1. LEVITICUS
BECOMING HOLY

2. LEVITICUS - THEMES
Legal Ceremonial Text Instructions for Purity 1. Obedience to God 2. Preserve Jewish Identity 3. Preserve Jewish Unity

3. ALL AT Mt SINAI 1-7 Holy worship regulations (sacrifices/offerings)
ONE MONTH LONG
1-7 Holy worship regulations (sacrifices/offerings)
8-10 Priests must be holy to worship
11-15 People must be clean and pure
16 Israel needs atonement
17-26 Holiness code
27 Vows and tithes

4. SIN High-handed “Thus the priest shall make atonement
on your behalf, and you shall be forgiven.”
Lev 4:31c
“By this Jesus everyone who believes
is set free from all those sins from
which you could not be freed by
the law of Moses.”
Acts 13:39
“High handed sins…native or alien… affronts the LORD and shall be cut off from the people.” Num 15:30

5. SACRIFICES & OFFERINGS
Burnt Offering – voluntary, entire animal for God-bull, sheep, goat, dove, pigeon;
devotion & atonement (Gen 8:20-Noah)
Cereal Offering – voluntary, priest eats some-bread baked, grilled, fried, roasted, cereal;
seasoned (oil & frankincense-pleasing odor), unsweetened, unleavened
devotion and gratitude (Lev 2)
Peace Offering – voluntary, people eat some, right thigh to priest-cattle, sheep, goat;
consecrated fellowship meal between 2 parties & God, leftovers burnt
Sin Offering – mandatory atonement, unintentional sin (Lev 4), priests eat some;
lay hands on bull, killed, sprinkle blood in front of veil & altar horns
Guilt Offering – mandatory atonement, priests eat some- ram or silver to make restitution
repay debt of sin (reparation); 1/5 of silver to priest

6. PURITY: MIXING HOLY WITH UNHOLY
Chemical Reaction
Holy wins
Unholy loses
Nadab & Abihu Lev 10:1-3
Uzzah & Ark 2 Sam 6:7
Aninas & Sapphira Acts 5:1-10
Ritual Impurity
Sin +/-
Contagious
Human realms
The closer we get to God, the more pure we must be: high priest in the Temple

7. IMMORAL PURITY
Power of Sin is contained and mitigated, but not defeated. Sin Severe cancer Contagious disease Radioactivity

8. PURITY – GOD’S REALM Mixing Realms
All mortal sins are impure - Idolatry and murder Loss of body fluid (life) - Blood or intimacy - Wholeness/Holiness Closer to God † Higher Purity
Mixing Realms
Crossbreed animals
Mixed fiber garments
Cross dressing
Inappropriate relations
Marriage outside faith
Kosher laws

9. REGAINING PURITY Purifying Agents Blood – most powerful
Water - mikvah Bath
Smoke – incense, sacrifices
Fire – highest realm (God)
, from
purification (sin) offering

10. KEEPING KOSHER - OBEDIENCE
Dietary and Food Prep Laws Hebrew word – kasher (proper or pure) Certification of a Rabbinical Organization overseeing production

11. KOSHER LAWS – THE BASICS
Certain animals and derivatives are never eaten.
Permitted birds and mammals must be killed
according to Jewish law.
All blood must be drained or broiled out.
Certain parts of permitted animals are not eaten.
Permitted meats cannot be eaten with dairy.
Grape products made by non-Jews forbidden.

12. ANIMAL REALMS Genesis 1 – water, earth, sky Fish Not Kosher (impure)
Mixed realms
Death association
Carnivores
Predators
Serpent-like
Fish
Need fins/scales
Not Kosher
shellfish/mammals

13. HINGE OF LEVITICUS Day of Atonement Yom Kippur: Chapter 16
Specific date
God’s presence/mercy seat
Priest purification/garments
Sin/burnt offerings – priest & people
Wilderness goat (16:21-22)
Censor with coals and sweet incense
Bull’s blood sprinkled Mercy seat
and on sacrifice altar
Deny yourself, no work, a Sabbath
“For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the LORD. It is a Sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall deny yourselves; it is a statue forever.” Lev 16:30-31

14. BOOK OF NUMBERS Two Censuses 1-10 At Sinai (Census, camp design
10-12 To Kadesh (Quail,
Mariam/Aaron
13-20 At Kadesh
12 spies, Korah’s rebellion
20-36 To Jordan
Moses’s sin, Balaam

15. PRIESTLY BENEDICTION The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron
and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites.
You shall say to them:
“The LORD bless and keep you;
The LORD make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.”
Num 6:22-26

16. BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY 2nd Law Moses’s Last Words Heartbeat of OT
Catechism of Torah
Quotes 83x in NT
-Jesus in desert

17. DEUTERONOMY - OUTLINE
1-4 Moses retells salvation story (to 2nd generation) 5 – Ten commandments repeated 6-28 Law as commentary on ten commandments (6-11 about loving God) (12-28 about relating to others) Blessings & Curses (Lev 26) Renewing the Covenant 31 Moses commissions Joshua 32 Song of Moses 34 Moses’s last blessing & death
Cliffhanger
God’s command:
Leave Sinai and invade
the Promised Land!

18. GOD’S LAW vs LAW OF MOSES
Ezekial 20:25 – criticizes old covenant law
CCC 122 – OT contained matters imperfect and provisional
harem warfare
divorce
Mosaic Covenant placed beside the Ark (31:26)

19. THESIS OF DEURONOMY
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
Deut 6:4-5
Obey commandments – Blessing!
(Land, children, livestock, food, defeat enemies, work, honor, rain, wealth)
Disobey commandments – Curse!
(Cursed, food, fertility, offspring, livestock, disaster, panic, frustration, destroyed, perish quickly, pestilence cling to you, drought, consumption, fever, inflammation, blight, mildew, enemies will defeat you, object of horror, madness, blindness, confusion of mind, abused, robbed, wife raped, kids stolen, kids eaten, exiled, trembling heart, failing eyes languishing spirit)

20. RATIFY BLESSINGS & CURSES
Schechim
Mt. Gerizim
(blessings)
Mt. Ebal (curses)
Deut 11:29 – Josh 8:30-35

21. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Have you experienced God’s blessings? Have you experienced consequences of sin (curse)? When have you experienced God’s presence? How do we as Catholics get purified?

22. שָׁלוֹם בְּרָכָה וְטוֹבָה Peace, blessing and (all) good (to you).
Shalom berakhah ve-tovah
שָׁלוֹם בְּרָכָה וְטוֹבָה Peace, blessing and (all) good (to you).