Leviticus 7:1-38

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7:1 VE ZOT TORAT HA ASHAM KODESH KADASHIM HU

וְזֹאת תּוֹרַת הָאָשָׁם קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הוּא

KJ: Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy.

BN: And this is the law of the guilt-offering: it is the holy of holies.


KODESH KADASHIM: See my note to Leviticus 2:3.


7:2 BI MEKOM ASHER YISHCHATU ET HA OLAH YISHCHATU ET HA ASHAM VE ET DAMO YIZROK AL HA MIZBE'ACH SAVIV

בִּמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁחֲטוּ אֶת הָעֹלָה יִשְׁחֲטוּ אֶת הָאָשָׁם וְאֶת דָּמוֹ יִזְרֹק עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב

KJ: In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar.

BN: They shall slaughter the guilt-offering in the place where they slaughter the burnt-offering: and its blood shall be sprinkled all around the altar.


BI MEKOM: rather than BIMKOM, inspite of the sheva beneath the first Mem (מ). As with the way I have deliberately mis-written "inspite", BIMKOM means "in place of", as in "instead of", where this intends "in the place where".


7:3 VE ET KOL CHELBO YAKRIV MIMENU ET HA ALYAH VE ET HA CHELEV HA MECHASEH ET HA KEREV

וְאֵת כָּל חֶלְבּוֹ יַקְרִיב מִמֶּנּוּ אֵת הָאַלְיָה וְאֶת הַחֵלֶב הַמְכַסֶּה אֶת הַקֶּרֶב

KJ: And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards,

BN: And he shall offer all of the fat: the fat tail, and the fat that covers the innards...


In verse 2 "they", but here "he". We have seen this before, and will again. I have no explanation for it, except to understand that this chapter is really a continuation of the previous chapter (the chapters were a late Christian invention), and therefore the "he" in question must be Aharon.


7:4 VE ET SHETEY HA KELAYOT VE ET HA CHELEV ASHER ALEYHEN ASHER AL HA KESALIM VE ET HA YOTERET AL HA KAVED AL HA KELAYOT YESIYRENAH

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

KJ: And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is 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 remove with the kidneys...


7:5 VE HIKTIR OTAM HA KOHEN HA MIZBECHAH ISHEH LA YHVH ASHAM HU

וְהִקְטִיר אֹתָם הַכֹּהֵן הַמִּזְבֵּחָה אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה אָשָׁם הוּא

KJ: And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering.

BN: And the Kohen shall burn them on the altar as a burnt offering to YHVH; it is a guilt-offering.


7:6 KOL ZACHAR BA KOHANIM YOCHLENU BE MAKOM KADOSH YE'ACHEL KODESH KADASHIM HU

כָּל זָכָר בַּכֹּהֲנִים יֹאכְלֶנּוּ בְּמָקוֹם קָדוֹשׁ יֵאָכֵל קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הוּא

KJ: Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.

BN: Every male among the Kohanim may eat of it; it shall be eaten in a holy place; it is the holy of holies.


7:7 KA CHATA'T KA ASHAM TORAH ACHAT LAHEM HA KOHEN ASHER YECHAPER BO LO YIHEYEH

כַּחַטָּאת כָּאָשָׁם תּוֹרָה אַחַת לָהֶם הַכֹּהֵן אֲשֶׁר יְכַפֶּר בּוֹ לוֹ יִהְיֶה

KJ: As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.

BN: As with the sin-offering, so with the guilt-offering; there is one law for them both: the Kohen who makes atonement with it, he shall have it.


On this occasion it is not simply food for all the Kohanim; the Kohen who actually makes the sacrifice gets to eat it.


7:8 VE HA KOHEN HA MAKRIV ET OLAT ISH OR HA OLAH ASHER HIKRIV LA KOHEN LO YIHEYEH

וְהַכֹּהֵן הַמַּקְרִיב אֶת עֹלַת אִישׁ עוֹר הָעֹלָה אֲשֶׁר הִקְרִיב לַכֹּהֵן לוֹ יִהְיֶה

KJ: And the priest that offereth any man's burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered.

BN: And the Kohen who offers any man's burnt-offering, that Kohen shall have for himself the skin of the burnt-offering which he has offered.


The inference presumably being that some who bring their sacrifices will ask the Kohen to slaughter it for them, even though the law says they must do it themselves; the payment for doing this is the skin. And specifically the skin, not the flesh: OR not BASAR. The one is the skin on the outer surface; the other the flesh beneath. So the man still gets to eat his own supper.

Is there not, however, a significant difference between the skin of the chicken, which is frankly the best part, roasted (but tough and slimy when boiled), whereas the skin of the lamb or the heifer tends to be mostly fat, regardless of how it's cooked, so why would anyone want that skin anyway? And see verse 23, where eating the fat is strictly prohibited - though, just perhaps, it is indeed the fat that the priest wants, and not for the prohibited eating, but for the making of candles or soap - click here to find out how easy it is to do.


7:9 VE CHOL MINCHAH ASHER TE'APHEH BA TANUR VE CHOL NA'ASAH VA MARCHESHET VE AL MACHAVAT LA KOHEN HA MAKRIV OTAH LO TIHEYEH

וְכָל מִנְחָה אֲשֶׁר תֵּאָפֶה בַּתַּנּוּר וְכָל נַעֲשָׂה בַמַּרְחֶשֶׁת וְעַל מַחֲבַת לַכֹּהֵן הַמַּקְרִיב אֹתָהּ לוֹ תִהְיֶה

KJ: And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest's that offereth it.

BN: And every meal-offering that is baked in the oven, and everything that is prepared in a stewpot, or on the griddle, shall belong to the Kohen who offers it.


MARCHESHET VE AL MACHAVAT: See my note to Leviticus 2:7.


7:10 VE CHOL MINCHAH VE LULAH VA SHEMEN VE CHAREVAH LE CHOL BENEY AHARON TIHEYEH ISH KE ACHIV

וְכָל מִנְחָה בְלוּלָה בַשֶּׁמֶן וַחֲרֵבָה לְכָל בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן תִּהְיֶה אִישׁ כְּאָחִיו

KJ: And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.

BN: And every meal-offering, whether mingled with oil, or dry, all the Beney Aharon shall have, the one just the same as the other.


pey break

Again a hierarchy of sacrifices, to match the differentiations in the degrees of the sins; this one is available for all the Kohanim to eat, not just the sacrificer; but also anyone, Kohen or not, who happens to be there.


7:11 VE ZOT TORAT ZEVACH HA SHELAMIM ASHER YAKRIV LA YHVH

וְזֹאת תּוֹרַת זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיב לַיהוָה

KJ: And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.

BN: And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which a person may offer to YHVH.


7:12 IM AL TODAH YAKRIYVENU VE HIKRIV AL ZEVACH HA TODAH CHALOT MATSOT BE LULOT BA SHEMEN U REKIYKEY MATSOT MESHUCHIM BA SHAMEN VE SOLET MURBECHET CHALOT BE LULOT BA SHAMEN

אִם עַל תּוֹדָה יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ וְהִקְרִיב עַל זֶבַח הַתּוֹדָה חַלּוֹת מַצּוֹת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשֶּׁמֶן וּרְקִיקֵי מַצּוֹת מְשֻׁחִים בַּשָּׁמֶן וְסֹלֶת מֻרְבֶּכֶת חַלֹּת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשָּׁמֶן

KJ: If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.

BN: If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, soaked in fine flour.


7:13 AL CHALOT LECHEM CHAMETS YAKRIV KARBANO AL ZEVACH TODAT SHELAMAV

עַל חַלֹּת לֶחֶם חָמֵץ יַקְרִיב קָרְבָּנוֹ עַל זֶבַח תּוֹדַת שְׁלָמָיו

KJ: Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.

BN: He shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread, alongside the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace-offerings.


7:14 VE HIKRIV MIMENU ECHAD MI KOL KARBAN TERUMAH LA YHVH LA KOHEN HA ZOREK ET YAD HA SHELAMIM LO YIHEYEH

וְהִקְרִיב מִמֶּנּוּ אֶחָד מִכָּל קָרְבָּן תְּרוּמָה לַיהוָה לַכֹּהֵן הַזֹּרֵק אֶת דַּם הַשְּׁלָמִים לוֹ יִהְיֶה

KJ: And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings.

BN: And he shall present one part of each offering as a gift to YHVH; it shall belong to the Kohen who sprinkles the blood of the peace-offerings against the altar.


Whether this is Mosaic, or from the later Temple period, we have to assume that these distinctions were a result of squabbling among the priesthood, and a need to establish precise rules for who got what. There is a level of pettiness, deducible amid the squabbling, that is quite unpriestly. "I killed the animal, so I get to eat it." "Yes, but I baked the matsot." "And I prepared the fine flour for the meal." What I want to know is: who gets to clean the dishes? Which ever tribe it was that got the Kley Kodesh, I guess! The Beney Plongeur!


7:15 U VESAR ZEVACH TODAT SHELAMAV BE YOM KARBANO YE'ACHEL LO YANIYACH MIMENU AD BOKER

וּבְשַׂר זֶבַח תּוֹדַת שְׁלָמָיו בְּיוֹם קָרְבָּנוֹ יֵאָכֵל לֹא יַנִּיחַ מִמֶּנּוּ עַד בֹּקֶר

KJ: And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.

BN: And the meat from the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.


The full list of all these rules can be found, with detailed commentary, in "Day of Atonement", based on Yerushalmi and the Temple Avodah. Those were specifically for Yom Kippur. Are these the same? And if so, these must be the source for Yom Kippur?


7:16 VE IM NEDER O NEDAVAH ZEVACH KARBANO BE YOM HAKRIYVO ET ZIVCHO YE'ACHEL U MI MACHARAT VE HA NOTAR MIMENU YE'ACHEL

וְאִם נֶדֶר אוֹ נְדָבָה זֶבַח קָרְבָּנוֹ בְּיוֹם הַקְרִיבוֹ אֶת-זִבְחוֹ יֵאָכֵל וּמִמָּחֳרָת וְהַנּוֹתָר מִמֶּנּוּ יֵאָכֵל

KJ: But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten:

BN: But if the sacrifice of his offering is for a vow, or a freewill-offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers that sacrifice; and on the day after, whatever remains of it may be eaten.


7:17 VE HA NOTAR MI BESAR HA ZAVACH BA YOM HA SHELIYSHI BA ESH YISAREPH

וְהַנּוֹתָר מִבְּשַׂר הַזָּבַח בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בָּאֵשׁ יִשָּׂרֵף

KJ: But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.

BN: But whatever remains of the meat from the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.


This has to be a hygiene ruling, in a world without refrigeration, or those machines in the kitchen sink that grind the refuse; but does "burnt" mean "take it back to the altar and burn it there", or is there a separate fire? Will any fire do? Can I just throw it on my compost heap? Inside or outside the camp? After all, it was rendered holy at its cooking, so it can't, surely, just be gotten rid of. See my notes to Leviticus 4:12.


7:18 VE IM HE'ACHOL YE'ACHEL MI BESAR ZEVACH SHELAMAV BA YOM HA SHELIYSHI LO YERATSEH HA MAKRIV OTO LO YECHASHEV LO PIGUL YIHEYEH VE HA NEPHESH HA OCHELET MIMENU AVONAH TISA

וְאִם הֵאָכֹל יֵאָכֵל מִבְּשַׂר זֶבַח שְׁלָמָיו בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי לֹא יֵרָצֶה הַמַּקְרִיב אֹתוֹ לֹא יֵחָשֵׁב לוֹ פִּגּוּל יִהְיֶה וְהַנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֹכֶלֶת מִמֶּנּוּ עֲו‍ֹנָהּ תִּשָּׂא

KJ: And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.

BN: And if any of the meat from the sacrifice of his peace-offerings is eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted, nor shall it be imputed to he who offers it; it shall regarded as an abomination, and whoever eats it shall bear his iniquity.


How do you punish someone for doing this? Presumably with diarrhoea. All sickness in the ancient world (until about 1850 CE actually, and still today in many places) was attributed to sin; so if you ate it on the third day, and the meat was high, or the cake was mouldy, and flies were blowing on it, and your stomach erupted; well, clearly, your forgiveness for sin has just been annulled, and your guilt over that immediately expiated.

Note that now we are talking about BASAR and not OR; previously (verse 8) it was the other way around.


7:19 VE HA BASAR ASHER YIGA BE CHOL TAM'E LO YE'ACHEL BA ESH YISAREPH VE HA BASAR KOL TAHOR YO'CHAL BASAR

וְהַבָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר יִגַּע בְּכָל טָמֵא לֹא יֵאָכֵל בָּאֵשׁ יִשָּׂרֵף וְהַבָּשָׂר כָּל טָהוֹר יֹאכַל בָּשָׂר

KJ: And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof.

BN: But any flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire. And as for the flesh, every one that is clean may eat of it.


This appears to be self-contradictory. Rashi (if you go to this link, you have to hit the "show" button to get the Rashi) tries to explain it away by saying, first, that the phrase is a tautologous repetition; then he recognises that the two parts conflict and offers the suggestion that one part is the flesh and the other the innards. This is patent nonsense. Innards have been clearly named whenever they were intended. We have to conclude that, either there is an error here (possibly a disagreement between the editors at the time of the Redaction, and they agreed to leave both in); or that we are failing to see a distinction between human flesh that is unclean, and the meat itself becoming unclean because something unclean touches it. I believe that this latter is the explanation, and it goes with the three-day rule: you are eating perfectly "kosher" meat on the second day, but then a fly settles on the carcass, or a piece of mould appears in the icing, and this not only renders it no longer fit to eat, but it renders you unclean (hygienically at risk) if you have touched it, with a finger let alone the mouth.


7:20 VE HA NEPHESH ASHER TO'CHAL BASAR MI ZEVACH HA SHELAMIM ASHER LA YHVH VE TUM'ATO ALAV VE NICHRETAH HA NEPHESH HA HI ME AMEYHA

וְהַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכַל בָּשָׂר מִזֶּבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אֲשֶׁר לַיהוָה וְטֻמְאָתוֹ עָלָיו וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ

KJ: But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

BN: But whoever eats the meat from the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which belongs to YHVH, when he is himself unclean, that soul shall be cut off from his people.


NICHRETAH: In what sense? Quarantined? Excommunicated? Killed? The word is used throughout the Tanach with this huge range of possible meanings.


7:21 VE NEPHESH KI TIG'A BE CHOL TAM'E BE TUM'AT ADAM O BI VEHEMAH TEME'AH O BE CHOL SHEKETS TAM'E VE ACHAL MI BESAR ZEVACH HA SHELAMIM ASHER LA YHVH VE NICHRETAH HA NEPHESH HA HI ME AMEYHA

וְנֶפֶשׁ כִּי תִגַּע בְּכָל טָמֵא בְּטֻמְאַת אָדָם אוֹ בִּבְהֵמָה טְמֵאָה אוֹ בְּכָל שֶׁקֶץ טָמֵא וְאָכַל מִבְּשַׂר זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אֲשֶׁר לַיהוָה וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ

KJ: Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

BN: And whenever someone touches something that is unclean, whether it be the uncleanness of a man, or of an unclean beast, or any unclean detestable thing, and he eats some of the meat from the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which belong to YHVH, that soul shall be cut off from his people.


If this is really Mosaic, then this is a punishment too severe to be palatable, and incongruous amongst the humanisms everywhere else. To cut someone off from the people means throwing them out of the camp. The man really would become an Azaz-El, and would be lucky to last another three days before thirst and hunger or sandstorms or quicksand took him. This has to be post-Mosaic, from the days when there were refuge cities to flee to (though this sin was not grounds for clutching the altar anyway; so refuge-cities in the broader sense of an asylum somewhere).

pey break


7:22 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר

KJ: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying:


7:23 DABER EL BENEY YISRA-EL LEMOR KOL CHELEV SHOR VE CHESEV VA EZ LO TO'CHELU

דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר כָּל חֵלֶב שׁוֹר וְכֶשֶׂב וָעֵז לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ

KJ: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.

BN: Speak to the Beney Yisra-El, saying: You shall not eat any of the fat from an ox, or a sheep, or a goat.


This was commented on in a previous chapter, but it is interesting that, unless you read CHELEV as the milk (CHALAV) from these animals, which will later be prohibited in the context of cooking an animal in its own mother's milk, the apparent prohibition against the eating of fat from any of these animals has never been maintained. 

CHESEV: Our dyslexic sheep once again.


7:24 VE CHELEV NEVELAH VE CHELEV TEREPHAH YE'ASEH LE CHOL MELACHAH VE ACHOL LO TO'CHLUHU

וְחֵלֶב נְבֵלָה וְחֵלֶב טְרֵפָה יֵעָשֶׂה לְכָל מְלָאכָה וְאָכֹל לֹא תֹאכְלֻהוּ

KJ: And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.

BN: But the fat of any creature that dies of natural causes, and the fat of any creature that has been torn by other animals, that may be used for any other service; but under no circumstances may you eat it.


So, for example, as noted at verse 8, you can use the tallow for candle-wax or soap, or for greasing the wheels of an ox-cart. However, see Leviticus 11:8, which then superimposes the laws of clean and unclean animals. 


7:25 KI KOL OCHEL CHELEV MIN HA BEHEMAH ASHER YAKRIV MIMENAH ISHEH LA YHVH VE NICHRETAH HA NEPHESH HA OCHELET ME AMEYHA

כִּי כָּל אֹכֵל חֵלֶב מִן הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיב מִמֶּנָּה אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֹכֶלֶת מֵעַמֶּיהָ

KJ: For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth itshall be cut off from his people.

BN: For whoever eats the fat from that animal, which men have presented as a burnt offering to YHVH, that person who eats it shall be cut off from his people.


This appears to clarify the above, suggesting that the law only applies to the fat of sacrificial animals; but in fact this is not the case, and for two reasons. Firstly, because you don't sacrifice animals that have died of natural causes or that have been gored to death by beasts; only unblemished animals can be sacrificed. Secondly, because no animal can be eaten that hasn't been ritually slaughtered, whether in the modern abattoir under the jurisdiction of a Rabbi, or in the Temple, or in some wayside shrine in the back-streets of Korazim. So the prohibition in the previous verse stands for every circumstance.


7:26 VE CHOL DAM LO TO'CHLU BE CHOL MOSHVOTEYCHEM LA OPH VE LA BEHEMAH

וְכָל דָּם לֹא תֹאכְלוּ בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם לָעוֹף וְלַבְּהֵמָה

KJ: Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.

BN: Nor shall you eat blood in any form, wherever you may be living, and regardless of whether it be fowl or flesh.


Whereas this instruction clearly stands, and has led to kosher meat being tasteless and dry for 3,500 years - though salvaged to some degree by the fact that we ignore the law of the fat entirely!

MOSHVOTEYHEM: These are not really "dwellings", which are individual homes, tents, flats (apartments), so much as communities - hamlets, villages, towns, caravanserai, cities. Which then, yet again, raises the question of time and plave in the giving of these laws. If it is Yisra-Eli Mosheh planning the future, no problem; if it is Egyptian Ach-Mousa renewing the ancient convenant before the pilgrims return to Goshen or On or Moph, no problem. But if this is intended for the "now" of Sinai, there are no dwellings, and the word is an anachronism.


7:27 KOL NEPHESH ASHER TO'CHAL KOL DAM VE NICHRETAH HA NEPHESH HA HI ME AMEYHA

כָּל נֶפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכַל כָּל דָּם וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ

KJ: Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

BN: Anyone who eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.


7:28 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר

KJ: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying:


7:29 DABER EL BENEY YISRA-EL LEMOR HA MAKRIV ET ZEVACH SHELAMAV LA YHVH YAVI ET KARBANO LA YHVH MI ZEVACH SHELAMAV

דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר הַמַּקְרִיב אֶת זֶבַח שְׁלָמָיו לַיהוָה יָבִיא אֶת קָרְבָּנוֹ לַיהוָה מִזֶּבַח שְׁלָמָיו

KJ: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

BN: Speak to the Beney Yisra-El, saying: He who offers his sacrifice of peace-offerings to YHVH shall bring his offering to YHVH out of his sacrifice of peace-offerings.


This sounds tautologous at first, but a distinction is being made between the man's sacrifice, which is the whole animal being "made sacred" so that he can eat it, and the part of that sacrifice which is being sacrificed in the other sense of the word, "given up" to the deity.


7:30 YADAV TEVIY'EYNAH ET ISHEY YHVH ET HA CHELEV AL HE CHAZEH YEVIY'ENU ET HE CHAZEH LEHANIPH OTO TENUPHAH LIPHNEY YHVH

יָדָיו תְּבִיאֶינָה אֵת אִשֵּׁי יְהוָה אֶת הַחֵלֶב עַל הֶחָזֶה יְבִיאֶנּוּ אֵת הֶחָזֶה לְהָנִיף אֹתוֹ תְּנוּפָה לִפְנֵי יְהוָה

KJ: His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.

BN: With his own hands he shall bring the offerings of YHVH made by fire: he shall bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be waved for a wave-offering before YHVH.


And then a second distinction is being made. Obviously it is he who brings the original offering; but usually it is the Kohen who undertakes the second part. Here it is he himself who must bring both parts.


7:31 VE HIKTIR HA KOHEN ET HA CHELEV HA MIZBECHAH VE HAYAH HE CHAZEH LE AHARON U LE VANAV

וְהִקְטִיר הַכֹּהֵן אֶת הַחֵלֶב הַמִּזְבֵּחָה וְהָיָה הֶחָזֶה לְאַהֲרֹן וּלְבָנָיו

KJ: And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'.

BN: And the Kohen shall make the fat smoke upon the altar; but the breast shall be for Aharon and his sons.


But wait a moment! If all the Kohanim and Leviyim are required to be Beney Levi, and we know that Aharon's brother Mosheh has sons, but neither of them are Kohanim... then the Kohen of this verse can't be a Beney Levi, or the second half of the verse would be unnecessary. So we now have confirmed evidence that there were Kohanim who were not sons of Aharon.


7:32 VE ET SHOK HA YAMIN TITNU TERUMAH LA KOHEN MI ZIVCHEY SHALMEYCHEM

וְאֵת שׁוֹק הַיָּמִין תִּתְּנוּ תְרוּמָה לַכֹּהֵן מִזִּבְחֵי שַׁלְמֵיכֶם

KJ: And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.

BN: And you shall give the right thigh to the priest as a heave-offering, out of your peace-offering sacrifices.


King James is simply in error here. The SHOK is the leg, and sometimes it appears to be the part from the knee downwards, as in Isaiah 47:2, though that could perfectly well be the whole leg, as it is in Song of Songs 5:15 and Psalm 147:10; but specifically the thigh in Exodus 29:22 and 27, Numbers 6:20 et al; the SHECHEM is the shoulder. And while the right thigh may well be a very choice portion (though some prefer the breast), actually the one regarded as the choicest portion in Mosaic law is the shoulder - the SHECHEM - though probably this is more the case with lamb and goat than with veal; do chicken even have shoulders?


7:33 HA MAKRIV ET DAM HA SHELAMIM VE ET HA CHELEV MI BENEY AHARON LO TIHEYEH SHOK HA YAMIN LE MANAH

הַמַּקְרִיב אֶת דַּם הַשְּׁלָמִים וְאֶת הַחֵלֶב מִבְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן לוֹ תִהְיֶה שׁוֹק הַיָּמִין לְמָנָה

KJ: He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part.

BN: He among the sons of Aharon who offers the blood of the peace-offerings, and the fat, he shall have the right thigh for a portion.


This seems to pick up again the dispute that occurred in verse 14; a hierarchy of tasks is now ordained to resolve it: yes, you baked the matzot, but I offered the blood from the peace-offerings, so that gives me the right to the right thigh.


7:34 KI ET CHAZEH HA TENUPHAH VE ET SHOK HA TERUMAH LAKACHTI ME ET BENEY YISRA-EL MI ZIVCHEY SHALMEYHEM VA ETEN OTAM LE AHARON HA KOHEN U LE VANAV LE CHAK OLAM ME ET BENEY YISRA-EL

כִּי אֶת חֲזֵה הַתְּנוּפָה וְאֵת שׁוֹק הַתְּרוּמָה לָקַחְתִּי מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִזִּבְחֵי שַׁלְמֵיהֶם וָאֶתֵּן אֹתָם לְאַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן וּלְבָנָיו לְחָק עוֹלָם מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

KJ: For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.

BN: For I have taken the waved breast and the heaved thigh away from the Beney Yisra-El, out of their peace-offering sacrifices, and I have given them to Aharon the Kohen and to his sons as an entitlement for ever from the Beney of Yisra-El.


And now it really does merge the two meanings of the word "sacrifice" in a way that becomes meaningful: you bring your animal to the holy abattoir, to slaughter it for your son's Bar Mitzvah or your daughter's wedding, or just to have some delicacies after the bridge game, the fund-raiser, the kids' birthday party, and all that is actually on the buffet table are drumsticks. While the holy men are banqueting in luxury.

So I have translated CHOK here as "entitlement", where KJ prefers "due", and actually we are both wrong, because a CHOK is a bye-law. And perhaps the intention here anyway is "payment"? Except that you can't pay a priest, because Kahanut is not a service, like tailoring or even restauranting (though both the "grace" after meals and the "gratuity" come from the same Latin root, gratis = thanks.


7:35 ZOT MISHCHAT AHARON U MISHCHAT BANAV ME ISHEY YHVH BE YOM HIKRIV OTAM LECHAHEN LA YHVH

זֹאת מִשְׁחַת אַהֲרֹן וּמִשְׁחַת בָּנָיו מֵאִשֵּׁי יְהוָה בְּיוֹם הִקְרִיב אֹתָם לְכַהֵן לַיהוָה

KJ: This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office;

BN: This is the portion set apart for Aharon, and the portion set apart for his sons, out of the burnt offerings of YHVH, on the day when they are presented to minister to YHVH in the office of Kohen;


7:36 ASHER TSIVAH YHVH LATET LAHEM BE YOM MASHCHO OTAM ME ET BENEY YISRA-EL CHUKAT OLAM LE DOROTAM

אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה לָתֵת לָהֶם בְּיוֹם מָשְׁחוֹ אֹתָם מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתָם

KJ: Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.

BN: Which YHVH commanded to be given them by the Beney Yisra-El, on the day of their anointing. It is an entitlement for ever throughout their generations.


7:37 ZOT HA TORAH LA OLAH LA MINCHAH VE LA CHATA'T VE LA ASHAM VE LA MILU'IM U LE ZEVACH HA SHELAMIM

זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה לָעֹלָה לַמִּנְחָה וְלַחַטָּאת וְלָאָשָׁם וְלַמִּלּוּאִים וּלְזֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים

KJ: This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;

BN: These are the laws of the burnt-offering, of the meal-offering, and of the sin-offering, and of the guilt-offering, and of the consecration-offering, and of the sacrifice of peace-offerings...


7:38 ASHER TSIVAH YHVH ET MOSHEH BE HAR SINAI BE YOM TSAVTO ET BENEY YISRA-EL LEHAKRIV ET KARBENEYHEM LA YHVH BE MIDBAR SINAI

אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת מֹשֶׁה בְּהַר סִינָי בְּיוֹם צַוֹּתוֹ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַקְרִיב אֶת קָרְבְּנֵיהֶם לַיהוָה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינָי

KJ: Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

BN: Which YHVH instructed Mosheh on Mount Sinai, on the day that he instructed the Beney Yisra-El to present their offerings to YHVH, in the wilderness of Sinai. {P}


A
statement which would not need to be made at the time, unless this was a way of dating the announcement of the law; more likely this is a statement made to a later generation, validating the laws of its time retroactively.

Leviticus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27



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