Leviticus 3:1-17

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3:1 VE IM ZEVACH SHELAMIM KARBANO IM MIN HA BAKAR HU MAKRIV IM ZACHAR IM NEKEVAH TAMIM YAKRIYVENU LIPHNEY YHVH

וְאִם זֶבַח שְׁלָמִים קָרְבָּנוֹ אִם מִן הַבָּקָר הוּא מַקְרִיב אִם-זָכָר אִם נְקֵבָה תָּמִים יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה

KJ (King James translation): And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.

BN (BibleNet translation): And if he is bringing a Kurban for a peace-offering: if he offer it from his cattle, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before YHVH.


KURBAN: As we have seen previously, a Kurban is an offering that is fully burned on the altar, its remains food for the Kohanim; but no part may be eaten by the bringer. For full details of the sacrifices, click here.

TAMIM: Always translated to mean "without blemish", and understood as such inside Jewish orthodoxy, but does it really mean that? Psalm 19:8 tells us that "the teaching of YHVH is perfect" - using TEMIMAH for "perfect", and of course something cannot be perfect if it has a blemish. So perhaps we should be asking "what sort of blemish" renders a creature imperfect, given that, surely, every creature has some sort of blemish, a wart on the thigh, a dimple on the cheek, an inability to sing in perfect pitch, a tendency towards the neurotic over hygiene... and I am including the human flaws, because we will be told in Leviticus 21:16-22 that a Kohen who has a blemish may not serve in the priesthood, and the list is very detailed, and very specific.

There is also an implicit danger in such a law, imparting a great deal of power-to-abuse in the priesthood: a man you don't like, or approve of, or who has done wrong to somebody you know, or supports the rival candidate for a promotion, and he brings his number one heifer for sacrifice to show off his wealth and importance, and half way up the ramp to the altar you just happen to notice a strange mark on the back of one of his hooves; and I am sorry, but this beast is blemished, it cannot be accepted fot sacrifice. 

Or have I just described yet another blemish which should exclude the Kohen from the priesthood?


3:2 VE SAMACH YADO AL ROSH KARBANO U SHECHATO PETACH OHEL MO'ED VE ZARKU BENEY AHARON HA KOHANIM ET HA DAM AL HA MIZBE'ACH SAVIV

וְסָמַךְ יָדוֹ עַל רֹאשׁ קָרְבָּנוֹ וּשְׁחָטוֹ פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְזָרְקוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת הַדָּם עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב

KJ: And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

BN: And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting; and Aharon's sons, the Kohanim, shall dash the blood against the edges of the altar.


Once again this seems very clearly to indicate that the bringer of the sacrifice, and not the Kohen, is the one who actually kills the beast. Placing his hand on its head is a way of blessing it, which is also an act of sacrifice ("to make" = "facere", sacred = "sacer" in Latin).


3:3 VE HIKRIV MI ZEVACH HA SHELAMIM ISHEH LA YHVH ET HA CHELEV HA MECHASEH ET HA KEREV VE ET KOL HA CHELEV ASHER AL HA KEREV

וְהִקְרִיב מִזֶּבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה אֶת הַחֵלֶב הַמְכַסֶּה אֶת הַקֶּרֶב וְאֵת כָּל הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עַל הַקֶּרֶב

KJ: And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

BN: And he shall present [certain parts] of the peace-offering sacrifice, which he has offered in the fire, to YHVH: the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards...


This is the clever part. The best bits of the meat are reserved for the Kohanim; the offal and fat, which is unhealthy and disgusting anyway, is the part that no one is allowed to eat because it is the part that has been designated as the offering; and YHVH only wants the aroma anyway. We have to try to imagine how these laws came into being, in a world that regarded god as king, and sacrifice as propitiatory. By all logic, the god should get the best parts and the humans the dross. But the goal of sacrifice wasn't really propitiation, it was supper; and in this case: feeding the Kohanim, whose salary this is. So it was necessary to work out how not to give the best parts to the god, and how to feed the sacrificers...


3:4 VE ET SHETEY HA KELAYOT VE ET HA CHELEV ASHER AL'EHEN ASHER AL HA KESALIM VE ET HA YOTERET AL HA KAVED AL HA KELAYOT YESIYRENAH

וְאֵת שְׁתֵּי הַכְּלָיֹת וְאֶת הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עֲלֵהֶן אֲשֶׁר עַל הַכְּסָלִים וְאֶת הַיֹּתֶרֶת עַל הַכָּבֵד עַל הַכְּלָיוֹת יְסִירֶנָּה

KJ: And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.

BN: But the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and all the fat around the loins, and the lobe above the liver, and the kidneys; all this he shall remove.


3:5 VE HIKTIYRU OTO VENEY AHARON HA MIZBECHAH AL HA OLAH ASHER AL HA ETSIM ASHER AL HA ESH ISHEH REYACH NIYCHO'ACH LA YHVH

וְהִקְטִירוּ אֹתוֹ בְנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַמִּזְבֵּחָה עַל הָעֹלָה אֲשֶׁר עַל הָעֵצִים אֲשֶׁר עַל הָאֵשׁ אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַיהוָה


KJ: And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

BN: And Aharon's sons shall make it smoke on the altar, on the burnt-offering, which is on the wood,which is on the fire; it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour to YHVH.


And judging from the adjacent illustration, most definitely the correct translation for MIZBE'ACH is bar-b-q; though how all that wood never caught fire is beyond my ability to explain.

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3:6 VE IM MIN HA TSON KARBANO LE ZEVACH SHELAMIM LA YHVH ZACHAR O NEKEVAH TAMIM YAKRIYVENU

וְאִם מִן הַצֹּאן קָרְבָּנוֹ לְזֶבַח שְׁלָמִים לַיהוָה זָכָר אוֹ נְקֵבָה תָּמִים יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ

KJ: And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.

BN: And if his offering, for his sacrifice of peace-offerings to YHVH, is from the flock, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.


3:7 IM KESEV HU MAKRIV ET KARBANO VE HIKRIV OTO LIPHNEY YHVH

אִם כֶּשֶׂב הוּא מַקְרִיב אֶת קָרְבָּנוֹ וְהִקְרִיב אֹתוֹ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה

KJ: If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD.

BN: If he brings a lamb for his offering, then he shall present it before YHVH.


KESEV: A lamb, but surely the word for lamb is KEVES (כבש). Or perhaps not, given that we find KESEV in Genesis 30:32, 33 and 35 as well as here, and in Leviticus 5:6. A dyslectic editor possibly, and the proof-reader failed to notice - whether in Heaven or in Ezra's Sophering office (you will also see that I have made the four links to four different versions of the Yehudit, to show that this is the standard text for these four verses, and not a modern error).


3:8 VE SAMACH ET YADO AL ROSH KARBANO VE SHACHAT OTO LIPHNEY OHEL MO'ED VE ZARKU BENEY AHARON ET DAMO AL HA MIZBE'ACH SAVIV

וְסָמַךְ אֶת יָדוֹ עַל רֹאשׁ קָרְבָּנוֹ וְשָׁחַט אֹתוֹ לִפְנֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְזָרְקוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֶת דָּמוֹ עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב

KJ: And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar.

BN: And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the Tent of Meeting; and Aharon's sons shall dash its blood against the edges of the altar.


3:9 VE HIKRIV MI ZEVACH HE SHELAMIM ISHEH LA YHVH CHELBO HA ALYAH TEMIYMAH LE'UMAT HE'ATSEH YESIYRENAH VE ET HA CHELEV HA MECHASEH ET HA KEREV VE ET KOL HA CHELEV ASHER AL HA KEREV

וְהִקְרִיב מִזֶּבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה חֶלְבּוֹ הָאַלְיָה תְמִימָה לְעֻמַּת הֶעָצֶה יְסִירֶנָּה וְאֶת הַחֵלֶב הַמְכַסֶּה אֶת הַקֶּרֶב וְאֵת כָּל הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עַל הַקֶּרֶב

KJ: And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

BN: And he shall present to YHVH a burnt offering made through the sacrifice of his peace-offering: its fat, the entire tail - which he shall cut off at the base of the spine - and the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards...


Which explains at last what was a touch confusing earlier: that the animal is ritually slaughtered, after which the various parts are separated, and then the offal and lights burned in a separate ceremony, and that this is how the edible and the inedible, the human and the divine, are differentiated. The next two verses give us the second ceremony.


3:10 VE ET SHETEY HA KELAYOT VE ET HA CHELEV ASHER AL'EHEN ASHER AL HA KESALIM VE ET HA YOTERET AL HA KAVED AL HA KELAYOT YESIYRENAH

וְאֵת שְׁתֵּי הַכְּלָיֹת וְאֶת הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עֲלֵהֶן אֲשֶׁר עַל הַכְּסָלִים וְאֶת הַיֹּתֶרֶת עַל הַכָּבֵד עַל הַכְּלָיֹת יְסִירֶנָּה

KJ: And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.

BN: But the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and all the fat around the loins, and the lobe above the liver, and the kidneys; all this he shall remove.


3:11 VE HIKTIYRU HA KOHEN HA MIZBECHAH LECHEM ISHEH LA YHVH

וְהִקְטִירוֹ הַכֹּהֵן הַמִּזְבֵּחָה לֶחֶם אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה

KJ: And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD.

BN: And the Kohen shall make it smoke on the altar; this is the food of the offering made to YHVH by fire.


HIKTIYRU: The same root that gives us KETORET, "incense" (Exodus 30:1, Leviticus 4:7, 10:1...). Translators perfer "burn" to "make it smoke", because it sounds less odd in English, and indeed the offal will be burned, to a complete cinder, or English steak. But the point here is precisely the smoke, the incense, which will enter the inflamed nostrils of the deity, and calm them. Divine nicotine, or something of that nature.

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3:12 VE IM EZ KARBANO VE HIKRIYVO LIPHNEY YHVH

וְאִם עֵז קָרְבָּנוֹ וְהִקְרִיבוֹ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה

KJ: And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD.

BN: And if his offering be a goat, then he shall present it before YHVH.


3:13 VE SAMACH ET YADO AL ROSHO VE SHACHAT OTO LIPHNEY OHEL MO'ED VE ZARKU BENEY AHARON ET DAMO AL HA MIZBE'ACH SAVIV

וְסָמַךְ אֶת יָדוֹ עַל רֹאשׁוֹ וְשָׁחַט אֹתוֹ לִפְנֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְזָרְקוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֶת דָּמוֹ עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב

KJ: And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.

BN: And he shall lay his hand on its head, and kill it in front of the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aharon shall dash its blood against the edges of the altar.


Again note that all these laws are about YHVH; Elohim appears to have disappeared from the consciousness of the Beney Yisra-El (though have no doubt that he/they will return, and even take centrestage once more).


3:14 VE HIKRIV MIMENU KARBANO ISHEH LA YHVH ET HA CHELEV HA MECHASEH ET HA KEREV VE ET KOL HA CHELEV ASHER AL HA KEREV

וְהִקְרִיב מִמֶּנּוּ קָרְבָּנוֹ אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה אֶת הַחֵלֶב הַמְכַסֶּה אֶת הַקֶּרֶב וְאֵת כָּל הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עַל הַקֶּרֶב

KJ: And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

BN: And he shall present his burnt offering to YHVH: the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards.


3:15 VE ET SHETEY HA KELAYOT VE ET HA CHELEV ASHER AL'EHEN ASHER AL HA KESALIM VE ET HA YOTERET AL HA KAVED AL HA KELAYOT YESIYRENAH

וְאֵת שְׁתֵּי הַכְּלָיֹת וְאֶת הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עֲלֵהֶן אֲשֶׁר עַל הַכְּסָלִים וְאֶת הַיֹּתֶרֶת עַל הַכָּבֵד עַל הַכְּלָיֹת יְסִירֶנָּה

KJ: And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.

BN: And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he shall take away with the kidneys.


3:16 VE HIKTIYRAM HA KOHEN HA MIZBECHAH LECHEM ISHEH LE REYACH NIYCHO'ACH KOL CHELEV LA YHVH

וְהִקְטִירָם הַכֹּהֵן הַמִּזְבֵּחָה לֶחֶם אִשֶּׁה לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ כָּל חֵלֶב לַיהוָה

KJ: And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S.

BN: And the Kohen shall make them smoke upon the altar; this is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savour; all the fat belongs to YHVH.


In what way, other than the recognition of minor anatomical differences between the creatures, was this goat-sacrifice any different from the calf or sheep previously?


3:17 CHUKAT OLAM LE DOROTEYCHEM BE CHOL MOSHVOTEYCHEM KOL CHELEV VE CHOL DAM LO TOCHELU

חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם כָּל חֵלֶב וְכָל דָּם לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ

KJ: It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

BN: This shall be an eternal law, throughout your generations, wherever you may be living, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood.


Interesting that in the long history of anti-Semitism, it is always the blood and never the fat which is remembered, and actually the fat is very rarely if ever removed in cooking (perhaps because it's very difficult to do, raw?).

Why not? And why can neither be eaten? The blood because it is the source of life, as we know from the creation of Man (ADAM) from the Earth (MIN HA ADAMAH), in Genesis 2. But why the fat? Was it an ancient understanding that fat was simply unhealthy? Or was the fat also regarded as divine like the blood? Milk in modern Ivrit is CHALAV, which comes from the same word CHELEV; is it possible that our complicated milk-and-meat rules are a result of the CHELEV law, and not a result of Exodus 23:19 or Deuteronomy 14:21? On the other hand, the CHALAV, siblinged with the DEVASH, transform Kena'an into "the land of milk and honey".

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