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Various Sacrifices (Lev 1-5)

2 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: ‘When a man [just as Adam did not sacrifice what was stolen, so, you] from among you brings an offering to the Lord, from the beasts [but not all—to exclude participants, active or passive, in sodomy], from the cattle [to exclude objects of idolatry] or from the sheep [to exclude animals designated for idolatry “from the beasts” like cattle and sheep, but not undomesticated animals “or from the sheep”—to exclude animals which gored men to death] shall you bring [two may offer a burnt-offering in partnership] your offering [it may be a communal gift offering].

 

Rashi's Commentary

 

When a man from among you brings an offering—This means, when he brings: Scripture is speaking here of free-will offerings (cf. Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Section 2 4).

 

From the beasts—But not all of them: the phrase is used in order to exclude male and female animals with which sexual sin has been committed (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Section 2 7).

 

The beasts—One might think that wild beasts are also included! Scripture, however, goes on to state, “from the cattle or from the sheep” (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Section 2 6).

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From the cattle—This serves to exclude an animal which has been worshipped as a god (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Section 2 9).

 

Or from the sheep—This serves to exclude an animal set aside for the purpose of being offered to an idol (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Section 2 11).

 

Shall you bring—The plural תַּקְרִיבוּ teaches us that two (or more) persons may bring a burnt offering as a free-will gift in partnership (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Chapter 3 1).

 

Eph 5:2

 

and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

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9 And its innards and its legs shall he wash with water, and the priest shall cause to go up in smoke all of the animal on the altar [specifically], as a burnt offering, a food offering [he must slaughter it to that end], with a pleasing aroma [“gratifying,” (in that his will was done)] to the Lord.

 

2Co 2:15

 

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;

 

17 And he shall tear it open with its wings intact [he need not pluck them out], he shall not divide it [completely (but he tears it along its back)]. And the priest shall then cause it to go up in smoke on the altar, on the wood which is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

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Heb 13:15-16

 

15 Through him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips that give thanks to his name. 16 And do not forget doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

 

1 Now when a soul brings [the Holy One blessed is he says: “I shall account it to him as if he had offered his soul”] a grain offering to the Lord [and he does not specify which, of the five kinds of grain offering], his offering shall be of fine [wheat] flour. And he [even a non-priest] shall pour oil on it [on all of it] and he shall put incense on it [on part of it].

Luk 1:9-10

 

9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense.

 

Joh 6:35

 

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never hunger, and he who believes in in me will never thirst.”

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1Jn 2:20, 27

 

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.

27 As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all

things, and is real and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, remain in him.

 

Jud 1:20

 

But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit,

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Rev 8:3

 

Another angel, holding a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, so that he might offer it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.

 

11 All of the grain offering that you bring to the Lord must not be made out of anything with leaven, for you shall not cause to go up in smoke any yeast or any honey [any sweet-fruit extract], as a food offering to the Lord.

 

Rashi's Commentary

 

Or any honey—Any sweet juice of a fruit is called “honey.”

Mat 16:6, 11-12

 

6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

11 “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he did not say to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

Mar 8:15

 

And he was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”

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Luk 12:1

 

Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were trampling on one another, he began saying to his disciples first of all, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”

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1Co 5:6-8

 

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch—just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with old bread, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

 

Gal 5:9

 

A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.

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13 And you shall season every offering of your grain offerings with salt. And you shall not leave the salt of the covenant of your God from being placed upon your grain offerings [God made a covenant for salt from the six days of creation, when the lower waters were “promised” that salt would be offered up on the altar and that water would be offered as a libation (on the Feast of Tabernacles)]. You shall add salt on all your offerings [with the burnt-offering of beast and bird and with the devoted portions of all sacrifices].

 

Rashi's Commentary

 

You shall add salt on all your offerings—Upon burnt-offerings of cattle and fowls and upon the fat-portions of all sacrifices in general (Menachot 20a).

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Mat 5:13

 

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

 

Mar 9:49-50

 

49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.

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Col 4:6

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Let your conversation always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

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1 Now if his offering is a sacrifice of fellowship offerings, if he is going to offer out of the herd, whether male or female, he shall present it without defect before the Lord.

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Rom 5:1-2

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1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have gained our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we boast in hope of the glory of God.

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Col 1:20

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and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether they be things on earth or things in heaven.

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1Jn 1:3

 

what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

 

11 And the priest shall cause it to go up in smoke on the altar, as food for the fire, to the Lord.

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Rashi's Commentary

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As food for the fire, to the Lord means: it is the food for the fire in honour of the Lord.

1Co 10:21

 

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

 

Rev 3:20

 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he with me.

 

3 If the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people [if the high-priest sins, it is “to the guilt of the people,” for they depend upon him to atone for them and to pray for them], then he must bring to the Lord a young bull [three years old] without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.

 

1Pe 3:18

 

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the body, but made alive in the Spirit;

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1 If a person sins after he hears a public charge to testify when he is a witness to some matter, whether he has seen or otherwise known it, if he does not tell it, he will bear his transgression.

 

Mat 26:63

 

But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I charge you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

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1Pe 2:24

 

and “he himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you were healed.”

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16 He must make restitution for what he has sinned in the holy thing [the principal], and shall add one fifth of its value to it and give it to the priest. The priest will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

 

Rashi's Commentary

 

He must make restitution for what he has sinned in the holy thing both the principal and the additional fifth to the Temple treasury (cf. Keritot 26b).

 

Luk 19:8

 

Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”

 

Act 26:20

 

but kept declaring both to those in Damascus first, and also in Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and then even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate

to repentance.

 

Heb 9:13-14

 

13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God!

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17 Now if a soul sins and does any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, though he was unaware [that he has definitely sinned (as when one ate a piece of meat and was later informed that one of the two pieces before him was forbidden, so that he might have eaten the forbidden piece)], still he is guilty and will bear his sin.

 

Luk 12:48

 

but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

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This work "Various Sacrifices" is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" and "The Rashi Ketuvim" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0

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