Day 5: Study Notes (Leviticus 4:1-26)
Parsha: Vayikra
Day #5: Leviticus 4:1-26
(Study Notes)
(Leviticus 4:2)
We must first note that Leviticus 4:2 begins with Hashem declaring "When a person unwittingly incurs guilt," not "if". This confirms that Hashem knows our nature and that He knows that we will sin. SO, Hashem has set in place a system of animals sacrifice, SO the animals are the "rams in the bush" offered so that He does not have to take the life of His people.
(Leviticus 4:3)
We see that when a priest sins, the blame of his sins falls upon the people. While this may seem "unfair," there is a deeper truth and reasoning to this ruling. Hashem has set the Levites as the substitute for all of the First-born sons of Israel (Numbers 3:41).
Meaning, if a family does not want to sacrifice their son (i.e. send him into the LORD's service for their entire life, like Hannah did with Samuel), then the son's service is covered by the Levite. Thus, when a Levite sins, it is as if all of the first-born sons of Israel sin.
(Leviticus 4:3)
We read the sacrifice for a Priest's unintentional sin is to be a BULL, without blemish.
(Leviticus 4:4-7)
Provides us with the order of steps that the Priest must go through in order for his sacrifice to be accepted. These steps include:
Bringing the bull to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting
Laying his hands on the bull's head (as we have learned elsewhere, this laying on of hands indicates ownership by the priest of the animal and his sins)
Slaughtering the bull before the LORD in front of the Tent of Meeting (NOT at the altar)
The Priest is to bring some of the blood into the Tent of Meeting.
The Priest is then to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle the blood seven times before Hashem in front of the curtain that separates the Holy of Holies.
The Priest will place some of the blood on the 4 horns of the incense altar that is before the LORD.
The rest of the blood is to be poured out at the base of the Burnt Offering altar.
(Leviticus 4:6)
The sprinkling of blood is far different than the precise placement of blood that is required for the Pesach offering and the Burnt offerings. This sprinkling is also performed in front of the curtain of the Holy of Holies.
If we remember from Exodus, this curtain contains on it embroidered images of cherubim. This seems significant: as if Hashem is reminding the Priest that He has chosen the Levites as His special portion--like the cherubim in the heavens, the priests are to be the human ministers of Hashem's will on earth. Thus, when they sin, the Priests sprinkle blood on the ground--like Abel's blood that still cries from the earth.
(Leviticus 4:7)
The placement of blood on the horns of the incense altar also differs from the blood of the Burnt Offerings, which is to be placed on all four sides of the Burnt Offering altar. We learned previously that the blood on the Burnt Offering altar makes the word chai, or "LIVE".
The fact that the blood of the sin offering is only to be placed on the horns of the altar speaks volumes. Instead of leading to life, sin separates--the sides of the letter het are missing. Life cannot form when sin is present.
(Leviticus 4:8-12)
We read that the only portion of the Priest's sin offering that is burned on the Burnt Offering altar is the fat of the Bull: that which covers the entrails, all the fat around the entrails, the two kidneys, the fat on the kidneys, and the protuberances on the liver.
The fat offering is to be turned into smoke. Meaning, like the Burnt Offerings, the fat acts as a "ram in the bush" for the Priests.
Why the fat? In Torah, blessings of abundant food come with keeping mitzvot. Famine comes as a curse when mitzvot are not kept. Thus, it seems that the fat is burned so that the sustenance of Hashem's people does not have to be. Meaning, famine is staved off and the fat of the people and priests remains. The kidneys and liver have the specific duty of filtering the blood of impurities. By burning them as a "ram in the bush" of sorts, it is as if Hashem is saying that He accepts the animal pieces to cleanse the impurities of His people and priests.
(Leviticus 4:12)
We learn that the rest of the Bull is NOT to be burned on the Burnt Offering Altar. Rather, the rest of the bull (hide, head, flesh, legs, entrails, dung) is to be taken OUTSIDE the camp to a clean place--to the ash heap--and is to be burned on a wood fire in that place. This appears to be the "ram in the bush" that is burned in place of Hashem's priests so the priests will not be cut off and burned in Hashem's wrath, as if they were people outside of His covenant, Jewish people.
(Leviticus 4:14-19)
We learn that when the community sins unwittingly, the sin sacrifice is offered in the exact same manner as the priests' sin sacrifice. This makes the poignant point of the connection between the Priests and Hashem's election of them as the "substitutes" for the first-born of the Israelites. For, when the community sins, we can say the first-borns sin; so, the priests sin (vicariously, or through lack of duty to properly lead the people).
(Leviticus 4:20-21)
The sin offering of the community is to be burned outside the camp as well, in the same manner as the priests' sin offering. This, arguably, is the "ram in the bush" offering so that the entirety of the Jewish community is not cut off and burned up in the wrath of Hashem, as if they were outside of His eternal covenant.
(Leviticus 4:22-23)
We learn that the sin offering for a chieftain (or leader of the Jewish people) who incurs guilt by sinning unwittingly, is a male goat, without blemish.
(Leviticus 4:24)
The chieftain is to lay his hands on the head of the goat, indicating that he takes ownership of the goat and his sins that the goat is going to take the place of sacrificially.
Unlike the Priests' or the Community's sin sacrifices, the chieftains' sin sacrifices are to be slaughtered at the Northside of the Burnt Offering Altar (or "at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered.")
This differentiation indicates that while Moshe did indeed choose chieftains to help him rule and judge the community, the chieftains are not equal to Priests, especially the High Priests.
(Leviticus 4:25)
The Priest is then to take the blood of the chieftain's offering and place it on the horns of the altar only. Note, the blood is not dashed on the sides of the altar, like the blood of a burnt offering.
This, again, indicates that sin does not lead to "chai." Rather sin separates. Chai (life) cannot form. Sin leads only to death. The remaining blood is to be poured at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
(Leviticus 4:26)
We again read that the only part of the offering that is to be burned on the altar is the fat of the goat, by which "expiation is made on (the chieftain's) behalf for his sins, and he shall be forgiven." We are not told in Leviticus chapter 4 about what is to happen with the rest of the chieftain's offering. This, we will learn about in our later studies.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Kimberly Davis