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SERIES F --- WILDERNESS WANDERINGS --- LESSON 07

REGULAR OFFERINGS

OFFERINGS AND FEASTS

From Numbers 28

Before Moses died, Adonai gave the people of Israel these Instructions through him: Be sure to make the burnt offerings regularly, for they are like food to Me, Adonai Commanded. Offer them as I have told you, for they are a pleasing fragrance to Me. Each day offer two male lambs by fire, one in the morning and one in the evening. They must be yearlings without blemish. Offer with each a grain offering of three quarts of finely ground flour mixed with three pints of olive oil. This offering, which I Commanded at Mount Sinai, shall remain continuously, an offering by fire as a pleasant fragrance to Adonai. With each lamb, present a drink offering of three pints of strong wine, poured out before Adonai in the holy place. Each lamb shall be offered as a pleasant fragrance to Adonai, an offering made by fire. On the Shabbat day offer two yearling lambs without blemish, as well as the regular offerings. Offer with them a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil and the same drink offering of six pints of strong wine. Make an additional burnt offering on the first day of each month, presenting to Adonai two young bulls, one ram and seven male yearling lambs. All of these animals must be without blemish. Each bull shall be offered with nine quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil, each ram with six quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil, and each lamb with three quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil. The flour and oil mixture shall be presented as a grain offering. In addition, a drink offering of six pints of wine shall be offered with each bull, four pints with each ram and three pints with each lamb. All this shall be a burnt offering for the first day of each month throughout the year. In addition to all these offerings, you must offer one male goat for a sin offering to Adonai on the first day of each month. Each year you must celebrate Pesach {the Passover} on the fourteenth day of the first month. It was on this day that the Angel of Adonai passed over the firstborn sons of Israel when He destroyed the firstborn sons of Egypt. The Passover Feast shall begin on the following day and continue for seven days. During those days you must eat unleavened bread. The first of the seven days shall be a day of convocation, when the people are called together as a holy gathering. Then you shall offer a burnt offering to Adonai which shall be two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old. All these animals must be without blemish, presented with the grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour with each bull, six quarts of fine flour with each ram and three quarts of fine flour with each lamb. Also, to make atonement for yourselves, offer a male goat as a sin offering. This offering shall be repeated each of the seven days of the feast and shall be in addition to the daily burnt offering. The fragrance of these offerings will please Adonai greatly. On the seventh day of the feast, call another convocation of the people and tell them that they must do no hard work on that day. Call together another convocation of the people for the celebration of Shavuot, the day of the first fruits or Festival of Weeks. Do no difficult work on that day, but make an offering to Adonai. This shall consist of a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs, all without blemish, as well as the grain and drink offerings that go with them. Along with these offerings present the grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil with each bull, six quarts with the ram and three quarts with each of the seven lambs. Offer one male goat also to make atonement for yourselves. Make these offerings in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain and drink offerings. Always be sure that the animals offered are without blemish.

COMMENTARY

LIFE THEY LEFT BEHIND: MIRRORS, RAZORS, AND HAIR

In ancient Egypt, mirrors were expensive and highly prized. Owning one was a sure sign of a woman’s wealth. The poor had to make do with catching their reflection in water. Mirrors were not made of glass with silvered backs, the way they are today. Instead, they were highly polished round metal discs on a handle. Special lined cases prevented them from getting scratched. Mirrors were far less important to the Israelites. They are mentioned only twice in the Old Testament. In Job 37:18, the sky is compared to a polished metal mirror. In Exodus 38:8, the bronze mirrors which the Israelite women gave for the tabernacle laver were probably given to them by Egyptian women. The ancient Egyptians and the Israelites had different feelings about shaving and cutting hair. Among the Egyptians, shaving was a regular part of every day. The men were clean shaven, with neither moustaches nor beards of any sort. Men and women used razors to cut their hair and shave their chins or their heads. To the Israelite man, a thick, luxuriant head of hair and a heavy beard were signs of maturity and maleness. They eventually came to be required, too. For Israelite women, long hair was a glory. It was a sign of maturity and beauty. The hair could be curled, braided, adorned with jewellery, turbans, kerchiefs and veils. After a time, women’s hair was considered so beautiful that it was thought to distract men from thoughts of YHVH and they had to keep their heads covered. A version of this is still practiced among Orthodox Jewish women in the modern world. For tidiness, Israelites sometimes trimmed their hair, using swords, knives or razors. Hair was shaved off only as a sign of mourning or to become ritually pure.

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