![]() ![]() Why were fish not sacrificed? Is it simply because fish was not considered one of the best foods, unlike the preference for salmon today?.Strong beasts such as lions and elephants cannot be sacrificed even though many people think they acquire some of the power of what they eat, and they may have thought they were giving power to the gods by gifting them such beasts. (1) Many kinds of sacrifices are allowed, but more are disallowed.The Torah’s attitude to sacrifices, as understood by Maimonides, becomes clear when we view (1) the restrictions on what can be sacrificed, (2) the thinking of ancient pagans regarding sacrifices, (3) the biblical rules about what may and what may not be eaten, (4) whether it is logical to think that God needs food to give Him pleasure or sustain Him, and (5) how animals are killed.We also read about the prohibition of placing leavened bread and honey on the altar, and the use of salt. These allow us to see if Maimonides was correct in telling us that God neither needs nor wants sacrifices but let them in the past because people felt they needed to show God love by doing so. ![]() The first portion of Leviticus details many kinds of sacrifices, such as burnt offerings from the herd and flock, meal offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, and offerings of first fruits. During three weeks, two portions are read together on Shabbat because of the failure to read one during Passover and because 2023 is not a Jewish leap year, and we want to read all 54 portions annually. One of the ten is not read during one week because Shabbat occurs during Passover, and reading about Passover replaces it. The book was named Leviticus when translated into Greek around 200 BCE. Later, like the first portion, it was called Vayikra, the opening word of the book. The third book as a whole was initially called in Hebrew Torat Kohanim, “ The law of the Priest,” since much of the book deals with the priestly functions of the family of Moses’ brother Aaron and the Israelite duty to be a priestly nation. The first weekly portion in the third Book of Moses is called Vayikra.
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