| Introduction
Holy Land Photo Album
Maps of Israel
Genesis
Genesis Part 2
Exodus
Exodus Part 2
Leviticus
Appointments with YAHWEH
A Place for YAHWEH's Name
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Laws About Coming Close to Yahweh
CHAPTER 1
[Still being translated.]
CHAPTER 2
1. "'And when a person brings a [grain] offering with which to come close to YHWH, his offering must be of fine flour, and he must pour oil on it and put frankincense on it,
A grain offering involves no blood, but it is still a picture of the person who brings it. We bring a part of ourselves. Oil represents the Spirit of being Set-apart. Y'shua "poured" out the Spirit on us once He had permission to do so. (Acts 10:45; Yochanan 15, 16; Mat. 28:18) How do we increase the oil that lets our light shine (Mat. 5:14)? By listening to His commandments, and obeying them. (Deut. 7:11-13) Frankincense was given to Y'shua by the Magi when he was a young child, possibly to symbolize that he would be an offering for us that was acceptable to YHWH. Its name comes from the word "whiteness", symbolizing purity, and it is a feminine word in Hebrew, which again hints at the whole point of bringing these offerings being to become a spotless bride for Him, for He desires intimacy with His people Israel. Those who will be part of this bride are those who have not "gotten their clothes dirty" and who have overcome selfishness. (Rev. 3:4)
2. "'and he shall bring it to the sons of Aharon the priest. And he shall grasp from it his handful of fine flour along with its oil and its frankincense, and the priest shall burn it like incense [with smoke] on the altar, a memorial offering with fire, a soothing aroma to YHWH.
Tradition says he grasped it with three fingers.
3. "'What is left over of the grain offering is for Aharon and his sons, [being] most holy of the fire offerings of YHWH.
A portion is sent on ahead of us into the Kingdom which has not yet come, but the rest is given to YHWH's servants who live in the present, so they can feed the things of the Kingdom here and now. So the way we give to YHWH is usually by giving to His servants.
4. "'And when you bring near a grain offering baked in an oven, [it is to be] unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or [thin] unleavened wafers, anointed with oil.
5. "'And if your offering is a grain offering cooked on a flat griddle, its shall be of fine flour without leaven, mixed with oil.
6. "'You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.
This anointed bread is a picture of the Messiah ("Anointed One") whose body was broken for us. During the days of the Temple, these were all cooked in the "Pancake-Bakers' Chamber" in the outer court area.
7. "'And if the grain offering is [cooked] in a pot, it shall be of fine flour made with oil.
8. "'And you must bring the grain offering which is made of these things to YHWH, and the priest shall bring it near the altar,
YHWH has many ways of bringing us together, and none is inherently better than the others. But the community must have people whom YHWH has crushed and who have the Spirit of Being Set-Apart, or they will be unable to stick together. Oil and flour will not stick together without water, which is a picture of YHWH's word (the Torah). Whatever form our community takes has to be based on the Torah.
9. "'and the priest shall lift out from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn it as incense on the altar [as] a fire-offering, a soothing aroma to YHWH.
10. "'And what is left of the food offering is for Aharon and his sons, [being] most holy, the fire offerings of YHWH.
11. "'You shall not leaven any food offering that you bring near to YHWH, because you shall not burn any leaven or burn any honey as a fire offering to YHWH.
"We who are many are one bread..." (1 Cor. 10:17) Yeast is a picture of sin, especially pride, which puffs up and makes us look like more than we are. When bread is leavened, there is really nothing more in its that fills us up or helps us grow stronger.
12. "'As an offering of firstfruits, you may bring them to YHWH, but they shall not go up onto the altar to be a refreshing smell.'"
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CHAPTER 3
1. "'And if what he brings near is a peace offering, if he is offering it from the herd, whether it is a male or female, when he brings it to YHWH there must be nothing wrong with it.
A peace offering includes a meal to be eaten together with others.
2. "'And he must lean his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it [painlessly by cutting its throat] at the entryway to the Tent of Appointment, and Aharon's sons, the priests, will toss the blood onto the altar, all around.
3. "'Then he must bring near a fire offering to YHWH from what is killed for the peace offering: the fat that covers the inward parts, and all the fat which is on the inward parts,
Psalm 116 is David's description of drawing near with a peace offering.
4. "'both kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and what hangs over the liver by the kidneys--he must remove [all of these].
Flanks: or loins; LXX, "thighs". The term means something hard or stubborn.
5. "'And the sons of Aharon shall burn it on the altar, in addition to the ascending offering that is on the wood above the fire, [as] a fire offering, a soothing smell to YHWH.
6. "'And if his offering is from the flock, to be a peace offering to YHWH, [if it is] male or female, when he brings it there must be nothing wrong with it.
7. "'If it is a young sheep he is bringing near [as] his offering, he must present it in front of YHWH's face.
8. "'And he must lean his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the Tent of Appointment, and the sons of Aharon will toss its blood onto the altar, all around.
Kill it: painlessly by slitting its throat. The person who brings the offering is the one to kill it; the priest only takes the blood and does with it what YHWH said to do.
8. "'Then he must bring the best part from what is slaughtered a fire offering to YHWH. He must remove the whole fat tail, which is close up against the backbone, and the fat that covers its inward parts, and all the fat that is between the inward parts.
Fat tail: a fatty type of tail that this particular kind of sheep has.
9. "'He must also remove both of the kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and what hangs over the liver by the kidneys.
10. "'And the priest shall burn it on the altar--bread of the fire offering to YHWH.
Without the vowels (as the original Hebrew Torah was), the last phrase could also read "the food of the wife of YHWH", i.e., his bride, which is created as His people become holy and draw near to Him in this way.
11. "'And if his offering is a goat, then he must present it in front of YHWH's face,
12. "'and lean his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the Tent of Appointment, and the sons of Aharon shall toss its blood onto the altar, all around.
13. "'Then he must bring near the best part from what is slaughtered a fire offering to YHWH: He must remove the whole fat tail, which is close up against the backbone, and the fat that covers its inward parts, and all the fat that is between the inward parts.
14. "'He must also remove both of the kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and what hangs over the liver by the kidneys.
15. "'And the priest will burn it on the altar bread of the fire offering as a refreshing smell; all of the fat belongs to YHWH.
"Fat" means the choicest or best part--like the firstfruits or tithes, this is something we owe to YHWH. (See also 27:30; Num. 18:26-29)
16. "'[This will be] a custom all your generations [to come] have to follow carefully in any of the places where you may settle: you may not eat any fat or any blood.'"
There are many health benefits to obeying these commands, which would have spared many people from physical suffering. But many disregard them just because they are "under grace". Any fat: This does noty mean the marbled fat that can't be separated from the meat, but the particular types listed in verses 14-15. Any blood: Leviticus 17:14 tells us we will be "cut off" if we eat it. YHWH will make sure of it.
CHAPTER 4
1. Then Yahweh told Moshe,
2. "Speak to the descendants of Israel, to announce, 'A person who does anything different from whatYahweh has ordered, doing what should not be done, but not on purpose,
Although it was a mistake, it is still a sin, and we cannot just ignore it; we must make the situation right again.
3. "'if the anointed priest shall do something wrong that brings guilt on the nation, then for his sins which he has committed, he must bring near a bull--the son of a herd, a perfect one--to Yahweh as a sin offering.
4. "'And he must bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Appointment in front of Yahweh's face, and lean his hand on the bull's head, and kill the bull [painlessly by cutting its throat] in Yahweh's presence.
5. "'Then the anointed priest must take [some] of the bull's blood and bring it to the Tent of Appointment,
6. "'and the priest must dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle the front of the veil of the set-apart place with the blood seven times in front of Yahweh's face.
7. "'Then the priest must put [some] of the blood inYahweh's presence on the horns of the altar of sweet-smelling incense, which is in front of the Tent of Appointment, and he must pour out all of the blood at the bottom of the altar of going-up, which is in front of the door to the Tent of Appointment.
8. "'And he must lift off from it [and present] all of the bull's fat [as] a sin offering--he must lift off from it the fat that covers the inward parts, and all the fat that is beside the inside parts,
9. "'both kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is beside the flanks, and he shall remove the extra part that hangs over the liver beside the kidneys,
10. "'in the same way it is lifted off from the ox that is slaughtered for peace offerings. Then the priest must make them burn like incense on the altar of going-up,
11. "'along with the bull's hide and its skin by its head and by its legs, its inward parts, and its waste.
12. "'He must [then] take the whole bull outside of the camp to a ceremonially clean place where the ashes mixed with fat are poured out, and burn him with fire on top of the wood. It must be burned on top of the place where the ashes mixed with fat are poured out.
13. "'Now if the whole congregation of Israel shall go off [the right path] without meaning to, and the assembly does not realize it, and they have done [even] one of all [the things] that Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and have become guilty,
14. "'when the sin in which they have missed the target becomes known, then the [whole] community must bring a bull--a son of a herd--as a sin offering. Now they must bring it to the front of the Tent of Appointment,
15. "'and the elders of the congregation shall lean their hands on the head of the bull in front of Yahweh's face, and kill the bull in Yahweh's presence.
Even if it was an accident, someone is responsible to make Yahweh satisfied again.
16. "'Then the anointed priest must bring [some] of the bull’s blood to the Tent of Appointment,
17. "'and the priest will dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle the front of the veil seven times before the face of Yahweh.
Without the shedding of Yahshua's blood, our sins could not be permanently taken away. This was the most important thing He did for us. He sprinkled his blood on the heavenly altar that the earthly one was a picture of. (Yochanan 20:17; Heb. 9:24)
18. "'And he will put [some] of the blood on the horns of the altar that is in front of Yahweh's face--the [altar] that is inside the Tent of Appointment. Then he will pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of going-up, which is at the door of the Tent of Appointment.
19. "'Then he must lift off from it all its fat, and burn it like incense on the altar.
20. "'And he will do to the bull just as he did to the bull of the sin offering; he has to do just the same to this [one]. This way he can put a covering over them, and [the sin] will be forgiven them.
21. "'Then he must bring the bull outside the camp, and burn it just like he burned the first bull; it is a sin offering for the [whole] community.
22. "'When a ruler sins and has done [even] one of all [the things] that YHWH his Elohim has ordered not to be done, and has been shown to be guilty,
23. "'or the wrongdoing in which he has missed the target becomes known to him, as his [way of] drawing near, he must bring a hairy goat--a completely sound male,
24. "'and must lean his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it at the place where he killed the going-up [offering] in front of Yahweh; it is a sin offering.
25. "'Then the priest will take [some] of the blood of the sin offering, and with his finger he will put it on the horns of the altar of going-up, then pour out its blood at the bottom of the altar of going-up.
26. "'And he must make it smoke like incense on the altar, along with all of its fat, just like the fat of what is killed [for] the peace offerings; this way the priest shall make a covering over him because of his sin, and [the sin] will be forgiven him.
27. "'And if one person among the people of the Land sins by doing one of the things that Yahweh has ordered not to be done, without meaning to, but is shown to be guilty,
The priests, who should know better, are required to do more than the common people, who have not had as much time to study the Torah in depth. (Luke 12:48).
28. "'or the sin in which he has missed the target becomes known to him, he must bring as his drawing-near a hairy goat--a female with nothing wrong with it--because of his sin in which he has missed the target.
29. "'Then he must lean his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of going up.
30. "'Then the priest must take [some] of its blood, and with his finger he will put it on the horns of the altar of going-up, then pour out all of its blood at the bottom of the altar.
31. "'Then he must lift off from it all its fat, just like what is slaughtered as the sin offerings has been lifted off from, and the priest must make it smoke like incense on the altar as a refreshing [satisfying] smell for Yahweh. This way the priest can make a covering over him, and [the sin] will be forgiven him.
32. "'Now if he brings a female lamb as his drawing-near to be a sin offering, he shall bring one that is completely perfect.
33. "'And he shall lean his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering [painlessly by slitting its throat] at the place where he kills the ascending [offering].
34. "'Then the priest must take [some] of the blood from the sin offering, and with his finger he will put it on the horns of the altar of going-up, then pour out its blood at the bottom of the altar.
35. "'And he must lift off from it all its fat, just as what is killed as the sin offerings has had [part] lifted off from [them], and the priest must make it smoke like incense on the altar on top of Yahweh's fire offerings. This way the priest can make a covering over him for what he did wrong that kept him from hitting the target, and [then] he is forgiven.'"
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When we Do Wrong But Don't Mean To
CHAPTER 5
1. "'When a person sins if he is under an oath when he is a witness [in court], either if he saw or knows [evidence], but does not tell, he will remain guilty.
If you do not warn someone that he is doing wrong, you are counted as guilty as he is.
2. "'Or if someone touches anything that is unclean, or an unclean body of a dead animal, or the unclean dead body of cattle, or the unclean dead body of crawling things, and he does not know that he is unclean and guilty,
3. "'or if he touches human uncleanness--any impurity by which he may be [ritually] unclean, and does not know it, then when it comes to his attention, he is [counted] guilty.
A person is not responsible until he knows what he has done.
4. "'Or if a person makes a promise, speaking foolishly with his lips, whether to do something bad or to do right, whatever the man says foolishly with an oath, and does not realize it, then he becomes aware of it, then he is guilty of one of these.
5. "'Now if he is guilty of one of these, what he needs to do is confess the thing in which he has sinned,
6. "'and bring his guilt offering to Yahweh for his sin which he has committed--a female from the flock, a lamb or ewe from the goats, as a sin offering, and the priest will make a covering over his sin for him.
7. "'But if he cannot afford a lamb, the one who has sinned must bring to Yahweh as his guilt offering two doves or two young pigeons--one as a sin offering, and one as a going-up [offering].
A going-up offering lets him rise back to a higher place of ritual purity after he lowered himself by sinning.
8. "'Now he must bring them to the priest, bringing near the one which is for the sin offering first, and snap off its head from the front of its neck, but not divide it.
9. "'And he must sprinkle [some] of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and what remains of the blood must be drained out at the bottom of the altar; it is a sin offering.
10. "'Then he must get the second ready as a going-up [offering] just like [he] did [with the other]. This way the priest will make coverings over him for the sin by which he has missed the target, and it will be forgiven him.
11. "'Now if the one who sinned is not [even] able to afford two doves or two young pigeons, then he must bring as his coming-close [offering] one tenth of an ephah of fine flour, but he must not add any frankincense with it, since it is a sin offering.
12. "'But he must bring it to the priest, and the priest will take a handful of it as a memorial portion, and make it go up in smoke on the altar like the fire offerings to Yahweh; it is a sin offering.
13. "'This way the priest will make a covering over him for his sin in which he has missed the target in [any] one of these [matters], and he will be forgiven for it. [The rest] will belong to the priest as a grain offering.'"
14. Then Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying,
15. "If a person is unreliable and does something wrong to the holy things of Yahweh without realizing it, he must bring his guilt offering to Yahweh--a perfect ram from the flock, as you figure out its value in silver sheqels by the sheqel of the Set-apart Place, as a guilt offering.
Aram., "If a person should act deceitfully but sin unintentionally agains the consecrated things of YHWH": LXX: "the soul which be really unconscious". He has deprived the sanctuary of some object or some degree of holiness by bringing some impurity into it, possibly rendering a vessel unfit for service by touching it while in an unclean state. Ritual impurity seems always a picture of selfishness. It is not a "sin" per se, but it has the same effect of depriving the Temple (which we are collectively) of some gift. When we realize what we have done, the proper response is to not only undo what we have done, but go an extra step, being extra scrupulous about selfless in our service to one another:
16. "Then he must pay [Yahweh] back for the holy thing he used wrongly, and he must add to it one fifth of it[s value], and donate it to the priest, and the priest will make a covering over him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it will be forgiven him.'"
Forgiveness is only given when we ask for it, and truly turn away from doing the same thing again. Here, the sin is first paid for, then it is forgiven. Y'shua paid for our sin, and this is all the more reason to not take Yahweh's forgiveness lightly. Just because our guilt is taken away does not mean we don't have to take the consequences. Even Moshe was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because he did something that ruined a picture Yahweh wanted to show us about the Messiah.
17. "And if a person misses the target, doing one of the things that YHWH has ordered [us] not to do, and does not realize he has gone out of bounds, and carries guilt,
18. "he shall lead in a completely healthy ram of the right value as you figure it out, to the priest as an offering for guilt. This way the priest will make coverings over him for his sin in which he went off track without knowing it and not on purpose, and it will be forgiven him.
19. "It is a guilt offering, [since] he is still guilty before Yahweh."
20. [6:1 in English] Then Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying,
21. "If a person misses the target and crosses a boundary against Yahweh by deceiving his friend about something he has given to him for safekeeping or left in his hand as a security deposit, or something that he has stolen or gotten from his friend by tricking him,
22. "or lying about a lost thing he has found, and swearing falsely about any one of these matters which a man does wrong if he does them,
23. "then whenever [he] sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he got by robbery, that which he got by trickery, the deposit that had been left with him, the lost things he had found,
24. "or anything about which he swore falsely, he must indeed repay both the original amount and add one fifth of it[s value] to whoever it belongs it. He must bring it on the [same] day [he brings] his guilt offering,
He cannot wait and pay it later.
25. "when he brings his guilt offering to Yahweh--[his penalty is] a ram from the flock with nothing wrong with it, of whatever you decide is a fair value, [brought] to the priest as a guilt offering."
26. "This way the priest will make a covering over him before Yahweh, and he will be forgiven for anything he has done that made him guilty."
After he makes things right with the human being he has wronged, he also has to deal with his guilt before Yahweh, because any sin against one of His creatures is first and foremost a sin against Him. (Mattithyahu 5:24)
Portion Tzav
CHAPTER 6
1. [8 in English] Then Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying,
2. "Command (tzav) Aharon and his sons, saying: 'This is the direction about the going-up [offering]--that is, what goes up on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar is kept burning on it.
Before he made the golden calf, Yahweh used to speak to them both together, but there was a price to pay for this sin. Moshe had to speak with Yahweh for him. Fire represents Yahweh's presence. (Ex. 3:2; 24:17; Deut. 5:23.) According to the sages, the going-up offering was brought to atone for a sin of the mind; sins committed physically have other specified sacrifices. What is usually translated "sacrifice" or "offering" literally means "a drawing near". Thoughts can bring us closer to Yahweh because they are in the soul, not in the flesh; so sins of the mind are considered greater than sins of the body, and thus have a higher penalty. "All night" is the time when no one but the priests are in the sanctuary.
3. "'The priest must put his long robe of fine linen, and put his linen underwear over his flesh, and he shall lift up the ashes that the fire has consumed along with the ascending offering on the altar, and he will place them beside the altar.
Underwear was needed so his holy garments would not directly touch his flesh, which is a symbol of his natural human strength and what can decay.
4. "'Then he must take off his garments and put on other garments, then bring the ashes away to a [ritually] clean place outside of the camp.
He should not wear his holy garments when dealing with the parts of the animal that Yahweh did not "consume".
5. "'But the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. The priest must light the wood on it every morning, and arrange the going-up offering upon it neatly, and make it go up in smoke along with the fat from the peace offering.
Yahweh lit the fire Himself, but the people had to keep it burning. His work in our lives has already been done, but we have to keep the awareness of this alive by constantly living out the actions appropriate to what has been accomplished spiritually for us. A fire is not to be lit in somebody's own home on the Sabbath, but in the Temple it must be. His presence had to be represented there at all times, but we cannot presume to bring the symbol of His presence if we are away from the community that He is making into the place where He will live. (Hebrews 10:25)
6. "'Fire must be kept burning on the altar all the time; it must never [be allowed to] go out.
Nothing is killed on top of the altar, but in front of it, then the pieces are brought up onto the altar to be burned. So if there is no fire on the altar, it is useless. According to tradition, the particular fire that was lit at this time did keep burning for 140 years.
7. "'And this is the instruction for the grain offering: Aharon's sons must bring it near, in Yahweh's presence, to the front [face] of the altar.
8. "'And he will take from it his handful of the flour of the grain offering, its oil, and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and he will make it go up in smoke on the altar--a soothing aroma as its reminder for Yahweh.
This gift is an expression of our heart, and Yahweh "breathes it in". The Garden of Eden is directly above the Temple Mount, and the fire carries it upward. The Messenger of Yahweh, which Y'shua called Himself, often appeared in a flame of fire, so He is the one who carries our prayers to the Father. This bread is a picture of the congregation which is all "one bread". (1 Corinthians 10:17) No leaven (a symbol of sin and pride) is allowed in this bread:
9. "'Then Aharon and his sons may eat the rest. It must be eaten without leaven in the Place of Holiness; they must eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Appointment.
Only part of this offering was sacrificed; the rest was turned into bread. Y'shua was sacrificed, but still He says his Body must "eat" of Him (Yochanan 6:53ff; Matithyahu 26:26), so not all of him was consumed in his sacrificial death. He is called the Bread of Life. (Yochanan 6:48) While we are saved by his death, how much more we are "saved by his life" (Romans 5:10)!
10. It must not be baked with leaven. I have picked it to be their part [to be taken] out of my offerings by fire. It is most holy, just like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
11. Every male among the sons of Aharon shall eat it--[as] a never-ending statute throughout your generations--from Yahweh's offerings by fire. Anything that touches them must be holy.'"
12. Then Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying,
13. "This is the offering of Aharon and his sons, which they must bring near to Yahweh on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of flour, as a continuing grain offering--half of it in the morning, and half of it in the evening.
They are told what their heart should move them to bring. Half in the morning...evening: Our works in the darkness should be the same as our works in the light. A tenth of an ephah is one omer (Exodus 16:36), whose value is half a sheqel, which is also the portion or value of one man (Exodus 16:16; 30:13). Why not just say an omer? Because ten men makes up one congregation, and their value is equal to one firstborn (Numbers 18:16); the whole congregation of Y'shua is called "the called-out [belonging to] the Firstborn (Hebrews 12:23). Everyone needs to be joined to "the other nine" parts (compare Luke 17:17) in order to be complete.
14. "On a griddle with oil will it be made; you must bring it in [already] mixed. Bring baked pieces of the grain offering [gift]--a smell that is refreshing to Yahweh.
15. "And the priest who is anointed in [Aharon's] place, from among his sons, must be the one to make [the mixture]. This is Yahweh's never-ending rule: it must be completely burned up,
16. "and every grain offering [given by] a priest is a whole burnt offering; it must not be eaten."
The priests were the chosen from among the chosen--the greatest of servants to the whole community, therefore the most recognized. What they bring as gifts to Yahweh must be completely consumed. The closer we draw near, the more of ourselves we want to give to Him.
17. Then Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying,
18. "Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, "This is the instruction about the sin offering: In the [same] place where the going-up offering is killed, the sin offering must be killed in front of Yahweh. It is most holy.
19. "The priest who offers it for sin will eat it. He will eat it in the Place of Holiness; it must be eaten in the courtyard of the Tent of Appointment.
20. "Anything that touches it must be holy. And when any of its blood gets spattered on the clothes, whatever it is spattered on must be washed in the Place of Holiness.
Become holy: It may never again be used for commonplace purposes. The same holds true for the people He is making holy. Nehemyah refused to speak even to king's messengers when he was doing the important work of rebuilding the holy city; the Apostles would not set aside the ministry of the word in order to wait on tables. (Acts 6) The LXX places more emphasis on the person who owns the spattered garment being washed himself.
19. "Also, any clay container it is boiled in must be broken, but if it is boiled in a bronze container, it has to be scrubbed, then rinsed with water.
Both clay and bronze are removed from the earth, being less valuable than gold or silver, but clay absorbs some of the blood, so it has to be thrown away.
22. "Any man among the priests may eat from it; it is most holy.
23. "And any sin offering the blood of that is brought into the Tent of Appointment to make atonement for the holy place must not be eaten. It must be burned with fire.
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The Priests Start Their Work
CHAPTER 8
1. Then Yahweh said to Moshe,
2. "Take Aharon and his sons and the garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened [bread],
3. "and get the whole congregation together at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment."
4. And Moshe did what Yahweh had told him to, and the whole congregation was gathered together at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment.
5. Then Moshe told the congregation, "This is what Yahweh has ordered [us] to do."
6. And Moshe brought Aharon and his sons and washed them with water,
7. and put the tunic on him, belted him with the sash, clothed him with the long robe, put the efod on him, fitted him with the fancy waistband of the efod, and tied it onto him with it.
8. Then he also laid the pouch on him, and put the urim and thummim inside the pouch.
The urim and thummim were either two stones that gave a "yes" or "no" answer from Yahweh, or spelled out the letters of an answer from Him using the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on the High Priest's breastplate.
9. He also put the turban on him, and on the front of the turban he put the gold plate (the holy crown of being dedicated to his job), just as Yahweh had commanded Moshe.
10. Then Moshe took the anointing oil, and anointed the Place for Yahweh to live and everything that was in it; this way he made them separate [from any other use].
11. Then he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all of its tools, as well as the washbasin and its base, in order to make them separate.
12. Then he poured [more] of the anointing oil on Aharon's head, anointing him, to [mark] him as dedicated to his job.
13. And Moshe brought Aharon's sons, put tunics on them, belted them with waist-sashes, and wrapped head-gear on them, just as Yahweh had commanded Moshe.
14. Then he brought the bull for the sin offering, and Aharon and his sons put their hands on the bull of the sin offering,
15. and [one of them] killed it [by cutting its throat], and Moshe took the blood and put it on the horns of the altar, on all sides, with his finger, setting the altar free from sin. Then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar, setting it apart as holy so that a covering [for sins] could be made on it.
16. Then he took away all the fat that was on the inside parts, and the lobe that hung over the liver, both kidneys, and their fat. Then Moshe burned them on the altar.
Moshe was teaching the priests the steps that Yahweh showed him on the mountain, then turned the responsibility over to them.
17. But he burned the bull, its hide, its skin, and its waste with fire, outside the camp, just as Yahweh had commanded Moshe.
18. Then he brought the ram of the going-up [offering] close, and Aharon and his sons put their hands on the ram's head,
19. and killed it [by cutting its throat without it hurting], and Moshe threw its blood onto every side of the altar.
20. Then he divided the ram into pieces [by its joints], and Moshe burned the head, the divided-up pieces, and the fat.
The pieces were burned on separate fires on the altar according to categories.
21. But he washed the inside parts and the legs with water. Then Moshe burned the whole ram on the altar; it is something that goes up to be a refreshing aroma to YHWH. It is an offering by fire to YHWH.
22. Then he brought the second ram near--the ram of starting their new job, and Aharon and his sons put their hands on the ram,
23. and he killed it [by cutting its throat], and Moshe took some of the blood and put it on Aharon's right ear lobe, the thumb on his right hand, and the big toe on his right foot.
24. And he brought Aharon's sons, and Moshe put blood on their right ear lobes, the thumb on their right hands, and the big toe on their right feet. Then Moshe threw the blood onto all the sides of the altar,
The blood was put on the ear lobes to remind the priests to listen to Yahweh's words. The thumbs are closest to the heart when "lifting holy hands" to show that they are clean, representing taking into our heart what we do with our hands. And without the big toe there can be no balance. Putting it on the right foot probably symbolizes following our better side rather than our worse side.
25. and took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat on the inside parts, and the lobe that hangs over the liver, both kidneys, their fat, and the right leg.
26. And he took one loaf of unleavened bread, one cake made of oiled bread, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened loaves, and put them on top of the fat and the right leg.
27. Then he set all of it upon the open hands of Aharon and upon the palms of his sons, and he swung them back and forth as a wave offering in front of the face of YHWH.
28. Then Moshe took them off their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the ascending offering; they are offerings for when a priest starts his job, which is a refreshing aroma. It is a fire offering to Yahweh.
Without the vowel pointings (which do not appear in the original Hebrew text anyway), the phrase "a fire offering to Yahweh" can also read, "a wife for YHWH", because providing a bride for Him is what we should be thinking about when we bring all of these offerings.
29. Then Moshe took the breast and swung it back and forth as a wave offering before the face of Yahweh, from the ram of starting their new job. This was to be the part Moshe got, as Yahweh had commanded Moshe.
30. Then Moshe took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aharon and his garments and upon his sons with him and their garments. Thus he set apart Aharon, his garments, his sons, and their garments as holy.
Sprinkled: a pattern would result that looked very much like the stars in the sky, reminding those who saw it of YHWH's promise to multiply Avraham's seed and thus restore the fallen Adam (whose name is related to the Hebrew for "blood") through Messiah, who would "sprinkle many nations". (Yeshayahu 52:15)
31. Then Moshe told Aharon, "Cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment, and eat it there along with the bread that is in the basket of the priests [who are] starting their new job, just as I commanded, saying, 'Aharon and his sons will eat it.
32. "'And whatever is left over of the meat and the bread, you must burn with fire.
Once it is set apart for Yahweh, it cannot be used for other purposes.
33. "'And you must not leave the entrance to the Tent of Appointment for seven days, until the days of your starting your new job are finished, because [for] seven days He will fill your hands.
34. "'Yahweh has designed it to be done just as He did on this day, in order to make a covering over you.
35. "'So you must stay at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment day and night for seven days, and you must guard the treasure of Yahweh so you will not die, for these are the orders that were given to me."
36. So Aharon and his sons did all the things that Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moshe.
CHAPTER 9
1. Then on the eighth [shemini] day, Moshe called for Aharon, his sons, and the elders of Israel.
The eighth day symbolizes a new beginning.
2. And he told Aharon, "Take a calf for yourself, a son of the herd, for a sin [offering], and a ram for a burnt [ascending] offering--perfect ones--and bring them close to the face of Yahweh.
3. "And tell the descendants of Israel, 'Choose a male baby from the goats to be a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, [each] a year old [and] perfect, to be a going-up offering.
4. "'Then [fetch] a bull and a ram as peace offerings to kill in front of Yahweh's face, along with a food offering mixed with oil, because today Yahweh will appear to you.'"
This is what we have really been waiting for; everything prior to it was just preparation, but the process of drawing near is important as well, so it is detailed here.
5. So they brought the things Moshe had told them to bring to the front of the Tent of Appointment, and all of the congregation came near and stood in front of Yahweh.
6. And Moshe said, "This is the thing that Yahweh has commanded: Do it, and you will be shown how important Yahweh is."
7. Then Moshe told Aharon, "Come to the altar and perform your sin offering, and make a covering over yourself and for the people, then make the offering for the people and make a covering for them, as Yahweh has told you.
The first offering made the priest holy enough to make the second sacrifice as a representative for the rest of the people.
8. So Aharon came over to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering that was for himself,
9. and Aharon's sons brought the blood near to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put [some of] it on the horns of the altar. Then he poured the [rest of the] blood at the bottom of the altar.
10. Then he burned the fat, the kidneys, and the lobe [of fat] that hangs over the liver from the sin offering on the altar, just as Yahweh had told Moshe to do.
11. Then he burned the skin and the hide with fire on the outside of the camp,
12. and he killed the going-up [offering], and Aharon's sons brought him the blood, and he threw it against every side of the altar.
13. Then they gave him the going-up offering piece by piece, and the head too, and he burned them on the altar.
14. And he washed the inside parts and the legs, then burned them like the going-up offering on the altar.
15. Then he brought the people's offering--the he-goat of the sin offering which is for the people --and killed it [by cutting its throat painlessly], making it a sin offering like the first.
There were two sin offerings: the bull for Israel as a whole nation, and the goat for each Israelite individually.
16. And he brought the going-up offering, and did it the way the directions said to do it.
17. Then he brought the grain offering close, and filled his hand from it and burned this [part] on the altar, besides the morning going-up [offering].
18. And he killed the bull and the ram [by cutting their throats as] a slaughter of peace [offerings] which are for the nation, and Aharon's sons gave him the blood, and he threw it against every side of the altar.
19. And [they brought him] the fat of the bull and ram--the fat tail, [the fat] that covers [the inside parts], the kidneys, and the lobe [of fat] that hangs over the liver,
20. and they set the fat [parts] on top of the breasts, and burned the fat on the altar.
21. But Aharon swung the breasts and the right front leg back and forth in front of YHWH as a wave offering, as Moshe had told [him] to do.
22. Then Aharon lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, then came down from making out the sin offering, the going-up [offering], and the peace offerings.
The root meaning of "blessed" is "bent the knee to". The high priest was giving of himself to them--a perfect picture of Y'shua.
23. Then Moshe and Aharon came into the Tent of Appointment, then they went out and blessed the people, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to the whole nation,
24. and fire came out from in front of Yahweh and ate up the [offering] that went up and the fat [that was also] on the altar. When all of the people saw [it], they gasped for joy, and fell on their faces.
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