Day 4: Study Notes (Leviticus 3:1-17)
Parsha: Vayikra
Day #4: Leviticus 3:1-17
Wednesday 18 March, 2026
(Leviticus 3:1-5)
In this portion of Parsha Vayikra, we learn about the "Well-Being" or "Peace Offering" that comes from the herd (elsewhere (Leviticus 4:10): Ox). We learn this offering is to be:
- Male or Female
- Without blemish
As with the other Offerings, there is a step-wise process for the manner in which a person is to bring a Peace Offering:
1. The one offering the animal lays their hands upon the head of the animal.
Previously we understood the laying on of hands as follows:
We learn in Leviticus 1:4 that in order for a sacrificial animal to be accepted by Hashem, the one bringing the offering is first to lay his or her hand on the head of the animal. This gesture "ensures that the offering will be acceptable on (his/her) behalf, in expiation for (him/her)."
This gesture is similar to the laying on of hands when anointing and appointing priests and kings. But, for non-priests (such as the offering-bringer), this action hearkens to Genesis when Hashem commanded Adam to "have dominion over all of the animals." The hand on the head of the animal during the sacrifice ritual, then, seems to connote, "This is mine, I have charge over this one. This one is anointed and selected on my behalf and on behalf of my sin."
Thus, it is as if the offering-bringer is not only taking charge of his or her own sin by bringing the necessary offering, but also the sacrifice that will atone for them. This system takes true accountability, which is a fitting system for the purely Holy Hashem!
Instructions for the Peace Offering (continued):
2. The Offering is slaughtered at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting (NOT at the Altar of Burnt Offerings)--This differentiates the Peace Offering from the Burnt Offering.
3. The Priests dash the blood on all sides of the altar. As we have learned previously for other offerings, the dashing of the blood on all four sides of the animals is, again, like the Hebrew word for LIVE: chai. We have seen this before in the Pesach offering.
חַי
Here, Aaron (or the Priest) is like the Angel during Pesach.
The blood is like the blood on the doorposts, marking out the one bringing the offering for life.
4. The fat of the animal is offered as a Burnt Offering on the altar and turned into smoke. The specific areas of fat on the animal include:
- The fat that covers the entrails
- The fat that surrounds the entrails
- The two kidneys and the fat on them
- The protuberances on the liver.
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.
(The turning of the fat into smoke hearkens to the smoking pot that was present in Genesis 15. Previously we learned this indicates a fulfilment of Hashem's promise to Abraham (then, Abram) that Abraham nor his descendants would have to become like the animal pieces if we failed to keep our part of the covenant. Rather, Hashem would provide a way to take care of the necessary substitute on our behalf.)
(Leviticus 3:6-11)
We learn in these verses about the "Well Being Offering" or "Peace Offering" that is offered from the FLOCK. We learn this well-being offering is to be:
- Either Male or Female
- Without Blemish
As with the other Offerings, there is a step-wise process for the manner in which a person is to bring a Peace Offering from the flock that is a SHEEP:
1. The one bringing the offering places his or her hands on the head of the sheep, indicating ownership of the animal and the offering.
2. The Priest is to slaughter the animal in front of the Tent of Meeting.
3. The priest is to dash the sheep's blood on all four sides of the Burnt Offering Altar
4. The fat of the Sheep is to be offered as a Burnt Offering on the altar and turned into smoke. Again, the specific areas of fat that will be turned into smoke include:
- The broad tail, removed close to the backbone
- The fat covering the entrails
- The fat surrounding the entrails
- The two kidneys and the fat on them
- The protuberance of the liver.
Why the Broad Tail of the Sheep? The broad tail is only offered as the Burnt Offering portion for the sheep, not the animals of the herd, nor (as we will see below) the goat. This hearkens to Hashem's promise that, if His people keep His mitzvot, He will make His flock (the Jewish Israelite people) "the head and not the tail." (Deuteronomy 28:13).
Thus, here it appears that the tail is burned as the "ram in the bush," signifying that eventually Hashem will keep His promise without ever needing to burn His people in the fire--the sheep's tail burns and turns to smoke so that whatever may prevent the flock of Hashem from becoming the head (or what is keeping them in the position of the tail) is burned along with the tail and completely removed (like smoke in the wind).
(Leviticus 3:12-15)
We learn in these verses about the "Well Being Offering" or "Peace Offering" that is offered from the FLOCK and it is a Goat. We learn this well-being offering is to be:
- Either Male or Female, Without Blemish
As with the other Offerings, there is a step wise process for the manner in which a person is to bring a Peace Offering from the flock that is a GOAT:
1. The one bringing the offering places his or her hands on the head of the sheep, indicating ownership of the animal and the offering.
2. The Priest is to slaughter the animal in front of the Tent of Meeting.
3. The priest is to dash the sheep's blood on all four sides of the Burnt Offering Altar.
4. The fat of the Sheep is to be offered as a Burnt Offering on the altar and turned into smoke. Again, the specific areas of fat that will be turned into smoke include:
- The fat covering the entrails
- The fat surrounding the entrails
- The two kidneys and the fat on them
- The protuberance of the liver.
Note, that the offering brought from the goat is offered in nearly the same exact way as the offering brought from the sheep. The only difference is that with the goat, the tail is not offered as a burnt offering.
Why Not Offer the Tail? We can understand this to be a difference that should heighten the significance of the meaning of the burning of the sheep's tail. Meaning, since the tail of the goat is not burned, the tail is not a "ram in the bush". This hearkens to Hashem's promise to differentiate between the animals in His flock (Ezekiel 34:17-22).
In Ezekiel chapter 34:17-22, Hashem specifically mentions separating out/judging differently those of His flock whom He considers to be "rams or bucks." Though Hashem does not mention goats, should we expand the inference? Can we understand that the goat here represents those of Hashem's flock that "trample down," and otherwise abusively deal with fellow Jews can cause Israel to become the tail, without any possible expiation? Is this a warning and call for teshuvah? Is it a call for us to turn from evil, mean, and abusive ways? I dare to say yes to all of the above.
(Leviticus 3:16-17)
We read again about the Fat being turned into smoke, but more specifically that the fat is offered "as food".
These two words (as food) seem to hold immense weight that supports the argument that the fat of the sacrificial animals is offered as the "ram in the bush" so the fat and sustenance of the Jewish people do not have to be withheld and/or that the curse of famine is staved off with such an offering. For, fat comes when there is an abundance of provision from Hashem. Therefore, fat is the proof of Hashem's promised blessing of provisions. (To comprehend this better, we can conversely think of Joseph's interpretation of the skinny cows in Genesis 41:27, which indicated 7 years of famine globally).
(Leviticus 3:17)
Verse 17 of Leviticus chapter 3 states,
"All the fat is Hashem's. It is a law for all time throughout the ages, in all your settlements: you must not eat any fat or any blood."
This command does not mean we should eat fat-free diets. Rather this command refers to the prohibition of eating raw fat, and the fat of animal sacrifices. As our sages teach in Keritot 4a: 21-23:
מִכְּלָל דְּרַבָּנַן סָבְרִי: לָא יָלְפִינַן דָּבָר לָמֵד מֵעִנְיָינוֹ? לָא, דְּכוּלֵּי עָלְמָא יָלְפִינַן דָּבָר הַלָּמֵד מֵעִנְיָינוֹ, וְהָכָא בְּהָא פְּלִיגִי, רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל סָבַר: לְמֵידִין לָאו מִלָּאו בֵּין מִלָּאו וּבֵין מִלָּאו דְּכָרֵת,
The Gemara raises a difficulty: Can one conclude by inference that the Rabbis maintain we do not derive halakhot by employing the hermeneutical principle of: A matter is derived from its context? This cannot be correct, as it is an accepted basic principle of exegesis.
The Gemara answers: No, everyone agrees that we do derive halakhot by employing the hermeneutical principle of: A matter is derived from its context, and here it is about this issue that they disagree: Rabbi Yishmael maintains that we derive the halakhot of one prohibition from the halakhot of another prohibition, and this applies whether it is from a standard prohibition, whose transgression results in the punishment of lashes, or whether from a prohibition whose transgression results in the punishment of karet.
דְּ״כׇל חֵלֶב שׁוֹר וְכֶשֶׂב וָעֵז״, מִלָּאו דְּ״חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם כׇּל חֵלֶב וְכׇל דָּם לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ״, דִּכְתִיב בְּעִנְיָינָא דְקָדָשִׁים, וּבְקָדָשִׁים לָא אִית בְּהוֹן חַיָּה, אַף ״כׇּל חֵלֶב שׁוֹר״, כִּי כְּתִיב לֵיהּ סְתָמָא לֵיכָּא לְסַפּוֹקֵי בְּחַיָּה, הִלְכָּךְ ״שׁוֹר וְכֶשֶׂב וָעֵז״ לְחַלֵּק הוּא דַּאֲתָא, לְחַיֵּיב עַל כׇּל אַחַת וְאַחַת.
Accordingly, the prohibition of: “You shall eat no fat of ox, or sheep, or goat,” can be derived from the prohibition of: “It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood” (Leviticus 3:17), which is written with regard to the matter of sacrificial animals. And there are no undomesticated animals in the category of sacrificial animals.
So too, with regard to the prohibition of: “You shall eat no fat of ox, or sheep, or goat,” when the verse writes it without further specification, there is no reason to be uncertain whether or not it is referring also to undomesticated animals. Therefore, the phrase “ox, or sheep, or goat” comes to separate, i.e., to render one liable for eating the forbidden fat of each and every one of them.
וְיָלְפִינַן לָאו דְּ״כׇל חֵלֶב״ וְלָאו דְּ״חֻקַּת עוֹלָם״ מִכָּרֵת דְּ״כִי כׇּל אוֹכֵל חֵלֶב מִן הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ מִמֶּנָּה״, מָה הָהוּא לְחַלֵּק – אַף הַדִּין לְחַלֵּק.
All this teaches only that a separate prohibition applies to each type of animal. And with regard to the liability to receive lashes for eating each one we derive the prohibition of: “You shall eat no fat,” and the prohibition of: “It shall be a perpetual statute,” from the example of karet stated in the verse:
“For anyone who eats the fat of the domesticated animal, of which people present an offering of fire to the Lord, the soul that eats it shall be cut off from its people” (Leviticus 7:25).
Just as that verse serves to separate and teach that if one unwittingly ate the fat of an ox, a goat, and a sheep he is liable to bring a sin offering for each one, so too, this verse serves to separate and teach that one is liable to receive lashes for eating the fat of each one. (Keritot 4a: 21-23:)
While this judgment may seem severe, we learn the importance of keeping mitzvot and giving to Hashem what is Hashem's: the fat and the blood of our offerings. These two elements, are important:
The Fat: staves off famine
The Blood: is the life of an animal that is given for the expiation of our sins. If we burn the blood instead of dash or pour out the blood in the proper way, then we run the risk of no expiation.
כִּ֣י נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַבָּשָׂר֮ בַּדָּ֣ם הִוא֒ וַאֲנִ֞י נְתַתִּ֤יו לָכֶם֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ לְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־הַדָּ֥ם ה֖וּא בַּנֶּ֥פֶשׁ יְכַפֵּֽר׃
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have assigned it to you for making expiation for your lives upon the altar; it is the blood, as life, that effects expiation. (Leviticus 17:11)
Thus, may we choose LIFE, and may the Temple and altar be built speedily in our days so that we may truly LIVE by offering every drop of blood in the proper way!
Am Yisrael Chai!
Kimberly Davis