AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLICAL LAWS OF OFFERINGS

Transcription

1 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLICAL LAWS OF OFFERINGS

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3 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLICAL LAWS OF OFFERINGS Alan Smith Elibooks

4 Published by Elibooks First published by Bet Zayit Publications Set in 10 pt. Times New Roman Copyright Alan Smith 5755 (1995) Updated Sivan 5762, 5775 All Rights Reserved

5 CONTENTS Preface 7 1. What Are Offerings? 9 2. Animal Offerings in General 13 The Olah The Zevach Eating the Meat The Third Group The Minchah Bird Offerings More About the Zevach Who Brings What, and When Libations, and More About the Minchah Public Offerings Why Sacrifices? The Pesach The Eighth Day (of Consecration) The Priests Portions Revision summary What Next? 60 Appendices Later Terminology 61 Vocabulary 62

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7 PREFACE To the religious Jew, Torah is Torah, whether it speaks of observing the Sabbath, of not stealing, of the Exodus from Egypt, or of the family of Seir the Horite into which Jacob s brother Esau married. While the application of the teachings in practice may be dependent on current circumstances, the study of Torah, an obligation in itself, does not differentiate between matters that may have an immediate practical relevance and matters which do not. Nor does it differentiate in importance between matters that need explanation and matters that do not. The number of days that Noah s Ark remained afloat does not need to be explained in order to be understood, but the laws of offerings, even at their most basic, do. There is a natural tendency, after reading stories of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and Moses, to try to read the first chapters of Leviticus at the same speed. Teachers ignore the fact that the effort needed to absorb a large new vocabulary diverts effort from attempting to understand the context; it also diverts interest, and immediately turns a new and unfamiliar subject into a bore. Even on subsequent reading, when the vocabulary has been mastered, we are reading about something new and unfamiliar that requires slow treatment. Unfortunately, teachers themselves rarely understand the subject even at the most elementary level; they teach their pupils to translate the words and sentences, but neither teacher nor pupil has any idea of what is actually going on! As a result, people otherwise reasonably familiar with the Chumash even rabbis learned in Talmud find the subject of korbanot (offerings) forbidding and frightening. They don t quite know where to begin. This booklet starts at the very beginning, and offers a textbook presentation with short chapters that can be easily understood and absorbed. It aims in that way to enable such people, whether they intend to pursue the subject further or merely wish to understand the Chumash, to tackle the subject with confidence. It is hoped that teachers will also use it to prepare introductory lessons, with a vocabulary introduced gradually, before starting to teach

8 a progressive translation of the text. When the students start to tackle technical details of procedures involving technical terms, let them at least have some idea of what it is all about. If you wait till later, they will have already lost all interest. ( What could be more boring than the subject of Offerings? Answer: the subject of Tum ah, on which a companion booklet has been produced.) My particular thanks to Rabbi Aryeh Carmell of Jerusalem, formerly of London, who taught me this subject (among others) slowly and patiently, starting from scratch. I also remember that Rabbi Carmell, to whom I turned when in trouble, alone gave me the help that others refused, and without that help this booklet would never have been written. Beyond that, and more directly connected with this work, when suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with the first draft of the manuscript Rabbi Carmell painstakingly went through it, listed a number of mistakes that needed correction, and made very helpful positive suggestions most of which have been incorporated during revision of the final draft. My thanks and expression of appreciation to the One who has helped me to explain his teachings to a new generation. Maoz Zion, Israel Adar I, 5755

9 Chapter 1 WHAT ARE OFFERINGS? Offerings and Sacrifices The word sacrifice literally means make holy, but has come to mean nowadays, more usually, to deprive oneself of something. Neither of these covers what we are talking about here, namely a technical term for something offered up to a god also called a sacrifice. Ambiguity is avoided by using the word offering, which anyway is nearer to the Hebrew korban (lit. something brought near ). For our purposes we need to limit this to something not necessarily an animal that is offered to God, on the altar, and this needs to be explained. The Altar Among pagans in ancient times, when an animal was offered up to the gods, the main part of the ceremony was the slaughtering of the animal. This was done on a raised platform which we refer to as an altar. In Hebrew this is called mizbeach, meaning place of slaughter. The raised platform was still called mizbeach, an altar, even when it was no longer used for this purpose. The Tabernacle erected by Moses (on which the design of the Temple was subsequently based) had two altars. One of these was a small gold one inside the Sanctuary, which was used only for offering incense and nothing else. The bringing of incense was a fixed ritual done twice a day by one of the priests, and the procedure was always exactly the same. We will not concern ourselves with this. The other, the main altar, was made of copper or bronze, and was outside, in the open air. Only the priests were allowed to approach it, and it was one of the main tasks of the Levites to keep laymen away, but everyone could see it and see what was happening there. When we talk about the altar, this is the one we are referring to. It was used for two purposes offerings and libations.

10 10 Introduction to the Biblical Laws of Offerings The ceremony of libation consists of pouring liquid onto the altar usually wine, though according to tradition water was used on certain occasions. Sometimes libation was performed as a ceremony in itself, but more often it was done as an ancillary to an offering. The offerings brought to the gods in ancient times could consist of almost anything, but the Torah allows only certain things. Animals (only cattle, sheep or goats), birds (certain types of pigeon or dove), and meal or flour or grain (raw or cooked), 1 could be offered wholly or in part on the altar. Other things could be brought as a present to God, but not put on the altar, and so are not included for our purposes in the term offerings. Cruelty to Dead Animals If the offering was an animal, it had to be slaughtered first. But no animal was ever slaughtered on the altar. Yet the altar was still used for the main part of the ceremony, and was the focus of attention. This means that the slaughtering of the animal was not the main part of the ceremony, but merely a preliminary, ancillary to the main ceremony. The actual slaughtering was exactly the same as when the animal is killed for food. The ancients did not share our popular hypocritical revulsion at the sight of an animal being killed and the spilling of its blood, which today is done for us only in an abattoir, by someone else, out of sight. Consequently one who watched the ceremony with interest would not particularly note the slaughtering. He would focus his attention on the main part of the ceremony, which started immediately afterwards at the altar, when the animal was already dead. There is nothing horrible about the animal sacrifices described in the Torah. Nobody who eats meat can condemn them, especially as in many cases the meat is in fact eaten in the same way as if it were not a sacrifice. Even one who objects to eating meat cannot regard an animal sacrifice as being any worse. Anyone who talks about the cruelty involved must realise that he is talking about cruelty to dead animals. 1. Tradition adds oil and one kind of spice.

11 Is the Subject Really Difficult? What Are Offerings? 11 There are various types of offering referred to in the Torah. Some of these are voluntary, some necessary on certain occasions or in certain circumstances, some brought by individuals and some brought on behalf of the community. In some cases there is a limited choice of what is to be brought, in other cases there is no choice. But even when the same item is brought, there are different types of offering, that is to say different procedures that are used, depending on the occasion or circumstances and on what is brought. All of this leads to a set of laws that appear to be very complicated and confusing. Are they really? Almost all the laws for the basic procedure in respect of offerings are written in the Torah, where they are expressed quite clearly and in simple language; the discussions of the rabbis in the Talmud, with their interpretations, deal essentially not with basic procedure but with details and problem-cases. Despite this, when we come to read these parts of the Torah we shudder, we find it all too much, we read without understanding, and without making any serious effort we give up. Even scholars who have studied long at yeshivot, unless they start to tackle the subject seriously and thoroughly, often confess complete ignorance of the subject. Why? One problem is that these sections contain many technical terms not easily understood. The translators often translate these as simple words, which they are not, and wrongly at that. Added to this, traditionally the student who is stuck when studying the Torah turns first to the commentary of Rashi to simplify things. But in these sections, far from making things easier by taking it all step by step, Rashi makes things even more complicated. He shows how the rabbis interpret various words to explain minute details, when the poor student hasn t the faintest idea what the whole thing is about in the first place! There is, however, a more fundamental problem. Moses handed the laws to a people who were, by and large, familiar with the bringing of sacrifices. The Egyptians in particular brought them to their gods in their temples, and most Israelites probably saw or knew something of what was done. Nor was the whole idea repulsive to their tradition. Abraham, after all, offered up a ram when Isaac was reprieved. Jacob offered animal sacrifices at Beersheba on his way to Egypt. The Israelites

12 12 Introduction to the Biblical Laws of Offerings offered the Pesach before leaving Egypt, and shortly after arriving at Sinai they offered certain animals to God on a temporary altar, long before instructions on how these should be brought in the Tabernacle were given. Obviously people had some idea of roughly how to do it, and recognised the technical terms. What people had to understand about the laws was not a whole new subject, but just how the procedure differed from what they were already familiar with: which parts remained the same, which parts were forbidden, and which extra parts were to be introduced, in the accepted ceremonies. To us, quite unfamiliar with the whole subject, learning about ceremonies the like of which we have never seen, it is all too much to take in at one go. Here we will approach the subject step by step. First we will take an overall look at the main types of offering, never mind the sub-types, and see the main parts of the procedure in each case. These may not be the most important parts from a legal view, but they are the most important parts to look at first in order to understand what is supposed to be going on. 2 After that, we can go back and gradually add a few more details, until we are able to tackle the text of the Torah without fear, understanding what it is talking about and beginning to learn properly that which we read, with far more details than we shall give here. Finally, we shall review the whole issue of offerings to see just what Isaiah and others objected to, and why this does not conflict. In order to make things yet simpler, we shall at first consider only animal offerings, leaving birds and vegetarian offerings till later. A final word of introduction. One who is either ignorant of the subject or who finds it confusing will certainly get confused by trying to absorb too much at a time. It is easy to follow but not to absorb. It is not difficult, but there is a lot of information. For this reason the subject matter has been broken up into fairly short chapters. The reader is strongly recommended to resist temptation and not to read more than one chapter at a session. Far better to read a chapter two or three times, before going on, next time, to the next chapter. Once things begin to get confused it is very difficult to disentangle them. 2. Rabbis and teachers who are bold enough to tackle the subject often seem to feel the need to give priority to the parts that are legally or philosophically, rather than visually, the most important. This distorts the whole picture.

13 Chapter 2 ANIMAL OFFERINGS IN GENERAL The Groups Various references in the Torah imply that even before arriving at Sinai pretty well everybody was aware of the two main groups of types of animal offering and of the difference between them. It is useless and wrong to attempt to translate the technical terms used in this subject, since most of them, whatever they had meant originally, had come in the course of time to mean something different. Just as the altar (mizbeach) no longer meant the place of slaughtering, so hatat no longer meant a sin-offering. In such cases, where there is no corresponding technical term in English, we will keep the Hebrew terms, and explain what they mean in practice. The first group is known as the Olah. It refers to where the animal is slaughtered, certain rituals are performed, and virtually the whole animal goes up in smoke on the altar where it is thus given to God. The key word here is smoke. The second group is known as the Zevach: the animal is slaughtered, certain rituals are performed, and part of the animal goes up in smoke on the altar where it is given to God, but the remainder is eaten by the person who brings it. The offering is thus shared. Even pagans were aware of, and offered, the two types. Throughout the Bible, the two are often mentioned together, with an awareness of a fundamental difference between them. Only much later did the distinction tend to become blurred. The Torah introduces a third group, something inbetween the other two, which may or may not have had its equivalent in idolatrous customs. We will consider this in a later chapter. All the animal offerings referred to in the Torah, without exception, belong to one of these three groups. Offerings of birds, grain etc, have

14 14 Introduction to the Biblical Laws of Offerings different procedures but are associated with either the first or the third group. There is no type of offering of which even part is put on the altar which is not covered by the above. Archaeological and historical research has shown that pagan rituals were in general far more complicated than those of the Israelites. Far from introducing a complicated system, Moses limited the procedure to something which, while appearing complicated to us, was actually very simple to the people he spoke to so simple, in fact, that not merely the priests but even the general public could understand and follow it all! Allowed and Forbidden For animal offerings, four general rules can be noted. First, no animals, even those permitted for food, may ever be offered on the altar other than cattle, sheep or goats. Second, the animal has to be complete (sometimes translated perfect ), that is to say without blemish. Any animal with a fault, such as a broken leg, or an ear missing, or even a minor defect, is always disqualified, and especially one that has been castrated. Born defects also disqualify the animal. Third, the main parts, but not all, of the ritual may be performed only by officiating priests, descendants of Aaron, on duty and in uniform. One part that does not have to be done by a priest is the slaughtering, which is merely a preliminary to the main ceremony. However, most of the ritual takes place at the altar, which is never to be approached by anyone other than a priest on duty wearing the uniform described in the Torah. Fourth, the slaughtering always has to take place within the courtyard or precincts of, but not inside, the Sanctuary. Note that the Hebrew word ¼+ K> J² does not mean door or even doorway, but entrance. In cold climates, the entrance hall or reception area of a building is just inside the main door. In hot climates, it is outside, where we have our front garden. Here, everyone is received, but not everyone is invited inside the house. Hence¼0J(N$ ¼+K>J² ¼' I6¼} ¼2 always means the courtyard surrounding the Tabernacle (or at least the part of it in front of the Tabernacle), never the doorway.

15 What Are the Ceremonies? Animal Offerings In General 15 The entire ceremony can be considered as consisting of at most three parts. 1. Putting blood from the freshly slaughtered animal onto the altar. 2. Smoking all or part of the carcass on the altar. (This will be explained.) 3. Eating any edible part of the animal not smoked on the altar. All else is either ancillary or detail. Try to picture this in your mind as the framework of the procedure, into which details will be inserted, and the subject becomes far simpler and less forbidding. The Significance Each part of the ceremony had a significance which was to a large extent obvious at the time of Moses and did not need to be explained. From incidental remarks in the Torah we can gather something of this, which we may consider at a later stage, though much has probably been lost to us completely. At this stage we are concerned merely with the technicalities.

16 16 Introduction to the Biblical Laws of Offerings THE OLAH Here is an outline of the main points of procedure regard it as the skeleton of the simplest type of offering, the Olah. The animal is slaughtered. The blood that flows is collected directly in a bowl. This is carried and its contents (the blood) flung against the altar. The animal is flayed (hide removed). It is dismembered (into six parts: head, torso, four legs). Legs and inside are washed. The whole animal (except the hide) goes onto the altar where it is smoked. What is done with the blood is to fling (¼;N<L*) it, or hurl it, or dash it against the altar, not to sprinkle it that is a different word, for a different procedure used in a different offering, which we will meet later. Smoking Nowadays we talk about smoking a cigarette, not burning one. To burn a cigarette implies throwing it on the fire, but to smoke it is to light the tobacco so that it slow-burns, the object being not to destroy it or to produce something else (like ash) at the end, but to produce smoke which is smelt or inhaled to induce relaxation. (The practice of smoking cannabis or opium neither of which is recommended has a similar purpose.) The same sort of thing is done by some orientals with incense, which is slow-burned to produce smoke that gives a pleasant relaxing aroma. We do in fact talk about burning incense, but we do not really mean it. Hebrew has several different words, used carefully to mean different things, but all of which are translated in existing bibles as to burn. One is when something is destroyed, or made into something else which is unrecognisable from what it started as. Another means to consume or destroy leaving nothing, or virtually nothing. We will need to consider these in later chapters. A third, quite different ( ¼< I, D; K(), means to slow-burn or smoke as described above. This is used for the incense

17 Animal Offerings In General 17 the Hebrew word for incense ( ¼1¼-H K5 ¼>J<N,D;) comes from the same root (<,;) and also for what happens to the Olah on the altar. To start with, burning coals are placed on the altar, and covered with sticks of wood. On this are placed successive offerings, which do not flare up but smoke, the smoke produced symbolically going up to God as a soothing aroma. (The phrase soothing aroma is often mistranslated as sweet savour which nobody understands anyway, and is incorrect.) Nothing is ever burned on the altar, either for destruction or to produce a different solid product that is unrecognisable. An Olah is certainly not a burnt-offering it could be called a completely-smoked offering, but that is not the translation. Best to simply call it Olah. In the next chapter, when we come to consider the Zevach, we will add one or two more points about the Olah for contrast. For the moment we will just mention that the animal brought as an Olah must be male. The outline procedure for the Olah without worrying about details should be grasped thoroughly before proceeding, to avoid confusion. Vocabulary an altar K+IxD* H2 an Olah (L0}6 a Zevach +K%J* (any) domestic animals (L2I(Dx cattle <L;Lx a sheep (of any age) %JµJ a lamb (i.e. young sheep) µj%j entrance +K>J² the Tabernacle courtyard 'I6}20J(N$ +K>J² to fling, hurl, dash ;N<L* to smoke (make smoulder) <I,D;K( a soothing aroma K+}+-H4 K+- I< Source Please read in the original Hebrew: Leviticus 1:1-3, (Verse 4 will be explained later). There is no need to remember every detail just get the general idea.

18 Chapter 3 THE ZEVACH The Word Zevach An apology is called for here, for having slightly misled the reader regarding the meaning of the word zevach, which was over-simpified. The word is applied essentially to an animal that is slaughtered for food, the associated verb K+N%L* meaning to slaughter an animal for food. It may be, but need not be, an offering. (In Deuteronomy 18:3 it refers to an animal that is slaughtered specifically not as an offering.) In ancient times, when slaughtering an animal for meat it was customary to dedicate it to a deity and perhaps offer a part of it as a gift, so that the word Zevach came to be used mainly for an offering, and it is in that sense that we will use it. In contrast to the Olah, where the entire animal is given to the deity, only a part of the Zevach is given, the remainder is eaten by the person who brought it. In other words it is shared between the one who offers and the one to whom it is offered, and the Zevach can therefore be considered as a shared offering. A custom prevalent in ancient times was to build an altar anywhere, permanent or temporary, on which to offer Olahs and Zevachs. This is expressly forbidden in the Torah, as is the offering of either of these to any other than God himself. All offerings of all types had to be offered on the altar at the official national religious centre, the Sanctuary. The Procedure In the last chapter, in the section headed What are the ceremonies?, we pointed out the three main parts putting the blood on the altar, smoking all or part of the carcass, and, where applicable, eating the meat. With the Olah, the blood is put on the altar, the entire carcass is smoked, and there is nothing eaten. With the Zevach, the blood is put on the altar, certain specified fats and organs are removed and smoked on the altar, and the rest of the meat is eaten.

19 The Zevach 19 The Zevach, unlike the Olah, need not be male. Here are the main points of procedure, which may be compared and contrasted with those applying to the Olah. Note that the first three are identical in both cases: The animal is slaughtered. The blood that flows is collected directly in a bowl. This is carried and its contents (the blood) flung against the altar. Certain specified fats and organs are removed. These are put onto the altar where they are smoked. The meat of the animal is eaten. Smoking Once again it is necessary to emphasise the difference between smoking, which takes place here, and burning, which does not. The reason that incense is always referred to as ¼1¼-H K5 ¼>J<N,D; is that the word ¼> J<N, D; alone could possibly be understood as meaning anything that is smoked, including the parts of an offering placed on the altar! What is more, so much confusion has been caused that the Prophets are said to condemn people for offering Zevach sacrifices and burning incense (¼1¼-V<D K;D2¼ ¼1¼-H+DxK*D2) 3 to idols; what they actually condemned was the slaughtering of the sacrifices and the smoking (of part) to idols! What is smoked, in the case of the Zevach, is a list of specified fats and organs, details of which need not concern us at this stage. Suffice it to say that the specified fats and organs removed are listed, and are the same in all cases: they will henceforth be referred to as the fats, in which expression we will by implication include the specified organs (e.g. kidneys). They are removed from every animal offering except the Olah. The usual breed of sheep at the time of Moses had a fat tail (¼(L-D0K$), and this is added to the other fats whenever a sheep is brought. 3. The forms K+IxK* and <I K; are the repetitive forms of K+N%L* and <I,D;K( respectively. The repetitive form is used when something is done repetitively, that is to say regularly, not just on a single occasion.

20 20 Introduction to the Biblical Laws of Offerings Holy and Extra holy The Olah belongs entirely to God, and is thus called extra holy (lit. holy of holies ). There is only one type of (animal) Olah, and the procedure is always exactly the same. The animal must always be male. The Zevach meat does not, in quite the same sense, belong to God, but has been offered, and is thus classified as holy. There are various types and sub-types of Zevach, for which there are different regulations and details of procedure (consistent with what is stated above). The Shelamim is the commonest and best-known Zevach, but not the only one. Except where specified otherwise the animal need not be male. There are differences between holy and extra holy, of which we will mention just one here. Where the offering is simply holy, the animal may be slaughtered anywhere in the Sanctuary Courtyard, but where it is extra holy it may be slaughtered only in the northern part. The Priest s Fee A priest who brings an offering is normally entitled to a fee, not an external added tax but something from the offering itself. In the case of the Olah, his fee is the hide or skin of the animal, which is flayed before it is offered on the altar. The hide is not offered up, but taken by the priest for his personal and private use. The fee taken for offering a Zevach will be dealt with in the next chapter. Vocabulary (something) holy (something) extra-holy J'N; 1-ḨL'L; J'N; Source Please read in the original Hebrew: Leviticus 3:1-5. Do not worry about the details listed in verses 3 and 4. Just note that there is a list of items. These are known as the fats.

21 Chapter 4 EATING THE MEAT The Priest s Fee Before the meat of the Zevach may be eaten in fact before the ceremony is completed, before even the fats are offered on the altar the priest is to take his fee. From the meat, the person who offers must give the breast and right shoulder. The priest then performs a ritual with them and the fats before putting the fats on the altar. As we saw, the meat of the Zevach is considered holy. The parts given to the priest are from the meat which is to be eaten and so they too are holy. In fact there are two types of holy food (quite apart from the extra-holy, which we have not yet considered). Ordinary holy food may be eaten by any Israelite, but some holy food may only be eaten by priests and their households. The household of a priest includes his sons, wives, unmarried daughters (sometimes even if widowed or divorced) and slaves, but not servants. Roughly speaking, anything which by law has to be given to the priest (not only from offerings) comes under the second category. The priest s fee from the Zevach comes in the second group, while the rest of the meat comes in the first group. Both are restricted regarding where and when they may be eaten. Time and Place Holy food from offerings may be eaten anywhere in the environs, not just the precincts, of the Sanctuary traditionally this is taken to mean anywhere in the town. And there is a time-limit on eating it, which is different for different types and even sub-types of offering. Anything left over after the time-limit has expired has to be destroyed by burning ( ¼7N< Lµ) (but not smoked on the altar), and likewise anything contaminated. To recapitulate, so as to prevent confusion with what follows, the meat from the Zevach may be eaten, within the time-limit, anywhere in the town: the fee part (breast and right shank, i.e. rear lower leg) only by priests and their families, the rest by anyone.

22 Chapter 5 THE THIRD GROUP We mentioned earlier that apart from the Olah and Zevach there is a third group, something between the two. As a group it does not have a name but there are two types. 1. THE ASHAM. Wherever the procedure for the Olah and the Zevach are the same, it is the same also for the Asham. The Asham belongs entirely to God, and is thus extra holy. The animal is slaughtered (in the northern area, like the Olah). The blood that flows is collected directly in a bowl. The bowl is carried and its contents flung against the altar. Certain specified fats and organs (as with Zevach) are removed. These are put on the altar where they are smoked. No special fee is removed for the priests, BUT The meat is eaten by the priests as extra holy. This is a little difficult to follow, but must be made clear. The meat is NOT given, by law, by the person who brings the offering, to the priest. It is given to, and belongs entirely to, God, who gives it to the priests. It is thus extra holy. Extra holy food, to which there is also a time-limit, may be eaten only in a holy place, that is within the precincts (or courtyard) of the Sanctuary. It may also be eaten only by priests themselves, not their families. But it is not restricted to those on duty; it may also be eaten by priests who have been disqualified from participating in the ceremonies because they have some injury or disfigurement. So the procedure for the Asham is similar to that of the Zevach, except that it is extra holy. There are also minor differences.

23 The Third Group 23 The Asham is always a male sheep, nothing else. The word did, it is true, originally mean guilt-offering because it is often brought for guilt, but not always. When this procedure is followed, it is called Asham whether there is guilt or not, so it is best translated just as Asham, a technical term for a type of offering THE HATAT. Although this is mentioned in the Torah before the Asham, we have dealt with the latter first as it is easier to follow. Generally, the procedure for the Hatat is exactly the same as for the Asham, except that the blood is not flung against the altar. Instead it is used in a somewhat different form of ceremony, which varies for different sorts of Hatat. The only difference between the procedure for the Asham and that for the Hatat is the treatment of the blood. The Outside Hatat The normal ritual with the blood of the Hatat is for the priest to put or apply (¼3N>L4) some of it, with his finger, on the horns of the altar and then to pour away (¼ N8Ļ ) the rest onto the base of the altar. In such cases the meat is then eaten by the priests, as with the Asham. This is referred to as the Outside Hatat because the entire ceremony, as with all other offerings, takes place outside the Sanctuary. The Inside Hatat On special rare occasions, some of the blood is taken inside the actual Sanctuary building (or tent). In such cases the whole procedure is carried out by the High Priest personally; the details vary and need not concern us at this stage, but include his sprinkling some of the blood. The Hatat is then considered too holy for the priests to eat the meat at all, so the rest of the animal, including the hide, is burned destroyed (7<µ) not smoked in a suitable fit place outside the precincts, the fats being smoked on the altar in the usual way. 4. The Hebrew word1ļl$ is normally a technical term for a specific type of offering, and therefore should be translated as Asham. However, sometimes (e.g. Lev.5:7) it is not a technical term, does not even refer to an asham, but is used in its original meaning of a guilt offering and should be so translated. Such cases are admittedly confusing.

24 24 Introduction to the Biblical Laws of Offerings Note the difference between the four terms, all different in Hebrew flinging ( ¼;N<L*), putting (or applying) (¼3N>L4), pouring away (¼ N8 Ļ ), and sprinkling ( ¼(I~ K(). Applying and sprinkling are done with the finger, flinging and pouring away are done directly from the bowl. The Hatat, unlike the Asham, is never a male sheep. It can be a bull (or male calf), a female sheep, or a male or female goat. The word Hatat did originally mean sin offering because it is often brought to atone for a sin, but not always. When this procedure is followed, it is called Hatat whether there is a sin or not, so it is best translated Hatat, a technical term for a type of offering. (A theory that the word never did mean sin-offering but cleansing offering has much to commend it: it could cleanse from sin and from other things, which would need to be explained here, but it is better to think of it as just Hatat, a technical term.) 3. THE MILUIM (Consecration) (For reference only.) Apart from the Hatat and Asham, the special Miluim, or Priests Consecration offering performed only by Moses, appears to belong to this group. (Ex.29:19-28; Lev.8:22-32) * Kippur Does Not Mean Atonement In all cases of offerings in this group (as with the Olah) there is the idea of kippur, the covering over of the past to enable whoever it may be to start with a clean sheet. The kippur is effected by the priests on behalf of whoever provided the offering, whether an individual or the whole community: in the case of a sin, he does this by asking God to effect forgiveness, in other matters he has himself the authority to cover over. (Even in the case of a sin, it is not an atonement the sinner atones by bringing the offering, the priest does not atone, the priest effects the kippur.) The main elements are the ritual of the blood being applied to or flung at the altar (or sprinkled inside the Sanctuary) and the eating of the meat by the priests. Thus the eating of the meat is, much more than with the Zevach, an important part of the ritual.

25 Where Does the Group Belong? The Third Group 25 We stated at the beginning of this chapter that the group has no name, and is in between the Olah and the Zevach. However, many references in the Bible to Olah and/or Zevach seem intended to cover, in a general way, all types of (animal) offering. Is this group meant to be excluded? Or is it in such cases included in one or the other? If so, in which? The only clue we have is in Ezra 8:35, where Hatat is included in Olah, the latter treated as a group. In the Torah, however, Olah definitely does not include Hatat or Asham, so we treat them as belonging to a third group to avoid confusion. Vocabulary an Asham (usually) 1ĻL$ a guilt-offering (rarely) 1ĻL$ a Hatat >$L K+ a sheep %JµJ a lamb (young sheep) µj%j a young goat <-H6Lµ to fling, hurl, dash ;N<L* to put, apply 3N>L4 to sprinkle, splash (I~K( to pour away N8Ļ covering over < ²H viz. providing someone with a clean sheet, or applying for pardon Sources Please read the following sources in the original Hebrew. The first of these describes the procedure for the Asham. There are variations of each type of Hatat the examples given merely illustrate each type. To avoid confusion, it is best at this point to read only the verses suggested. Asham Leviticus 7:1-5 Outside Hatat (one example) Leviticus 4:24-26 Inside Hatat (one example) Leviticus 4:5-12

26 Chapter 6 THE MINCHAH We have seen how animal sacrifices belong to one of three groups, whose main distinguishing characteristics may be summed up as follows: The Olah. Extra-holy. All given to God. All (except the hide) smoked on altar. Hide given to priest (not holy). The Zevach. Holy. Fats (etc) given to God and smoked on altar. Meat (holy) belongs to person bringing, who must first give certain parts (holy) to priest. Third Group. Extra-holy. All given to God. Fats etc. are smoked on altar. Meat belongs to God who gives it (extra-holy) to the priests to eat. With offerings of corn (wheat or barley) or its products, the procedure is different. These are mostly of one type, known as the Minchah, whose procedure at times resembles that of the Olah (entirely smoked) but more often resembles the third group (where part is eaten by the priests). Despite that, the Minchah is always considered as being associated with the first group, that is to say the equivalent of the Olah, for reasons that become clear when we realise that there is another type of corn offering that is directly connected with the third group. There is no type that is by its nature connected or associated with the second group, the Zevach, where part is offered on the altar and part eaten by whoever brings it. Although the procedure for bringing the Minchah, of which there are various sub-types, is not complicated, the description in the Torah is not always clear, some words of obscure meaning are used, and at times the

27 The Minchah 27 meaning is controversial. It is not the object here to give a final decision on law, but to introduce the subject to help the reader tackle the simple statements of the Torah, before going on to study them at a later stage. So our outline will omit controversial details and complicated variations. The Procedure The regular Minchah consists basically of what is called solet usually translated as fine flour (as against kemach, translated course flour ), but it is more likely that there is a bigger difference. Perhaps one is white flour and the other is wholemeal. (In modern Hebrew kemach is flour, but solet is semolina, which is coarse and not the biblical meaning.) Both are (here) from wheat. The solet is brought, (olive) oil is added to it, and some frankincense is put on top. Frankincense is the name of a particular kind of gum resin, it is not the same as incense. The offering is also salted. The priest takes an Azkarah a handful of the offering, which must include some of the flour and oil and all of the frankincense and smokes it on the altar. This is the main outside altar used for the fats, not the golden incense altar indoors. Azkarah is often mistranslated as memorial because that was probably the original meaning, though what it was a memorial of is not clear, but in the Torah it is purely a technical term for the handful which the priest takes and smokes on the altar. We can summarise the procedure for the regular Minchah: Solet flour is the main thing offered. Olive oil is poured onto it (see note following). Frankincense put on top, all is salted. It is extra-holy all belongs to God. Priest takes Azkarah (handful of flour and oil with all the frankincense). Azkarah smoked on the altar. Remainder eaten by priests as Extra-holy food. [Note the word ¼;N:L- meaning to pour, in the sense of pouring oil onto something, as opposed to ¼ N8 Ļ which means to pour something away; but sometimes one is used instead of the other.]

28 28 Introduction to the Biblical Laws of Offerings Eating The same rules apply to the eating of extra-holy food as previously. There are, though, two additional points. First, nobody can eat flour, it has to be made into bread, and in this case it has to be baked into matzahs or unleavened bread. Second, any Minchah brought by a priest on his own behalf must be smoked entirely, not merely the Azkarah: it may not be eaten at all. So we see that the Minchah of a priest is like an Olah, it is all smoked, while that of anyone else is like an Asham or the third group, partly smoked and partly eaten by the priests as extra-holy. Despite this, the Minchah is associated with the Olah and not the third group. Sub types Other sub-types of Minchah are possible. Four of these replace the raw solet-flour plus oil with something already cooked. The solet no other flour can be fried, stewed or baked in olive oil, or baked into matzahs and spread with olive oil (before being brought and offered), but it may only be made into matzah or unleavened bread, biscuits or cake, never into leavened. For the barley-bikkurim offering (the omer, see chapter 11), raw solet is replaced by groats or roast barleycorn. Two things may be brought as an acceptable gift to God, for instance as an offering (but not in our limited sense) of the first produce of the season, but never, never smoked on the altar: leavened bread (or leaven, that is yeast) and fruit sugar (usually rendered as honey but it refers to the sugar from fruit, particularly dates). The emphatic rejection of these two suggests that they are both in fact quite suitable normally for smoking or adding to something that is being smoked, improving the aroma, but not acceptable in that form to God. There is nothing complicated about the Minchah as far as procedure is concerned. There are two types the Minchah which is brought on its own, and the Minchah which had to accompany certain animal offerings. We shall see later that with the second type, the precise quantity of flour was sometimes specified, to be mixed with a specified quantity of oil.

29 Sources The Minchah 29 Please read the following in the original Hebrew: Main source: Leviticus 2:1-3. Optionally also: Leviticus 2:4-13 The Vegetarian Hatat Associated with the Third Group is the Hatat brought from grain. This is far simpler. Solet flour is brought, without oil and without frankincense. The priest takes the Azkarah (his handful) and smokes it on the altar; he treats the rest as with the Minchah, that is it is extraholy food eaten only by priests. Finally, similar is the Minchah of Jealousy brought in the case of the suspected adulteress. Though called minchah it really belongs to this group, with the Hatat. Kemach or coarse (wholemeal?) flour made from barley is brought, without oil or frankincense, and the Azkarah smoked as usual. Vocabulary (L+D4H2 (L<L D*K$ +K2J; >J0N5 (L4}%D0 N8Ļ ;N:L- a Minchah an Azkarah ordinary (coarse) flour Solet (special flour) frankincense (NOT incense) to pour away (not needed) to pour (for use) Sources Please read the following sources in the original Hebrew: Leviticus 5:11-13 Numbers 5 vs. 15, 25 & 26. (Verses are not relevant here.)

30 Chapter 7 BIRD OFFERINGS The only birds eligible to be offered are two named types of pigeon or dove. And there are only two types of offering Olah and Hatat. In neither case is the bird slaughtered: the priest takes it near to the altar, pinches off its head, and squeezes out (¼(N:L2) the blood onto the side of the altar. The ritual of the blood seems to be slightly different in the two cases. With the Olah there is a further ritual after removing the crop for disposal, and the bird is eventually smoked on the altar. What happens to the Hatat we are not told, and have to rely on tradition. At this stage it is perhaps as well not to worry about it and not to confuse the issue. Birds seem to have been used often as a poor man s offering. They are not used for public offerings, only by individuals, mostly as compulsory offerings, and often as alternatives to animals for the person who cannot afford the latter. In many cases we find that a pair is to be brought, one as a Hatat (offered up first) followed by the second as an Olah. Vocabulary to squeeze out (N:L2 Sources The sources (in the original Hebrew) are: Olah: Leviticus 1:14-17 Hatat: Leviticus 5:7-9 Omit these if the subject seems to be getting too complicated.

31 Chapter 8 MORE ABOUT THE ZEVACH We have presented in outline the procedure of the Zevach. The animal is slaughtered, blood flung against the altar, fats etc. removed and smoked on the altar, parts of the meat given to the priests to eat (holy for priests) as a fee, and the rest of the meat eaten (holy food) by the person who brings it. He is not obliged to eat it himself but may give it, or some of it, to others, such as his family. There is a timelimit on eating, after which leftovers are to be burnt. There are various types and sub-types of Zevach. Some are voluntary, others are compulsory to be brought in special circumstances. The Shelamim The chief type (but not the only type) of Zevach is the Shelamim. This word literally means payment offering as its original pre-torah purpose was for the payment of vows; but as with the other types, the name has become a technical term for a certain type of offering, which is brought also on occasions which have nothing to do with vows. Conversely the payment of a vow is not always with a Shelamim, but sometimes with an Olah, depending on the vow. Because the word looks a little bit like the word for peace, Shelamim is often mistranslated as peace offering, suggesting that someone wants to make his peace after a quarrel or a sin, which is nonsense. It is quite inappropriate for that. Forget it all, think of it as a Shelamim. It has four sub-types: (a) The Nazirite s Shelamim. A ram. This involves extra rituals and need not concern the beginner. It is put here only for reference. (b) The Thanksgiving offering (Todah). Each of these may be eaten the day they are brought or the night immediately following. The time-limit is daybreak. (c) The Vow (Neder), and (d) The Freewill (Nedavah).

32 32 Introduction to the Biblical Laws of Offerings The two latter do not differ in procedure. (The terms can also be used for Olahs.) Each of them may be eaten the day they are brought, the night following, or the next day a longer period than the first two. Other Types of Zevach Apart from the Shelamim, there are three other types of Zevach. The Firstborn (bekhor) is the firstborn (of its mother) of cattle, sheep or goats, (the firstborn of a donkey is redeemed by a kid or lamb) given by the owner to the priest, who then brings it as an offering a Zevach, but not a Shelamim. The procedure differs from that of the Shelamim only in minor detail, but the meat is not ordinary holy food it is holy for priests. (Remember, this is not extra-holy ). The Tithe (ma aser) is as follows: every farmer each year has to pass all his new animals (cattle, sheep and goats only) under the stick in file, and every tenth one, as it comes, is marked as a tithe. The owner brings it as an offering a Zevach, but not a Shelamim. The procedure differs from that of the Shelamim only in minor detail, and like the Shelamim (but unlike the Firstborn) the meat is ordinary holy food. Finally the Pesach (so-called Passover or Paschal) sacrifice is also a Zevach, in a category of its own. The significance of the Pesach differs so radically from that of all other offerings that we have decided to give it a chapter on its own at the end. Meanwhile, just for reference, we will show where it fits in to the general pattern, without any details. Vocabulary a Shelamim thanksgiving 1-H2L0Ḑ (L'}º

33 More About the Zevach 33 Here for reference is a summary of the animal offerings: Group Category NAME TYPE SUB-TYPE Who eats the meat 1 Extra-holy OLAH Nobody 2 Holy ZEVACH 1 SHELAMIM Nazirite Thanksgiving Vow/Freewill Nazirite(or anyone) Bringer (or anyone) Bringer (or anyone) 2 FIRSTBORN Any priest or his household 3 TITHE Owner (or anyone) 4 PESACH By pre-arrangement only 3 Extra-holy 1 ASHAM Priests in Sanctuary 2 HATAT Outside Inside Priests in Sanctuary Nobody Here is the procedure in the principal cases (N = north): OLAH SHELAMIM HATAT ASHAM Lean Slaughter (N) Collect Blood Lean Slaughter Collect Blood Lean Slaughter (N) Collect Blood Lean Slaughter (N) Collect Blood OUTSIDE INSIDE Hurl Hurl Apply Take inside Sprinkle &c. Hurl Pour away residue at base Flay Dismember Wash Smoke all Remove fats Wave & heave Smoke fats Remove fats Smoke fats Remove fats Smoke fats OUTSIDE INSIDE Remove Eat Priests eat Burn Priests eat

34 Chapter 9 WHO BRINGS WHAT, AND WHEN Voluntary, Compulsory and Public Offerings So far we have looked only at the procedure for various types of offerings, but not considered the different circumstances that require different types. Looked at from the point of view of who brings them and when, there are three kinds of offering: voluntary offerings, brought by an individual; compulsory offerings, brought by individuals in certain circumstances or on special occasions, as directed by the Torah; public offerings, brought by the priests, some daily and others on special occasions, on behalf of the public, paid for from public funds. Voluntary offerings are brought when the bringer decides to bring. Public ones will be dealt with later. What about compulsory ones? If a Zevach, the Firstborn and Tithe are obvious; the Pesach is brought on a specified date; and the Nazirite brings a special Shelamim. There are specific instances where the obligation to offer an Olah, a Hatat or an Asham is specified, and sometimes exactly what is to be brought is specified, but there are also general cases where a Hatat or Asham is required, and we will take a look at some of these. Hatat and Asham in General Cases The Hatat is brought as a genuine sin offering, its primary (but not sole) function, essentially when someone sins inadvertently. This is narrower than accidentally : it is when someone does something that is forbidden due to forgetfulness of law or fact. The forgetting is considered as a form of negligence, so that you are responsible for the consequence. Note that it must be doing something, not failing to do something a sin of commission, not of omission. Further, tradition limits this to a sins of a more serious character, not just any sin.

35 Who Brings What, and When 35 An example of such a sin is the eating of certain kinds (not all kinds) of forbidden food, such as hamets on Pesach. (a) You might realise that it is Pesach, but forget the law that it is forbidden to eat hamets then (having previously known the law) and as a result eat it. (b) You might realise that it is Pesach, and that eating hamets is forbidden, but forget that a particular piece of such food lying on the table, which you knew to contain hamets, does in fact contain it, and eat it by mistake, thinking at the time that it is alright. (c) You might remember the law, and that the piece of food in front of you contains hamets, but forget that it is Pesach when it may not be eaten. The first is forgetting law, the second and third are forgetting fact. In each case, when you remember or when what you have done is pointed out to you, you become aware of your guilt. A Hatat atones for all three. But what you actually bring for a Hatat depends on who you are! If the High Priest, or the whole nation, sins in that way, the Hatat is a bull, it is offered by the High Priest, and the special ritual includes taking some of the blood inside the Sanctuary. So the meat is not eaten by the priests, it is burned. If a national leader, such as a king from whom people take an example sins, the Hatat is a male goat, offered according to regular procedure. A simple commoner brings a female goat or sheep. Remember, a Hatat does not atone for all sins, only the sort mentioned above, and that which follows. A person can sin in a different way that can be atoned by a slightly different Hatat. He may take an oath to do, or not to do, something which may be important or unimportant, but due to forgetfulness he breaks the oath; he may undertake under penalty of a curse to give evidence on someone s behalf and fail to do so; or he may become contaminated (itself no sin) in such a way that he may not eat holy food (a serious offence), forget that he is still contaminated and so accidentally eat holy food. In any of the above, if he later remembers and feels guilty he can atone with a Hatat.