This sheet on Leviticus 6 was written by Beth Kissileff for 929 and can also be found here
When humans do things, they can never be quite sure they are getting it right, even with commandments and instructions from God.
In chapter 8, the priests are commanded to suit up, to dress the part of being priests. One of the tools they have, along with the four articles of clothing worn by all priests and the four vestments unique to the High Priest (the fringed linen tunic, the sash, the robe and the ephod), are the Urim and Tummim.
The Urim and Tummim remain “elusive” to our comprehension according to Bible scholar Baruch Levine in his commentary on Leviticus. They seem to function as a kind of oracle to channel the word of God, but we don’t have a narrative here suggesting how they are used. The description here and in Exodus 28:30, that they should be placed on the “heart of Aaron” are all we have to try to comprehend their possible use.
Levine suggests that they may have been flat stones known as puru in Mesopotamia and purim in the book of Esther. Later in Leviticus we will see the “goral” (a word used in the book of Esther along with purim) used to send one goat to the wilderness and the other to slaughter (16:8).
But we know that even when humans get a message, they can scramble the words or misunderstand. Given all this authority, the ability to discern a message from God, the High Priest needs to continue to retain humility in the face of the immense power granted him now.
When the slaughter of the ram occurs in Leviticus 8:23 the cantillation note above the word for slaughter is a shalshelet, a rare note, one that indicates hesitation (also in Genesis 19:16, 24:12, 39:8). In fact, the person doing the act of slaughtering is unclear too – we assume it is Aaron but it is possible to interpret it as Moses.
The hesitation and uncertainty illustrated by the shalshelet note show a certain humility; even with all the power he has been granted, Aaron is hesitant to go ahead and make the incision. Yet he does, and the portion ends on the note that “Aaron and his sons did all the things which the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses” (8:36).
I believe it is the hesitation and humility that enabled Aaron to be capable of carrying out the commandments properly.
Beth Kissileff is the editor of the anthology Reading Genesis (Bloomsbury/ T and T Clark, 2016) , a journalist and teacher.
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