Numbers 18: Responsibility of Priests and Levites / The Priests' Portion / The Levites' Portion
Numbers 19: Ceremony of the Red Heifer
Yesterday's reading closed with the Israelites fearing for their lives after the violent deaths of those who approached the Lord where only priest should tread: "We are perishing; we are lost, all of us are lost! Everyone who approaches the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all to perish?" (Num. 17.12-13). Today's reading offers a response clarifying the roles of the priests and Levites as the Israelites wander in the wilderness.
Responsibility of Priests and Levites: Numbers 18.1-7
The Lord directly tells Aaron that he and his sons shall be held responsible for offenses committed by the priests. The Levites are added for offenses connected with the sanctuary - probably meaning that if a Levite goes near the sanctuary, he will die. The Levites are to serve the priests in the day-to-day tasks of ministering to God and the people, actions connected with the tent. However, they may not approach the utensils of the sanctuary or the altar, otherwise the Levites, Aaron, and Aaron's sons will all die. Duties of the sanctuary and the altar are the responsibility of the priests only.
God declares Aaron's priesthood to be a gift, and the Levites to be a gift as well. But Aaron and his sons must be diligent in their priestly duties to avoid death.
The Priests' Portion: Numbers 18.8-20
The Lord declares to Aaron that he and his sons are in charge of the sacrifices, and for that reason receive the leftovers of the most holy offerings (grain, sin and guilt), whether bread or grain or animal.
Elevation offering belong to all of Aaron's family, the women included.
The best of the wine and grain and the first fruits also belong to the entire family, as well as every devoted thing to the Lord and the firstborn of all creatures (except for the firstborns of humans and unclean animals, which are redeemed).
In exchange for this means of sustainment, Aaron and his family are not allotted land, and their possessions are to be shared with all the Israelites.
The Levites' Portion: Numbers 18.21-32
Likewise, the Levites receive no allotment of land or inheritance. They survive on the tithes of grain and wine from the Israelites. These tithes are in turn tithed and given to God. That is, they are given to the Aaronite priests for their own use. (As if the Levites were not angry enough already!) The best of all the tithes is given over to Aaron and his sons. The rest is "payment for you service in the tent of meeting" (Num. 18.31). To profane the holy gifts is to invite death.
In contrast to what is stated above, the Lord explicitly commands Aaron that the Levites will bear responsibility for their own offense. Huh.
Ceremony of the Red Heifer: Numbers 19
Now that that is all cleared away, it is time to lay down some commandments. Oh yeah.
The Lord commands that the Israelites bring a red heifer to Moses and Aaron. The red heifer is to be without blemish or defect and a yoke must never have been laid on it. The heifer will be given to the priest Eleazar, who will slaughter it outside the camp. Eleazar will take some of the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the tent of meeting. The heifer should then be burned by another, and the priest will throw cedar, hyssop, and crimson material on the fire. The priest and the one who burns the heifer must then wash their clothes and body. They may reenter the camp, but will remain unclean until evening.
A clean person is to take the ashes and deposit them in a clean place outside the camp. The ashes will be used in the water for cleansing. This person too shall wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.
What follows are commandments regarding the water for cleansing.
Anyone who touches a dead body will be unclean seven days. They will purify themselves on the third and seventh day with the water of cleansing, and become clean. Those that do not will be cut off from the Lord. If a person dies in a tent, every person who enters the tent as well as the tent itself must be cleansed with the water.
Learn More
The red heifer will feature more prominently into later stories. Just you wait.
The red heifer, it is said by some, is a requirement if the Third Temple of Israel is to be built. See more on the history and modern implications of the red heifer at the Temple Institute web site. [The Temple Institute is an organization in Jerusalem whose long-term goal is to "do all in our limited power to bring about the building of the Holy Temple in our time."]
For more on the contemporary fundamentalist Christian take on the red heifer, check out The End of Days by Gershom Gorenberg. It takes a look at religion and politics inside and outside of Israel, exploring the tensions, similarities, and differences between them. Though written before September 11, 2001, its look at religious fundamentalism in the Middle East and America is indispensable.
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