Sedra 6, Acharey Mot
Leviticus 16:1 – 18:30
16:1 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH ACHAREY MOT SHENEY BENEY AHARON BE KARVATAM LIPHNEY YHVH VA YAMUTU
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה אַחֲרֵי מוֹת שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן בְּקָרְבָתָם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וַיָּמֻתוּ
KJ (King James translation): And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
BN (BibleNet translation): Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, after the deaths of the two sons of Aharon, after they approached YHVH and died.
This is slightly odd, seeming to infer that they died because they approached YHVH, whereas the text (Leviticus 10:1-2) states that they were punished for offering "strange fire". Can we deduce that it was not in fact the nature of the sacrifice that caused YHVH to take their lives, but the fact that it was unauthorised: that it was at the wrong time and not merely the wrong gifts? In which case, it was indeed "approaching" YHVH that led to their deaths (and if, as has been suggested repeatedly, YHVH at that time was the volcano, then "strange fire" makes even more sense).
The following verse is tied to this, giving Aharon the specifics of where he and the other priests may go, and not go, and when; which also adds the alternate possibility that his two sons didn't simply approach YHVH, but went beyond the Parochet, the veil, and were therefore punished for being "out of bounds".
16:2 VA YOMER YHVH EL MOSHEH DABER EL AHARON ACHIYCHA VE AL YAVO VE CHOL ET EL HA KODESH MI BEIT LA PAROCHET EL PENEY HA KAPORET ASHER AL HA ARON VE LO YAMUT KI BE ANAN ERA'EH AL HA KAPORET
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְאַל יָבֹא בְכָל עֵת אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ מִבֵּית לַפָּרֹכֶת אֶל פְּנֵי הַכַּפֹּרֶת אֲשֶׁר עַל הָאָרֹן וְלֹא יָמוּת כִּי בֶּעָנָן אֵרָאֶה עַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת
KJ: And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
BN: Then YHVH said to Mosheh: Speak to Aharon your brother, that he should not, at any time, come into the holy place beyond the curtain, which is before the ark-cover, which is upon the ark, so that he does not die; for I appear in the cloud on the ark-cover.
VE AL YAVO: An odd way of phrasing it, without a joining verb: "and tell him...". "That he should not..." is not a precise translation, but does at least compensate for the missing verb.
The inference is either that YHVH is not always present in the Ark, or that YHVH is restricting the number of times, or at least the specific occasions, on which Aharon may see YHVH "face to face". The use of "veil" (or "vail" in the King James) as a translation for PAROCHET is unhelpful; the veil was the DEVIR, which denoted the separation of the holy place from the Holy of Holies in the Temple; from other texts we know that only the Kohen Gadol (the High Priest) could cross to the far side of the DEVIR, and only on Yom Kippur - which it will become clear from the following verses that this is. But this is the Parochet, and the regular holy place; and this is the desert Mishkan, not the Temple in Yeru-Shala'im. The first inference must therefore be regarded as intentional; YHVH is only present at certain times, and as he appears "in the cloud upon the ark-cover" the implication is that he is made to appear by the rising smoke of the sacrifices (or when the volcano has another eruption). The following verses will clarify this. Either way, "approaching" too close is not permitted, and will lead to death (cf Exodus 33:20).
16:3 BE ZOT YAVO AHARON EL HA KODESH BE PHAR BEN BAKAR LE CHATA'T VE AYIL LE OLAH
בְּזֹאת יָבֹא אַהֲרֹן אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ בְּפַר בֶּן בָּקָר לְחַטָּאת וְאַיִל לְעֹלָה
KJ: Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
BN: In this manner shall Aharon come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering.
Once again it is necessary to point out that this is supposedly happening during the forty-year wandering in the wilderness, when the people had no food to eat, and so the deity provided them with Manna on a daily basis, lest they starve (Exodus 16:13-35).
16:4 KETONET BAD KODESH YILBASH U MICHNESEY VAD YIHEYU AL BESARO U VE AVNET BAD YACHGOR U VE MITSNEPHET BAD YITSNOPH BIGDEY KODESH HEM VE RACHATS BA MAYIM ET BESARO U LEVESHAM
כְּתֹנֶת בַּד קֹדֶשׁ יִלְבָּשׁ וּמִכְנְסֵי בַד יִהְיוּ עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ וּבְאַבְנֵט בַּד יַחְגֹּר וּבְמִצְנֶפֶת בַּד יִצְנֹף בִּגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ הֵם וְרָחַץ בַּמַּיִם אֶת בְּשָׂרוֹ וּלְבֵשָׁם
KJ: He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
BN:He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and he shall have the linen breeches on his flesh, and he shall be girded with the linen girdle, and he shall be attired with the linen mitre; these are the holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on.
16:5 U ME ET ADAT BENEY YISRA-EL YIKACH SHENEY SE'IYREY IZIM LE CHATA'T VE AYIL ECHAD LE OLAH
וּמֵאֵת עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יִקַּח שְׁנֵי שְׂעִירֵי עִזִּים לְחַטָּאת וְאַיִל אֶחָד לְעֹלָה
KJ: And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
BN: And he shall take from the congregation of the Beney Yisra-El two he-goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering.
16:6 VE HIKRIV AHARON ET PAR HA CHATA'T ASHER LO VE CHIPER BA'ADO U VE'AD BEITO
וְהִקְרִיב אַהֲרֹן אֶת פַּר הַחַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר לוֹ וְכִפֶּר בַּעֲדוֹ וּבְעַד בֵּיתוֹ
KJ: And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
BN: And Aharon shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house.
CHIPER: The key word that informs us what day these rituals and ceremonies are describing, it occurs no less than 8 times (verses 6, 11, 16, 17, 18, 24, 32 and 33). And of course the KAPORET is a noun derived from the same root; this is because that root, KAFAR, means "to cover", which is what a roof does for a tent, a lid for a box containing the Tablets of the Law, and a ceremony for "covering over" the most serious sins of the past year. The word KFAR, meaning a village or hamlet - such as Kfar Nahum, the Capernaum of the New Testament - also comes from the same root, because a village provides the "cover" of a community, to shelter what otherwise would be solitary souls. The same root also gives KOPHER, the cypress, which is a tree whose branches spread a very wide-covering, and also KOPHER, meaning "pitch" or "tar", probably because these were used to provide a covering for the covering on houses. Exodus 21:30 (see my note on "ransom" there) and 30:12-16 both use the word to mean "ransom", in the sense of legal damages: a redemption-price, the former for an animal, the latter for a human soul; whence KIPURIM, in the plural, the redemption of sin on this day. Isaiah 43:1-3 describes a very different sort of "ransom", rather more a matter of national politics than individual souls.
16:7 VE LAKACH ET SHENEY HA SE'IRIM VE HE'EMID OTAM LIPHNEY YHVH PETACH OHEL MO'ED
וְלָקַח אֶת שְׁנֵי הַשְּׂעִירִם וְהֶעֱמִיד אֹתָם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד
KJ: And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
BN: And he shall take the two goats, and set them before YHVH at the door of the tent of meeting.
16:8 VE NATAN AHARON AL SHENEY HA SE'IRIM GORALOT GORAL ECHAD LA YHVH VE GORAL ECHAD LA AZAZ-EL
וְנָתַן אַהֲרֹן עַל שְׁנֵי הַשְּׂעִירִם גֹּרָלוֹת גּוֹרָל אֶחָד לַיהוָה וְגוֹרָל אֶחָד לַעֲזָאזֵל
KJ: And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
BN: And Aharon shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for YHVH, and the other lot for Azaz-El.
We associate the Azaz-El with Yom Kippur, yet nothing in the text has explicitly told us that these verses relate to Yom Kippur (my note to verse 6 finds something merely implicit in the text). The opening verses appear to indicate either that this is the method of approach at any of the times when Aharon enters the Holy of Holies; or that it is very specifically a cleansing rite following the deaths of Aharon's two sons. Azaz-El alongside CHIPER now makes the case for Yom Kippur more convincing.
This business of casting lots to determine which of the two goats should be sacrificed and which saved leads to two very different associations:
a) The festival of Purim (פּוּרִים), the Persian New Year in the spring which became transformed into the story of Queen Ester (Ishtar) and her uncle Mordechai (Marduk) and the wicked Chaman (Haman - the link is not immediately obvious) who also makes an appearance in Leviticus 26:30; the other name for Purim in Jewish tradition is the Feast of Lots.
b) A moment in Samuel Beckett's "Waiting For Godot", when Estragon and Vladimir are discussing the Crucifixion, and identify themselves with the two thieves crucified with him; Estragon quotes St Augustine of Hippo: "Do not despair, one of the thieves was saved; do not presume, one of the thieves was damned."
The method of casting lots was the Urim and Tumim, which the Kohen Gadol wore on his breastplate; click on the link for a full explanation.
The method of casting lots was the Urim and Tumim, which the Kohen Gadol wore on his breastplate; click on the link for a full explanation.
16:9 VE HIKRIV AHARON ET HA SA'IR ASHER ALAH ALAV HA GORAL LA YHVH VE ASAHU CHATA'T
וְהִקְרִיב אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַשָּׂעִיר אֲשֶׁר עָלָה עָלָיו הַגּוֹרָל לַיהוָה וְעָשָׂהוּ חַטָּאת
KJ: And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
BN: And Aharon shall present the goat on which the lot fell to YHVH, and offer it as a sin-offering.
16:10 VE HA SE'IR ASHER ALAH ALAV HA GORAL LA AZAZ-EL YA'AMAD CHAI LIPHNEY YHVH LECHAPER ALAV LESHALACH OTO LA AZAZ-EL HA MIDBARAH
וְהַשָּׂעִיר אֲשֶׁר עָלָה עָלָיו הַגּוֹרָל לַעֲזָאזֵל יָעֳמַד חַי לִפְנֵי יְהוָה לְכַפֵּר עָלָיו לְשַׁלַּח אֹתוֹ לַעֲזָאזֵל הַמִּדְבָּרָה
KJ: But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
BN: But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azaz-El, shall be set alive before YHVH, to make atonement over him, to send him away for Azaz-El into the wilderness.
Note that this version of Azaz-El has the goat sent into the wilderness; in the pre-Solomonic Jerusalemite rites, the goat was driven over the cliff into the valley of Hinnom.
16:11 VE HIKRIV AHARON ET PAR HA CHATA'T ASHER LO VE CHIPER BA'ADO U VE'AD BEITO VE SHACHAT ET PAR HA CHATA'T ASHER LO
וְהִקְרִיב אַהֲרֹן אֶת פַּר הַחַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר לוֹ וְכִפֶּר בַּעֲדוֹ וּבְעַד בֵּיתוֹ וְשָׁחַט אֶת פַּר הַחַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר לוֹ
KJ: And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
BN: And Aharon shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall slaughter the bullock of the sin-offering which is for himself.
16:12 VE LAKACH MELO HA MACHTAH GACHALEY ESH ME AL HA MIZBE'ACH MI LIPHNEY YHVH U MEL'O CHAPHNAV KETORET SAMIM DAKAH VE HEVIY MI BEIT LA PAROCHET
וְלָקַח מְלֹא הַמַּחְתָּה גַּחֲלֵי אֵשׁ מֵעַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה וּמְלֹא חָפְנָיו קְטֹרֶת סַמִּים דַּקָּה וְהֵבִיא מִבֵּית לַפָּרֹכֶת
KJ: And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
BN: And he shall take a censer full of burning coals from off the altar before YHVH, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it inside the curtain.
In Isaiah 6:1-6 we witness precisely this ceremony, which is also the probable source for the Midrashic tale of Mosheh's stammering (see my note to Exodus 2:11)
In Isaiah 6:1-6 we witness precisely this ceremony, which is also the probable source for the Midrashic tale of Mosheh's stammering (see my note to Exodus 2:11)
16:13 VE NATAN ET HA KETORET AL HA ESH LIPHNEY YHVH VE CHISAH ANAN HA KETORET ET HA KAPORET ASHER AL HA EDUT VE LO YAMUT
וְנָתַן אֶת הַקְּטֹרֶת עַל הָאֵשׁ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וְכִסָּה עֲנַן הַקְּטֹרֶת אֶת הַכַּפֹּרֶת אֲשֶׁר עַל הָעֵדוּת וְלֹא יָמוּת
KJ: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
BN: And he shall put the incense on the fire before YHVH, so that the cloud formed by the incense may cover the ark-cover that is over the testimony, so he does not die.
Is this then the form in which YHVH appears in his glory? A mere scale-model of the erupting volcano!
16:14 VE LAKACH MI DAM HA PAR VE HIZAH VE ETSBA'O AL PENEY HA KAPORET KEDMAH VE LIPHNEY HA KAPORET YAZEH SHEVA PE'AMIM MIN HA DAM VE ETSBA'O
וְלָקַח מִדַּם הַפָּר וְהִזָּה בְאֶצְבָּעוֹ עַל פְּנֵי הַכַּפֹּרֶת קֵדְמָה וְלִפְנֵי הַכַּפֹּרֶת יַזֶּה שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים מִן הַדָּם בְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ
KJ: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
BN: And he shall take some of the blood from the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the ark-cover; and with his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the ark-cover.
Yet again seven times.
16:15 VE SHACHAT ET SE'IR HA CHATA'T ASHER LA AM VE HEVIY ET DAMO EL MI BEIT LA PAROCHET VE ASAH ET DAMO KA ASHER ASAH LE DAM HA PAR VE HIZAH OTO AL HA KAPORET VE LIPHNEY HA KAPORET
וְשָׁחַט אֶת שְׂעִיר הַחַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר לָעָם וְהֵבִיא אֶת דָּמוֹ אֶל מִבֵּית לַפָּרֹכֶת וְעָשָׂה אֶת דָּמוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְדַם הַפָּר וְהִזָּה אֹתוֹ עַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת וְלִפְנֵי הַכַּפֹּרֶת
KJ: Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
BN: Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin-offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the curtain, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the ark-cover, and before the ark-cover.
EL MI BEIT LA PAROCHET: check this against the deaths of the sons of Aharon - because, wasn't their coming "inside" or "beyond" the curtain, one of the given reasons for their deaths? (Leviticus 10:1 ff)
16:16 VE CHIPER AL HA KODESH MI TUM'OT BENEY YISRA-EL U MI PISH'EYHEM LE CHAL CHAT'OTAM VE CHEN YA'ASEH LE OHEL MO'ED HA SHOCHEN ITAM BETOCH TUM'OTAM
וְכִפֶּר עַל הַקֹּדֶשׁ מִטֻּמְאֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִפִּשְׁעֵיהֶם לְכָל חַטֹּאתָם וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה לְאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד הַשֹּׁכֵן אִתָּם בְּתוֹךְ טֻמְאֹתָם
KJ: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
BN: And he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the Beney Yisra-El, and because of their transgressions, indeed for all their sins; and so shall he do for the Tent of Meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
HA SHOCHEN ITAM: Interesting way round: it dwells with them, rather than they dwell with it.
In fact, it transpires that these rites are indeed Yom Kippur, but that Yom Kippur was then much more than it is today - the equivalent of spring-cleaning, except that it takes place in the autumn, at the end of the growing season: the re-purification of the Kohen Gadol, but also of every physical feature of the Beney Yisra-Eli rituals: the curtain, the tent itself. Total cleaning.
16:17 VE CHOL ADAM LO YIHEYEH BE OHEL MO'ED BE VO'O LECHAPER BA KODESH AD TSETO VE CHIPER BA'ADO U VE'AD BEITO U VE'AD KOL KEHAL YISRA-EL
וְכָל אָדָם לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּבֹאוֹ לְכַפֵּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ עַד צֵאתוֹ וְכִפֶּר בַּעֲדוֹ וּבְעַד בֵּיתוֹ וּבְעַד כָּל קְהַל יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
BN: But no man shall be inside the Tent of Mmeeting when he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, until he comes out, and has made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Yisra-El.
16:18 VA YATSA EL HA MIZBE'ACH ASHER LIPHNEY YHVH VE CHIPER ALAV VE LAKACH MI DAM HA PAR U MI DAM HA SA'IR VE NATAN AL KARNOT HA MIZBE'ACH SAVIV
וְיָצָא אֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וְכִפֶּר עָלָיו וְלָקַח מִדַּם הַפָּר וּמִדַּם הַשָּׂעִיר וְנָתַן עַל קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב
KJ: And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
BN: And he shall go out to the altar that is before YHVH, and make atonement for it; and he shall take some of the blood from the bullock, and some of the blood from the goat, and put it on the horns around the altar.
16:19 VE HIZAH ALAV MIN HA DAM BE ETSBA'O SHEVA PE'AMIM VE TIHARO VE KIDSHO MI TUM'OT BENEY YISRA-EL
וְהִזָּה עָלָיו מִן הַדָּם בְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים וְטִהֲרוֹ וְקִדְּשׁוֹ מִטֻּמְאֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
BN: And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger, seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleannesses of the Beney Yisra-El.
Once again, so familiar now that we expect it, the rite is performed precisely seven times.
16:20 VE CHILAH MI KAPER ET HA KODESH VE ET OHEL MO'ED VE ET HA MIZBE'ACH VE HIKRIV ET HA SA'IR HE CHAI
וְכִלָּה מִכַּפֵּר אֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֶת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְאֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְהִקְרִיב אֶת הַשָּׂעִיר הֶחָי
KJ: And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
BN: And when he has finished atoning for the holy place, and the tent of meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat.
Why is it not OHEL HA MO'ED? As it is ET HA KODESH. The ET indicates an accusative, and an accusative is a noun requiring a definite article.
16:21 VE SAMACH AHARON ET SHETEY YADAV AL ROSH HA SA'IR HA CHAI VE HITVADAH ALAV ET KOL AVONOT BENEY YISRA-EL VE ET KA PISH'EYHEM LE CHOL CHATO'TAM VE NATAN OTAM AL ROSH HA SA'IR VE SHILACH BE YAD ISH ITI HA MIDBARAH
וְסָמַךְ אַהֲרֹן אֶת שְׁתֵּי יָדָו עַל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׂעִיר הַחַי וְהִתְוַדָּה עָלָיו אֶת כָּל עֲוֹנֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת כָּל פִּשְׁעֵיהֶם לְכָל חַטֹּאתָם וְנָתַן אֹתָם עַל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׂעִיר וְשִׁלַּח בְּיַד אִישׁ עִתִּי הַמִּדְבָּרָה
KJ: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
BN: And Aharon shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the Beney Yisra-El, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away, in the hands of an appointed man, into the wilderness.
Un-named as such here, but this is once again the Azaz-El whom we met in verse 8; see also verse 26 below, and compare the story of Kayin (Cain) being sent into the land of Nod (wandering) in Genesis 4, which was the version of the same ritual from the time when Taurus the bull dominated the skies, before Aries the ram took over (and the reason why the next epoch, Aquarius, has its scapegoat, or scapeman once again, Jesus in this instance, identified with water - click here for a fuller explanation). There is also an equivalent with the turtle-doves in Leviticus 15.
16:22 VE NASA HA SA'IR ALAV ET KOL AVONOTAM EL ERETS GEZERAH VE SHILACH ET HA SA'IR BA MIDBAR
וְנָשָׂא הַשָּׂעִיר עָלָיו אֶת כָּל עֲוֹנֹתָם אֶל אֶרֶץ גְּזֵרָה וְשִׁלַּח אֶת הַשָּׂעִיר בַּמִּדְבָּר
KJ: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
BN: And the goat shall bear all their iniquities upon itself, and take them to a land which is cut off; and he shall let the goat go in the wilderness.
Better in this version than in the original Jerusalemite, where the Azaz-El was led to the edge of a cliff, and pushed over.
As there will always be somebody who will seek to cash in on anything that no one has yet found a way to profitise, so it is not surprising that there is a claimant to being the authentic place to which, or is it from which, or at which, anyway, in some way that nothing in the Bible so much as alludes to, and nothing about that particular spot makes any different in this regard from any other, the central point of locus for the Azaz-El. That place is Jabal Munttar, and if you really insist on knowing more, click here.
16:23 U VA AHARON EL OHEL MO'ED U PHASHAT ET BIGDEY HA BAD ASHER LAVASH BE VO'O EL HA KODESH VE HINIYCHAM SHAM
וּבָא אַהֲרֹן אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וּפָשַׁט אֶת בִּגְדֵי הַבָּד אֲשֶׁר לָבַשׁ בְּבֹאוֹ אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְהִנִּיחָם שָׁם
KJ: And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
BN: And Aharon shall come into the Tent of Meeting, and take off his linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there.
16:24 VE RACHATS ET BESARO VA MAYIM BE MAKOM KADOSH VE LAVASH ET BEGADAV VE YATSA VE ASAH ET OLATO VE ET OLAT HA AM VE CHIPER BA'ADO U VE'AD HA AM
וְרָחַץ אֶת בְּשָׂרוֹ בַמַּיִם בְּמָקוֹם קָדוֹשׁ וְלָבַשׁ אֶת בְּגָדָיו וְיָצָא וְעָשָׂה אֶת עֹלָתוֹ וְאֶת עֹלַת הָעָם וְכִפֶּר בַּעֲדוֹ וּבְעַד הָעָם
KJ: And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
BN: And he shall bathe his flesh in water in a place that has been set apart, and put on his other clothing, and come out, and offer his burnt-offering and the burnt-offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people.
16:25 VE ET CHELEV HA CHATA'T YAKTIR HA MIZBECHAH
וְאֵת חֵלֶב הַחַטָּאת יַקְטִיר הַמִּזְבֵּחָה
KJ: And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
BN: And he shall burn the fat of the sin-offering on the altar.
16:26 VE HA MESHAL'E'ACH ET HA SA'IR LA AZAZ-EL YECHABES BEGADAV VE RACHATS ET BESARO BA MAYIM VE ACHAREY CHEN YAVO EL HA MACHANEH
וְהַמְשַׁלֵּחַ אֶת הַשָּׂעִיר לַעֲזָאזֵל יְכַבֵּס בְּגָדָיו וְרָחַץ אֶת בְּשָׂרוֹ בַּמָּיִם וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יָבוֹא אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה
KJ: And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
BN: And he who lets the goat for Azaz-El go shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterwards he may come into the camp.
HA SA'IR LA AZAZ-EL: Then the goat is not itself named Azaz-El, nor what we might call, meaning the term symbolically, "the Azaz-El". Simply it is a goat, and it is being sent "to" Azaz-El", "the strength of El" or "El strengthens" (as opposed to Azaz-Yahu, "the strength of Yahu", which is found as a person's name in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and 27:20, and in 2 Chronicles 31:13).
16:27 VE ET PAR HA CHATA'T VE ET SE'IR HA CHATA'T ASHER HUVA ET DAMAH LECHAPER BA KODESH YOTSI EL MI CHUTS LA MACHANEH VE SARPHU VA ESH ET OROTAM VE ET BESARAM VE ET PIRSHAM
וְאֵת פַּר הַחַטָּאת וְאֵת שְׂעִיר הַחַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר הוּבָא אֶת דָּמָם לְכַפֵּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ יוֹצִיא אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וְשָׂרְפוּ בָאֵשׁ אֶת עֹרֹתָם וְאֶת בְּשָׂרָם וְאֶת פִּרְשָׁם
KJ: And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
BN: And the bullock for the sin-offering, and the goat for the sin-offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried out of the camp; and they shall burn their skins and their flesh and their dung in the bonfire.
Some sacrifices are not for eating.
16:28 VE HA SOREPH OTAM YECHABES BEGADAV VE RACHATS ET BESARO BA MAYIM VE ACHAREY CHEN YAVO EL HA MACHANEH
וְהַשֹּׂרֵף אֹתָם יְכַבֵּס בְּגָדָיו וְרָחַץ אֶת בְּשָׂרוֹ בַּמָּיִם וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יָבוֹא אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה
KJ: And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
BN: And he who burns them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterwards he may come back into the camp.
16:29 VE HAYETAH LACHEM LE CHUKAT OLAM BA CHODESH HA SHEVIY'I BE ASOR LA CHODESH TE'ANU ET NAPHSHOTEYCHEM VE CHOL MELA'CHAH LO TA'ASU HA EZRACH VE HA GER HA GAR BETOCH'CHEM
וְהָיְתָה לָכֶם לְחֻקַּת עוֹלָם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ תְּעַנּוּ אֶת נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם וְכָל מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ הָאֶזְרָח וְהַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכְכֶם
KJ: And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
BN: And this is an eternal statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and refrain from undertaking any kind of work, both the home-born and the stranger who is living among you.
So now we do know, formally and officially, that this is Yom Kippur.
EZRACH: A term that would only have been meaningful long after the wandering in the desert, which is why most translators use "home-born" here; or was it already the word to distinguish "natives" from "foreigners", and came to mean "citizen" only later? The word is not much used; Psalm 37:35 has it, but there it is used for trees and soil rather than people. Four-letter roots are most unusual in Yehudit, so can we assume, as Gesenius does, that the initial Aleph (א) is a "prosthetic" (no, I have no idea either what a prosthetic letter might be, but this is what he says); or that the word is Aramaic, where the initial Aleph is normal? If so, the root would be ZARACH (זרה), which we know as a man's name - Zerach, the twin brother of Parets, born to Tamar from her incestuous relations with Yehudah (Genesis 38). ZARACH is used frequently in the Tanach for the rising of the sun, whence MIZRACH (Mi zerach = from the rising) for the east; we have also just witnessed its frequent use in the preceding chapters of Leviticus, for the rising of leprosy on the skin.
GER: At what point did this word come to mean a proselyte, a convert? Not Biblical obviously, because conversion didn't exist until the post-Biblical era. Here it is quite specifically the antonym of Ezrach, the one home-born, the other foreign-born. Click here for a fuller explanation of the different terms.
16:30 KI VA YOM HA ZEH YECHAPER ALEYCHEM LETAHER ET'CHEM MI KOL CHATO'TEYCHEM LIPHNEY YHVH TIT'HARU
כִּי בַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם מִכֹּל חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה תִּטְהָרוּ
KJ: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
BN: For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before YHVH.
16:31 SHABAT SHABATON HI LACHEM VE INIYTEM ET NAPHSHOTEYCHEM CHUKAT OLAM
שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן הִיא לָכֶם וְעִנִּיתֶם אֶת נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם
KJ: It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
BN: It is a sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls. This is an eternal statute.
16:32 VE CHIPER HA KOHEN ASHER YIMSHACH OTO VA ASHER YEMAL'E ET YADO LECHAHEN TACHAT AVIV VE LAVASH ET BIGDEY HA BAD BIGDEY HA KODESH
וְכִפֶּר הַכֹּהֵן אֲשֶׁר יִמְשַׁח אֹתוֹ וַאֲשֶׁר יְמַלֵּא אֶת יָדוֹ לְכַהֵן תַּחַת אָבִיו וְלָבַשׁ אֶת בִּגְדֵי הַבָּד בִּגְדֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ
KJ: And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:
BN: And the Kohen who shall be anointed and who shall be consecrated to be Kohen in his father's place, he shall make the atonement, and he shall put on the linen garments - indeed, the holy garments.
The rules for Yom Kippur elsewhere (see "Day of Atonement") require a second Kohen Gadol to be trained and ready, just in case anything should happen to the first one. But this verse is also making protocol for the training of a successor as well.
16:33 VE CHIPER ET MIKDASH HA KODESH VE ET OHEL MO'ED VE ET HA MIZBE'ACH YECHAPER VE AL HA KOHANIM VE AL KAL AM HA KAHAL YECHAPER
וְכִפֶּר אֶת מִקְדַּשׁ הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֶת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְאֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ יְכַפֵּר וְעַל הַכֹּהֲנִים וְעַל כָּל עַם הַקָּהָל יְכַפֵּר
KJ: And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
BN: And he shall make atonement for the most holy place, and he shall make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the Kohanim and for all the members of the congregation.
This verse makes me wonder if we haven't misunderstood the concept of atonement. How do you atone for the holy places? In what way can they have sinned that they require atonement? To which the answer may lie in the concept of cleanness, rather than that of sin. A woman is unclean because she has natural blood, not because she has had sex outside marriage or eaten pork. A person becomes unclean by contact with a dead body - because dead bodies are already in process of putrefaction, and carry germs and bacteria and probably the eggs of worms and maggots, because that too is the natural process. So the holy places need cleaning, and kapparah is therefore - as I commented ironically in my note to verse 16, but clearly the comment should have been made seriously, and not ironically - the act of purgation precisely in the sense of "spring-cleaning".
16:34 VE HAYETAH ZOT LACHEM LE CHUKAT OLAM LECHAPER AL BENEY YISRA-EL MI KAL CHATO'TAM ACHAT BA SHANAH VA YA'AS KA ASHER TSIVAH YHVH ET MOSHEH
וְהָיְתָה זֹּאת לָכֶם לְחֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְכַפֵּר עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכָּל חַטֹּאתָם אַחַת בַּשָּׁנָה וַיַּעַשׂ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת מֹשֶׁה
KJ: And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
BN: And this shall be an eternal statute for you, to make atonement for the Beney Yisra-El, because of all their sins, once every year. And he did as YHVH instructed Mosheh.
If this annual event is an all-cleanser, why is there a need for Vidu'i and Tachanun and Selichot throughout the year?
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