Leviticus
Chapter 1
The Lord Calls Moses
The Lord called Moses and from the Tent of Meeting addressed him, saying:
“Speak to the people of Israel; say to them: When anyone brings an offering of an animal to the Lord, it may come from either his cattle, sheep, or goats.
Burnt Offerings
If the offering is a burnt offering from his cattle, he must present a bull without any defect. He shall bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting so that the Lord may accept his offering.
He is to lay his hand on the bull’s head. It shall be accepted as a sacrifice to atone for his sins.
Then he shall slaughter the bull before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall offer its blood. They will pour it out on the sides of the altar that stands at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
Next, he shall skin the animal and cut it into quarters.
The sons of Aaron, the priests, must place fire on the altar and arrange the wood on the fire.
Then the sons of Aaron, the priests, are to place the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood of the altar fire.
The man shall wash the internal organs and legs in water, and the priest will burn all of it on the altar. This will be a burnt offering, and its pleasing aroma will be a sweet-smelling fragrance to the Lord.
If his offering is an animal from the flock, a lamb or a goat offered as a burnt offering, he must offer a male without any defect.
He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall pour out the blood on the sides of the altar.
Then he is to quarter it, and the priest is to arrange the quarters, along with the head and the fat, on the wood of the altar fire.
The man shall wash the internal organs and legs in water, and the priest shall burn all of it on the altar. This will be a burnt offering, and its sweet-smelling aroma will please the Lord.
If the man offers a bird as a burnt offering, he is to present a turtledove or a young pigeon.
The priest shall offer it at the altar and wring off its head, which he shall burn on the altar; afterward, its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.
Then he shall remove the crop and feathers, which he is to toss on the eastern side of the altar, where the ashes from the fat are placed.
He is to divide it into two halves with a wing on each side, but without separating the two parts. Then the priest shall burn it on the altar along with the wood on the fire. This will be a burnt offering, and its sweet-smelling aroma will please the Lord.
Commentaries
The Lord Calls Moses.
The book begins by noting that God calls Moses to speak with Him in the tent of meeting. This scene still takes place at the foot of Mount Sinai, where the Sanctuary has just been carefully built and filled with divine glory (Ex 40:34-38). To fully understand the book, we need to imagine ourselves during the exile, around the second half of the 6th century B.C., within the purpose of the priestly tradition (P): rebuilding Israel physically, morally, and spiritually. The main idea in the book is that Israel was taken captive as punishment for its unfaithfulness to God, who is holy and faithful. However, God will welcome them back and forgive them. Israel is called to respond by being as faithful as possible, which can only be achieved through perfect worship. In this context, it becomes clearer why there is such strict regulation of sacrifices and all related worship practices. We should remember that many, if not all, of these rules were made during the exile, when there was no Temple or formal worship; thus, they represent ideals meant to be fully realized. Unfortunately, this caused severe hardship for the people, to the extent that Jesus himself called them the most significant barrier to experiencing the Father’s loving mercy.
Burnt Offerings.
The burnt offering was the most common sacrifice in the Temple. Its main feature was that the entire victim, except for the skin or hide, was completely burned. The Greek name, meaning “completely burned,” likely derives from this fact. Additionally, the holocaust is divided into three types: large livestock (3-9), small livestock (10-13), and birds (14-17). The offeror places his hand on the large or small livestock before the sacrifice. Note that each type of sacrifice must be performed at a specific location on the altar: to the north (11) or to the east (16). The most frequent and abundant holocausts involved small livestock, especially birds, due to the socioeconomic conditions of the people; only the wealthy could afford to offer a bull. In all three types, the formula that states the purpose of the sacrifice is repeated: “it is a holocaust: an offering of aroma that appeases the Lord” (9.13.17).