Leviticus-Chapter-8
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Remember the following truth from our
beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO
THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL
YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction to Leviticus Chapter 8:
Leviticus Chapter 8 marks a pivotal
transition in the life of
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Let us read Leviticus Chapter 8, verses 1 to 36: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah). Below this chapter you
will find my commentary on same.
1. “And יְהוָה - the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2. ‘Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bullock of the sin-offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; 3. and assemble thou all the congregation at the door of the tent of meeting’. 4. And Moses did as יְהוָה - the LORD commanded him; and the congregation was assembled at the door of the tent of meeting. 5. And Moses said unto the congregation: ‘This is the thing which יְהוָה - the LORD hath commanded to be done’. 6. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. 7. And he put upon him the tunic, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. 8. And he placed the breastplate upon him; and in the breastplate he put the Urim and the Thummim. 9. And he set the mitre upon his head; and upon the mitre, in front, did he set the golden plate, the holy crown; as יְהוָה - the LORD commanded Moses. 10. And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the Tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. 11. And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the laver and its base, to sanctify them. 12. And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. 13. And Moses brought Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with tunics, and girded them with girdles, and bound head-tires upon them; as יְהוָה - the LORD commanded Moses. 14. And the bullock of the sin-offering was brought; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock of the sin-offering. 15. And when it was slain, Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the remaining blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it. 16. And he took all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses made it smoke upon the altar. 17. But the bullock, and its skin, and its flesh, and its dung, were burnt with fire without the camp; as יְהוָה - the LORD commanded Moses. 18. And the ram of the burnt-offering was presented; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 19. And when it was killed, Moses dashed the blood against the altar round about. 20. And when the ram was cut into its pieces, Moses made the head, and the pieces, and the suet smoke. 21. And when the inwards and the legs were washed with water, Moses made the whole ram smoke upon the altar; it was a burnt-offering for a sweet savour; it was an offering made by fire unto יְהוָה - the LORD; as יְהוָה - the LORD commanded Moses. 22. And the other ram was presented, the ram of consecration, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 23. And when it was slain, Moses took of the blood thereof, and put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 24. And Aaron’s sons were brought, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot; and Moses dashed the blood against the altar round about. 25. And he took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right thigh. 26. And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before יְהוָה - the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat, and upon the right thigh. 27. And he put the whole upon the hands of Aaron, and upon the hands of his sons, and waved them for a wave-offering before יְהוָה - the LORD. 28. And Moses took them from off their hands, and made them smoke on the altar upon the burnt-offering; they were a consecration-offering for a sweet savour; it was an offering made by fire unto יְהוָה - the LORD. 29. And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave-offering before יְהוָה - the LORD; it was Moses’ portion of the ram of consecration; as יְהוָה - the LORD commanded Moses. 30. And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons’ garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him. 31. And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons: ‘Boil the flesh at the door of the tent of meeting; and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying: Aaron and his sons shall eat it. 32. And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. 33. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting seven days, until the days of your consecration be fulfilled; for He shall consecrate you seven days. 34. As hath been done this day, so יְהוָה - the LORD hath commanded to do, to make atonement for you. 35. And at the door of the tent of meeting shall ye abide day and night seven days, and keep the charge of יְהוָה - the LORD, that ye die not; for so I am commanded’. 36. And Aaron and his sons did all the things which יְהוָה - the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses”.
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Verses 1-5: (The Public Witness). The process begins with a Divine command to Moses to gather the specific materials: the ‘garments’, the ‘oil’, and the ‘sacrificial animals’. By assembling the entire congregation (or their representative elders) at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) ensures that the legitimacy of the priesthood is indisputable. Moses explicitly states, “This is the thing which יְהוָה - the LORD hath commanded to be done,” highlighting that the authority for this office comes solely from the Creator, and not from human ambition.
Verses 6-9: (Washing and Investiture). Moses first washes Aaron and his sons with water, a symbolic act of purification that separates them from the “common” or “profane” world. Following this, Aaron is clothed in the eight unique vestments of the High Priest (Kohen Gadol). Each item, the ‘tunic’, ‘sash’, ‘robe’, ‘ephod’, ‘breastplate’ (containing the Urim and Thummim), and the ‘turban’ transforms the man into a living extension of the Tabernacle. The crowning piece is the golden plate (Tzitz) on the turban, inscribed with “Holy to יְהוָה - the LORD”, signalling that his very thoughts and person are now dedicated to the Divine.
Verses 10-13: (The Anointing of Space and Person). Before Aaron is anointed, Moses anoints the Tabernacle and all its vessels. This unifies the priest with the sanctuary; both are set apart by the same sacred oil. When Moses pours the oil on Aaron’s head, he is “consecrated” a word derived from the root for “holiness” (Kodesh). Aaron’s sons are then clothed in simpler white tunics and sashes, marking their role as assistants in this holy work.
Verses 14-21: (The Three Sacrifices). Three specific offerings are required to complete the transition:
1. The Sin Offering (Chattat): A bull is sacrificed first. Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head, acknowledging their own human fallibility. Even those who mediate for the people must first address their own need for atonement.
2. The Burnt Offering (Olah): A ram is entirely consumed by fire, symbolizing the total dedication of the priests’ lives and energy to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim.
3. The Ram of Ordination (Miluim): This unique sacrifice is the climax of the ceremony.
Verses 22-30: (The Ritual of the Ear, Thumb, and Toe). In a remarkable ritual, Moses applies the blood of the “Ram of Ordination” to the tip of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. This signifies that every faculty of the priest is now “claimed” for service: his ‘hearing’ (to listen to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s word), his ‘doing’ (the work of the hands in the sanctuary), and his ‘walking’ (his moral conduct in the world). This same ritual is then performed for his sons.
Verses 31-36: (The Seven-Day Seclusion). The ceremony does not end immediately. Aaron and his sons are commanded to remain at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for seven days and nights. This period of “filling” (the literal meaning of Miluim) serves as a transition period. They eat the remains of the ordination sacrifice and the bread from the basket, sharing a “meal of fellowship” with the Divine. By the end of these seven days, their status is permanently altered; they have fully crossed the threshold from the common to the holy!
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My Closing Message:
The message of Leviticus 8 is that holiness is a discipline of total presence. The meticulous detail with which Moses ‘washes’, ‘clothes’, and marks the priests teaches us that service to the Divine is not a matter of mere sentiment, but of concrete action and sustained commitment. By marking the ear, the thumb, and the toe, the Torah reminds us that a life of service requires us to sanctify how we listen, how we work, and where we walk. As Aaron and his sons sat at the entrance for seven days, they were taught that true transformation takes time and steadfastness. May we take from this chapter the understanding that we are all capable of “setting apart” our own actions to reflect a higher purpose, ensuring that our daily “walk” is worthy of the Presence we seek to honour!
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