yourself.

In other words:

Rules are set out for what you can and cannot eat.

What’s interesting:

Most of this makes sense. This is about basic health. Some things are more likely to make you sick and so are unclean. Though I suspect the prohibition on eating camel is to differentiate these people from others.

Favorite bit:

That entimophagy is endorsed (Leviticus 11: 22)

Moral Lesson Learned:

Be careful what you eat (Leviticus 11)

Leviticus 12: Laws for childbirth and Cleanliness

Synopsis:

If a woman has a boy child, she is unclean for 40 days. The boy is to be circumcised on the 8th day. If a woman has a girl child, she is unclean for 70 days. After this period of infirmity, she is to bring a sacrifice of a lamb or two turtledoves so that atonement can be made for her bleeding and then she shall be considered clean.

In other words:

The bleeding of a woman during and after childbirth was considered a health issue and she was to be considered unclean until she recovered.

Unanswered question:

Why the period of recovery is longer for a girl than a boy.

What’s interesting about this:

It makes sense that blood is recognized as a carrier of disease so you have to be careful to not be contaminated. Yeah, it’s discriminatory against women, but only in our context of modern medicine. If you don’t have access to modern knowledge about health care and disease transmission, this makes sense as a basic health precaution. Though again, I don’t know why the period of uncleanliness is twice as long for a girl child as for a boy.

Moral Lesson Learned:

Women giving birth need proper medical care (Leviticus 12)

Leviticus 13: What to do about your skin care problems

Synopsis:

If you have a skin lesion or problem, you are to go to the priest who will assess you and diagnose you. If it looks like the plague or leprosy, you will be isolated for 7 days.  If your skin clears up, great, if not, you are isolated for another 7 days and reassessed. The rest of this chapter goes into detail on what to look for. For instance, if your skin has a raise but it is white and the hair coming out of it is white, then it is old leprosy and you are clean. If, however, you have a boil that is raised and white with some red, you are unclean and have leprosy.  If you are diagnosed with leprosy, you are to be isolated and your clothing burned because it has the disease in it.

In other words:

The priests are to act as doctors and diagnose and treat skin plagues like leprosy.

Favorite bit:

Leviticus 13:49 – “And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp or in the wood, or in anything of skin; it is the plague of leprosy and shall be showed to the priest.”   I like this because it shows the detail of this chapter. It is one of the longest in Leviticus and it makes sense that dealing with skin ailments to prevent their spread in an encampment would be really important.

Moral Lesson Learned:

• Go to the doctor if you suspect something is wrong (Leviticus 13)
• Take care not to spread disease to others (Leviticus 13)

Leviticus 14: How to clean a leper

Synopsis: 

If you have leprosy but have been cured, then you need to make a sacrifice and shave your entire body. Then a priest will put blood on your ear, thumb and big toe as well as oil poured all over you. They will kill one bird under running water, the other will be set free and you are now officially clean. If you can’t afford the offering, there is a cheaper way to do this, but it still involves shaving your body and having blood put on your ear, your thumb and your big toe and oil poured all over you.  If a house has leprosy, the priest will be called. The house evacuated. The house will be shut for 7 days. If the plagues spreads, the house will be scraped and any stones with leprosy on them will be taken away and disposed in an unclean place.  The house will be re-plastered and declared clean. Two birds will be offered. One killed under running water, the other set free.

In other words:

Priests are told how to treat leprosy and cleanses someone and how to clean houses through ritual.

Favorite bit:

The symbolism of the bird set free. Most of the ritual involves killing, blood sprinkling and oil pouring. But one of the birds is to be set free. I like that (Leviticus 14:6)

What’s Interesting:

That this entire chapter is about how to re-integrate someone into society after a bout of leprosy – which probably included a wide variety of skin ailments, the scariest of which was leprosy. But the concern that you might have leprosy was great enough to have these rules so it wouldn’t spread. And if it turned out to be something lesser, well then, you were free to resume normal activities after a cleansing. Again it’s an interesting way for a society without science to deal with a common problem.

Moral Lesson Learned:

Make sure to wash your hands and take regular baths (Leviticus 14)

Leviticus 15: Rules for bodily fluids

Synopsis:

If there is any issue from your body or skin, you are unclean. Anything you touch is unclean. If anyone touches anything you touch, they are unclean. When the issue stops, wait 7 days, clean yourself every day for seven days then make a sacrifice of two turtledoves. If you merely touched something unclean, go have a bath and you will be clean by evening. If you have sex, clean yourself afterwards because you are unclean until evening (no word on how long you are unclean if you have sex in the evening, that isn’t addressed. These rules are the same for men and women. If a woman has her period, she is unclean for 7 days as is anything she touches. If a man has sex with her while she is menstruating, he is unclean for 7 days, same as her.  After her separation, she is to sacrifice two turtledoves.

In other word:

Bodily fluids are gross. Don’t touch them.

Favorite bit: 

Leviticus 15: 24 – “And any man who lie with her at al and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.” What a great way to describe a menstrual flow.

Moral Lesson learned:

• Clean up after having sex. (Leviticus 15:18)
• If you are sick, stay in bed and don’t infect anyone else (Leviticus 15)

Leviticus 16: The Scapegoat, literally

Synopsis:

God tells Moses how to make everything right since the incident where Aaron’s sons were killed. They need to sacrifice a bullock and a kid from a goat. They need to take another kid and make it a scapegoat. This is done by placing hands on the goat’s head and confessing all the sins of the children of Israel. The goat is then led off by a fit man into the wilderness and left. The fit man comes back, washes himself and reenters the camp. The bullock and other goat are killed, blood sprinkled liberally around and the fat burned. The remains of the blood and dung and skin are burned at each individual family camp. This has to be done every year in the 10th day of the 7th month.

In other words:

God wants another sacrifice but allows them to offer a scapegoat to cleanse them of their sins.

Favorite bit: 

The scapegoat. It’s literally a goat.

Bit that makes me the happiest:

That no one really feels compelled to do this anymore despite all the “literalism” talk.

Moral Lesson Learned:  

We are collectively responsible for the sins our community commits (Leviticus 16)

Leviticus 17: The Blood Obsession

Synopsis:

God demands that any animal killed, the blood belongs to him. Doesn’t matter where you kill the animal, the blood belongs to God and if you don’t bring it to the temple and offer the blood to God, you will be cut off from the people. Also, you are not allowed to eat blood. If you eat blood you are cut off. If you are out and about, drain the blood into the dirt before eating the animal and cover the blood up with dust. If anyone eats an animal that died by itself and wasn’t slaughtered, they are unclean and have to take a bath.

In other words:

All blood belongs to God. Don’t eat it.

Favorite bit:

Leviticus 17:13 – where they are commanded to pour out the blood of anything they catch while hunting.

Other favorite bit:

That all it takes to make yourself clean again from eating roadkill is taking a bath and waiting until evening. (Leviticus 17:15)

Oddest bit: 

Leviticus 17:7,8 – They are reminded not to give their sacrifice to other gods and devils. This prohibition includes people from other lands.

Unanswered question:

There must be some sort of medical reason why they are prohibited from eating blood. However, the rule that the blood must be given to the temple for sacrifice is a bit weird. But I suppose it helps to make sure there isn’t blood all over the camp.

Moral Lesson Learned: 

Don’t eat roadkill. And if you do, wash your hands afterwards. (Leviticus 17: 15)

Leviticus 18: Rules about who you can have sex with

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Leviticus 19: The 24 Commandments

Synopsis:

God issues a new set of commandments. This one is a bit more complete and concise than the other ones.
1) Fear your mother and father
2) Don’t make molten gods
3) Make voluntary peace sacrifices to God and eat it within 2 days. After 3 days it is an abomination. And if you eat it you will be cut off from the people.
4) When you reap your harvest and glean your fields, leave some for the poor
5) Don’t lie, cheat or steal
6) Don’t defraud your neighbors
7) Don’t curse the deaf or make life hard for the blind
8) Don’t harm the poor or judge them harshly
9) Don’t be a gossip
10) Don’t hate your brother or rebuke your neighbor
11) Don’t avenge any grudge
12) Don’t cross breed your cattle or your plants
13) If you have sex with a bondmaid that belongs to someone else, it doesn’t count as adultery to her because she wasn’t free
14) Trespass offerings will be rams
15) Don’t eat the fruit off trees until they are at least 3 years old, the 4th year fruit belongs to the Lord. After that, it’s all yours
16) Don’t eat any blood
17) Don’t round the corners of your head or your beard
18) Don’t cut designs on your skin or get a tattoo.
19) Don’t prostitute out your daughter
20) Keep the Sabbath
21) Don’t seek out wizards
22) Honor old people
23) Be nice to strangers
24) Don’t use bad weights or measures.

In other words:

There are now 24 commandments, not 10

Favorite commandment:

15) Don’t eat fruit from newly planted trees for 4 years. Leviticus 19:23-25

So obvious it shouldn’t have to be said

19) Don’t prostitute your daughter (Leviticus 19:29) What annoys me about this though is that the reason given is so that the whole land doesn’t fall to whoredom. Not because there is anything inherently wrong with prostituting your daughter.

Oddest Commandment:

21) Don’t seek out wizards. Sort of comes out of nowhere – but I suppose it was a problem. (Leviticus 19:31)

Moral Lessons learned:

These are my favorites that I think are still relevant today:

• When you reap your harvest and glean your fields, leave some for the poor (Leviticus 19:9,10)
• Don’t lie, cheat or steal (Leviticus 19:11,12)
• Don’t defraud your neighbors (Leviticus 19:13)
• Don’t curse the deaf or make life hard for the blind Leviticus 19:14)
• Don’t harm the poor or judge them harshly (Leviticus 19:15)
• Don’t be a gossip (Leviticus 19:16)
• Don’t hate your brother or rebuke your neighbor (Leviticus 19:17)
• Don’t avenge any grudge (Leviticus 19:18)
• Don’t prostitute out your daughter (Leviticus 19:29)
• Honor old people (Leviticus 19:32)
• Be nice to strangers (Leviticus 19:33)
• Don’t use bad weights or measures. (Leviticus 19:36)

Leviticus 20: Punishments for violating sexual prohibitions

Synopsis:

This is basically a repeat of the chapter on sexual prohibitions. Except this time, we get the punishments that accompany each violation.
1) If you worship other gods, especially Molech, you will be stoned.
2) If you curse your parents, you will be killed
3) Adultary? Death
4) Sleeping with your dad’s wife? Death
5) Sleeping with your daughter in law? Death
6) Male/Male sex? Death
7) Threesome involving a mother and her daughter? Death by fire
8) Woman engaging in bestiality? Death for both the woman and the beast
9) Incest? Cut off from the people
10) Sex during menstruation? Cut off from people
11) Sex with your uncle’s wife? Childlessness
12) Sex with your brother’s wife? Childlessness
Also, if you are a wizard or a witch, you shall be stoned to death.

In other words:

We are again reminded about the sexual prohibitions.

Favorite bit:

That in a chapter that is basically about sex, we are reminded not to trust wizards or people with a familiar. (Leviticus 20:27) Also, death by fire for witchcraft during the inquisition was clearly not the prescribed punishment.

Favorite rules:

Levitucs 20:20,21 – where the punishment for having sex with your uncle or brother’s wife is childlessness. All the other sexual prohibitions are punished by death.

Unanswered question:

Why the threesome with mother and daughter involves death by fire.

Moral Lesson Learned:

Choose your sexual partners wisely (Leviticus 20)