Book of Leviticus

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 “And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle” (Lev. 1:1). Did God really speak from the tabernacle when the tabernacle was not yet built? On the day on which the tabernacle was erected, that which is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures both before and after its construction was spoken. Could the sacrifices of Aaron and his sons, as well as the sacrifices offered by the whole host, have been made until the law of sacrifices was announced to them? In those seven days that Aaron and his sons spent inside the tabernacle, everything that needed to be known about the sacrifices was revealed. And the fact that the tabernacle was erected in the second year after the descent served as a prototype of the new creation in Christ; and by the fact that the tabernacle was erected on the first day of the week, the resurrection was predicted. It was established that the sacrifices should be slaughtered and placed on the altar of the sons of Aaron, so that in the eyes of the one offering the sacrifice it would have more value when he saw that the sons of Aaron themselves were offering the sacrifice. “If... the burnt offering shall be made from birds to the Lord, let him offer it from turtledoves” to the Lord (Lev. 1:14). This is in accordance with what has been said: a person, “if he promises... to do evil or good..., he shall utter it with an oath... and bring... to the priest... either two turtle doves, or... a tenth of an ephi measure of wheat flour... and it will be left for him” (Lev. 5:4, 7-8, 11, 13). “All... kvass and all honey, let ye not bring it as a gift to the Lord” (Lev.2:11). The law commands not to sacrifice honey, firstly, because honey cannot be salted. The Law commands: “And let every gift of your sacrifice be seasoned with salt” (Lev.2:13); secondly, because bees land on dead bodies and on everything unclean, prohibited by law. In another sense, the prohibition to bring honey means the prohibition to enjoy worldly pleasures. Moreover, the law commands that the sacrifice be seasoned with salt, that is, with love, which with its pleasant taste salts the tastelessness of earthly things. “Let him put a barrier on the liver, with the kidneys” (Lev.3:4). The membrane on the liver signifies the first movement of the soul towards any spiritual activity; two kidneys and the fat on them signify the flow of her thoughts and her spiritual ability to discern and understand. “Let us not eat any fat (fat, sweets) or eat anything” (Lev.3:17). Do not eat fat, because it makes the body fat and leads to intemperance; Do not eat blood as the food of wild animals. He who eats fat is a blasphemer, because he steals what is offered to the Lord and does not repay to Him what is set apart for Him. And whoever eats blood places the seal of sin on everyone who approaches him. “If... the prince sins... let him bring... a goat from the goats. If... the soul... sins... from men... let it bring... a goat or a sheep” (Lev.4:22–23, 27–28, 32). The goat represents Immanuel's sacrifice; the goat is an image of the fact that Immanuel was “a curse against us” (Gal. 3:13); and the sheep resembles what was said: “Like a sheep led to the slaughter” (Is. 53:7). There were four sacrifices made: for the priest, for the host, for the prince and for every soul. The priests depict the world before the flood; host - the world before Abraham; prince - peace before the law; and every soul is the world until Christ, who bore the sins of all and was slain for all. The cleansing of minor sins was not easy for the Jews; and this meant that the pagan peoples would be granted the purification of grave sins by Tuna, for, according to the law, the priest, the host, the prince, and the commoner, if he sinned even out of ignorance, had to make a sacrifice from his property, and then the sin was cleansed. That is why it is said: “Write My commandments in your heart and on the surface of your gates, so that you may meditate on them when you go in and out” (Deut. 6:6–7, 9), and it is also added: “Make them robes on the edges of their garments, so that they do not forget” (Num. 15:38). “If you offer a sacrifice of the firstfruits to the Lord; a sheaf dried in the fire, grain threshed and winnowed, that you may offer as a gift of your firstfruits” (Lev. 2:14). A sheaf dried in the fire, who else but Immanuel? In His death He became the firstfruits, and paved the way for the offerings of the saints. Lebanon (Lev. 2:15), laid on the sheaf, depicts the union of His Divinity with His humanity, because without separation of Divinity and humanity He gave Himself up to death. “And let the fire always burn... and never go out” (Lev.6:13). The sons of Aaron had to lay down the wood and clear away the ashes themselves so that all this would have greater significance in the eyes of the people. The priests were required to offer “a tenth of an ephi of flour of wheat as a sacrifice always, half of it in the morning and half of it at evening” (Lev. 6:20). There was also a sacrifice of confession, with which the offerer confessed his sin, even if it was done out of ignorance. There was a victim of the vow in illness, or when going to war, or for other reasons. There was also a free sacrifice, when someone separated and offered a sacrifice to God not for any special reason, but out of zeal. There was a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for the benefits of God and every good acceptable from God. In addition to these sacrifices, there were regular sacrifices, offered in the morning and evening, and special sacrifices, offered on holidays (Lev. 7:11-21). “And Moses took the anointing oil, and sprinkled it on the altar seven times... And Moses brought the sons of Aaron, and clothed me with aprons, and aprons, and put hoods on her” (Lev. 8:10–13). Moses sprinkled the anointing oil and blood from the altar on Aaron and his sons and their vestments, and sanctified them, and said: “at the door of the tabernacle... sit for seven days until it is completed” (Lev.8:35). So during these seven days they had the priesthood only in name, and Moses performed the priestly service. Aaron and his vestments are sanctified with anointing oil and sacrificial blood. This makes it clear that the priests offer the sacrifice at the sacramental meal by the Holy Spirit. “And fire came out from the Lord, and consumed” Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron (Lev.10:2). “The fire went out” not because the sacred fire was extinguished, as some claim, for on the same day the fire appeared on their sacrifices (Lev. 9:24); and not because Nadab and Abihu were drunk, as others say, for they were in fasting and prayer before they began the sacred rites; and although they were anointed to the priesthood on the first day when the tabernacle was erected, they did not offer sacrifices. Nadab and Abihu were punished not for one fault, but for many, as Scripture shows: firstly, they brought in alien fire, when there was already fire, which at that time came down and consumed the victims; secondly, they neglected Moses and Aaron and, without receiving permission from them, burned incense; thirdly, they caused disorder in the order of their ministry by burning incense at the wrong time; fourthly, they entered the inner tabernacle, the place where their father Aaron entered once a year. And the words: “bringing... alien fire” (Lev. 10:1), the following is expressed: the will of Adam and Eve, who desired to be gods, is called alien fire. When the Lord commands that the fire of the burnt offering not be extinguished until the morning, this means that the fire of the law will not be extinguished on the altar until the morning of the appearance of Emmanuel. “Let them eat” from the kind of birds that walk the earth: “the locust with its kind... and the hargol with its kind” (Lev.11:21-22). With this, the law, as if with a finger, points to people who have distracted their love from earthly things, take for themselves only what is most necessary for their needs, and give everything that remains to the poor. “And this... is unclean from the spitting creatures... the vixen and the mouse and the crocodile... the lizard, the mole, the salamander. And if anyone falls into it... anything from their body will be unclean” (Lev. 11:29-32). The image of these reptiles represents the spiritual vices of people who are in spiritual blindness. When listing clean animals, the law includes chamois and deer among them, but it prohibits sacrificing them, like honey. “And if any of their bodies fall into it, they will be unclean.” But if our body is defiled against our will, then all its purity must be preserved in the soul. It is known that saints also have clean bodies; Such was the body of Elisha, which after death became famous for its miracles; and Moses carried the bones of Joseph, and he himself was buried by God, and Samson was glorified by the bone, and Elijah was not defiled by touching the dead body of the son of the widow of Sarepta. “If a woman... if she conceives and gives birth to a man... in the day... of her purification... she will be unclean: and on the 8th day she shall circumcise her final flesh... and let her not enter into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.” Seven days and thirty-three days he will “sit in the blood” of cleansing (Lev. 12:2–5). For in the first seven days the bleeding occurs constantly, and in the next thirty-three days it gradually decreases and finally stops completely. Therefore, a woman is unclean from her own blood, and not from what is born of her. For the blessing says: “Grow and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). But why, “if... the female sex gives birth” 4 (Lev.12:5), the time of purification doubles? Is it because the female sex is more honorable than the male sex, or because it takes so long for the initial formation of the female sex to take place in the mother’s womb, so that a male child receives its initial formation in the womb in forty days, and a female child in eighty days? Wives who gave birth were commanded to pray before the doors of the tabernacle. Since this custom was also observed by the pagans, so that the Jews would not say that the pagan temples are more honorable than the house of God, the law keeps the wives who gave birth before the doors of the tabernacle, even if they were pious, while it allows men and the wicked to enter the tabernacle. “For a man, even if there is on the skin of his flesh... a yellow mark or shine... and the hair in the sore will turn white... there is a sore of leprosy” (Lev. 13:2-3). This is the image of a soul naked before God, when, having lost its beauty, it has become defiled by sin and, as infected with wickedness, cannot look at God with an open face. If someone is leprous, “his garments will be torn, and his head will not be covered, and he will be entwined around his mouth” (Lev. 13:45). The lips of the wicked cannot say anything in their own defense, as if by a bridle they are restrained from all insolence. “And the priest shall command,” and they shall bring “two clean living birds, and cedar wood, and... scarlet and hyssop... and let them slaughter one bird... over the living water... and let the living bird be dipped in the blood of the slain bird over the living water, and let them sprinkle it on him that is being cleansed” (Lev. 14:4-7). The two birds (“bird houses”) with which the leper was cleansed represent the image of a synagogue rejected by God. The bird was slaughtered at the source in the image of that source of blood, which was poured out by the Crucified Lord - the Source of purification. The bird slaughtered at the source is Emmanuel, and this depicts His incarnation, with which He, as it were, poured blood into the veins of the pagan peoples. “And a robe, even if there is a plague of leprosy on it, is on a robe of cloth, or on a rag, or on a spun, or on a tow... or on a wave” (Lev. 13:47-48). A house, if there is leprosy in it... This shows the superiority of true worship over the service of idols, which was among all pagans. However, the house of leper also represents the people of Israel; and the stones covered with leprosy represent the wicked crucifiers. In the cleansing of visible leprosy the cleansing of the heathen nations is clearly represented; just as after killing one bird, another bird was sprinkled and released into the field, so with the killing of the Life-Giving Flesh, the sprinkled bodies of the pagans received life and, like a bird that flew into the field, ascended to paradise. “And let Aaron cast lots on both goats: one lot for the Lord and another lot” Azazel 6. “Let him bring the goat of the Lord for the sake of sin: and let the goat... Azazel let it go... to Azazel in the wilderness” (Lev. 16:8-10). A goat offered to God is offered as the Creator and Savior who led the Jews out of Egypt; therefore, he will be slaughtered to cleanse the sanctuary and everything in it, not from sins, because the sanctuary and its vessels are not involved in sin, but from the filthiness of the Israelites, who often with knowledge, or out of ignorance, enter the sanctuary without being cleansed of everything from which the law commanded them to be clean. It cannot be assumed that the sins of the people were placed on the living goat, for the one true Sacrifice that ascended the tree is the cleansing of the whole world. The goat took upon himself only those wickednesses of the people that remained on him after daily ablutions; carried them away “to an impassable land” (Lev. 16:10), which was not defiled by them. One goat, which was for the Lord, served as a sign of the strength of God, and the other was a reference to the truth of God, which put many thousands to death in the desert. since Aaron brought both goats, and slaughtered one, and released the other to Azazel, then the slaughtered goat meant Christ, who was slain for us; another goat, released to Azazel, depicted the same Christ after His crucifixion and death, when He, having taken upon Himself the sins of many, came out alive and immortal. “I am the Lord your God... after the beginning of the land of Canaan... you shall not create” (Lev.18:2-3). In order to warn the sons of His people who were entering into the inheritance of the land of Canaan, and at the same time to justify His justice, according to which He struck the Egyptians and was ready to destroy the Canaanites, God counted all the iniquities that were and are being committed by the Egyptians and Canaanites, and by this he admonishes the Jews that if they do not beware of such deeds, then they, like the former inhabitants, will be wiped out by the earth. “And thou shalt not gather up the fallen olives from thy harvest,” and thou shalt not glean fallen olives (Lev. 19:9). This commandment clearly prescribes the mercy of the new Gospel, as well as what is said further: “and love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). “And let not your livestock be mixed with the livestock of another kind... and let not you place garments made of two (things) on yourselves” (Lev.19:19). This was prescribed for the purpose of separating the Jews from those peoples whose lands were assigned to them as an inheritance, so that they would not be carried away by empty pagan fables and would not confuse the false teaching and vile customs of the pagan peoples with the teaching and commandments of the Divine Law, and would not divide their love between God and the world. “Do not make enemies and do not tell fortunes on birds, do not let hair grow on your head, do not follow ventriloquists” (Lev. 19:26-27, 31). Ventriloquism is a type of sorcery through which demons speak. The Syrians call these magicians Zahur. Demons enter the womb of unfortunate women, from their stomach and side or other members they emit a weak, child-like voice, prophesy and deceive those who listen, making them think that they are really telling them the future and the hidden. So it was with Saul, as the Scripture relates; He too was deceived by this kind of magic. The law also restrains the Jews from another pagan custom, according to which the pagans, as if by vow, grew their hair, and then at a certain time cut it off at sacred springs, or in the temples of the gods, while the law forbade cutting hair, saying: “Do not put bald spots on your heads” (Deut. 14:1). “And a woman... if she comes near... the cattle, she will be with him, and you will stone the woman and the cattle” (Lev. 20:16). By commanding the stoning of cattle, the law wants to destroy the very memory of the vile deed committed among the people, so that the appearance of the cattle does not bring to mind what the audacity of freedom has done. “Man is blind, or lame” (Lev. 21:18–20, below also) - under the image of the blind man is represented here a man whose spiritual eyes are blinded by the lust of the temporal; “or snub-nosed” - this is how a person is depicted whose spiritual sense of smell is open to the stench of vile passions and closed to the fragrances of remembrance of the Lord; “or taken care of” - this, as if with a finger, indicates a person in whose hearing there is no remembrance of the commandments of God, and who easily forgets what he has heard, due to his attachment to the community of evil people. “Or hunched over” is the image of a person who shirks the care of heavenly things and turns to the affairs of the dead sons of the earth; “or eyesore” - he is like a man who, after the revelation of the mysteries opened his inner eyes, damaged and lost the clarity of his vision through the mud of worldly cares; “or hunchbacked” - in this image the law excommunicates from the spiritual priesthood all those who are burdened with care for the affairs of the dead; “or one of one” - under this image it is forbidden to elevate to a spiritual degree a person who is considered learned, but in his deeds does not show what he teaches others. “Either a leper, or one who sheds semen,” - under this image those who retain the remembrance and envy of the old man are excommunicated from service in the sanctuary and expelled; “he has brokenness... his legs”: the one who has driven out the remembrance of heavenly things from his thoughts has crushed his leg; or “he has a broken hand”; He broke the hand who had banished from his thoughts the care of good and heavenly things, and closed his mouth to praise. “Or short,” this clearly indicates a person who does not want to rise in soul, because he loves to grovel in the dust, and who is disgusted with walking in an upright position in order to free himself from slavery to the womb. “Or who has no hair in his eyebrows” is an image of a person who has lost his chastity, sins and wickedly without shame, without blushing. “Or who does not see with open eyes” is a person whose sinful darkness has darkened the clarity of spiritual vision. The law excludes such from offering sacrifices in the sanctuary, but allows them to eat from the saint, because the priest gives them the Sacraments not for their delight, as if they were perfect, but for cleansing them from sins, as if they were sinners. “A man who eats something holy out of ignorance, that is, eats what was brought to God either by vow or as a tithe, and let him give it to the holy priest, and let him add a fifth... part to it” (Lev. 22:14). “And I will groom the bull or the sheep...”. A calf or a sheep whose ear is cut off is an image of hated disobedience. “...or without tails” (Lev.22:23). This is the image of a person who is always ready to argue and is accustomed to dissembling. “To him the essence of the yatra was crushed, and to him it was crushed, and cut up” (Lev. 22:24). “To him... the yatra is crushed” - this is a person who is accustomed to concealing virtue in his soul and deprives it of fruitfulness by not doing good; for those whose yatras are broken cannot bear children, according to the law established by God. “And cut up” is an eunuch, and means a person who has rejected and cast out the fruitfulness of teaching and spiritual work, and has loved an idle life and parasitism. “He is crushed” - this is a person who has damaged in himself the beginnings of generating right and good thoughts, and when he sets out to do something, he does not have the strength to carry out what he has undertaken, and does not do it with the deed itself. The Jews had the following holidays: the first was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, in remembrance of their deliverance from Egypt. The second is the holiday of bringing sheaves, the beginning of the harvest, in thanksgiving to Him who feeds them. The third is the New Year holiday. The fourth is a holiday of fasting and humiliation for serving the calf; Others were added to this last holiday, similar to the taking of their captives to Babylon. The fifth is the Feast of Tabernacles, in memory of the One who overshadowed them with a cloud. The rite of worship among the Jews consisted of daily smoking of incense, lighting a lamp from evening to evening, and keeping an unquenchable fire on one lamp, offering bread from Saturday to Saturday, which only the priests could eat. In the seventh month “let you have rest, a remembrance of trumpets... and on the tenth day of the seventh month... a Sabbath and a Sabbath... rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God” (Lev. 23:24, 27, 32, 40). In these images, God calls His people to joy and contemplation of all rational beings. “And let ye take up branches of orange, palm, myrtle, and willow” (Lev.23:40). The four kinds of branches represent the four hosts of those who contemplate, which in another place is represented by four chariots and four animals. In the orange branches see the first host in the east of the tabernacle of heaven, in the palm branches - the second host in the south of the tabernacle, in the myrtle branches - the third host in the west, and in the willow - the fourth in the north. At the same time, know that this tabernacle is not made by hands, the hosts of saints around it do not change their place. “Take flour of wheat, and create twelve loaves: two tithes, let there be one bread” (Lev. 24:5). This is a new offering of all nations. Sour loaves are an image of the Churches, gathered from Jews and pagans, who received into themselves the admixture of heavenly kvass, which, having removed the unleavenedness of the world, gave them pleasantness and aroma. In these twelve loaves we also see the apostles, in whom the bread that nourishes the soul is hidden, and by the image of the twelve loaves we mean the twelve tribes, mysteriously reclining around the table of life. “And the son of Israel and the man of Israel hid in the field; and the son of Israel called the name of the Israelite, and cursed him” (Lev. 24:10-11). “He called the name,” that is, he blasphemed God and laughed, saying: “God cannot bring His people into the land that He promised.” After “seven weeks of years”, “seven times seven years”, that is, in the fiftieth year, freedom will be proclaimed to those in slavery and everyone will be given back what they were deprived of for their sins (Lev. 25:8, 10). “And I will bring terror upon you, and leprosy, and yellow grass, and the flow, damaging its eyes and the soul of... melting it away” (Lev.26:16). “Horror”, that is, numbness, because after the crucifixion of Christ the Jews no longer heard the voice of the prophets, priests and kings. “And leprosy”, that is, I will leave them in old things, because they did not want to be stripped of them in the holy waters. “And the yellow woman”, because they are exposed by the sinful impurities that are obvious to everyone. “And the current, damaging her eyes and soul are disappearing... because their great insolence has increased and their spiritual vision of their souls has been damaged. Moses did not give his sons the priesthood, so that they would not become arrogant and so that murmuring would not be aroused among the people, as the people later grumbled against the sons of Samuel and began to ask for a king, and also because the mother of the sons of Moses was not a Hebrew; and, finally, since Moses was called God, he, disdaining everything human, did not want his sons to have the priesthood. If anyone considers pickiness in food useful, then let him know that the Jews in the desert ate manna for forty years, but could not sanctify their thoughts; and the ark cleansed all who were in it, because by faith they were saved from the flood. There is no interpretation for this chapter. The words have been rearranged: “the female gender will give birth.” – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” Lev.16:8: “...another lot for redemption” You might be interested in: