Referenzi għall-Fuljett għall-Istudju tal-Laqgħa tal-Ħajja u l-Ministeru Tagħna

7-13 taʼ Diċembru

TEŻORI MILL-​KELMA T’ALLA | LEVITIKU 10-11

“Ħobb lil Ġeħova Iktar mill-​Familja”

it-​1-E 1174

Illegitimate

Illegitimate Fire and Incense. At Leviticus 10:1 the Hebrew word zar (feminine, za·rahʹ; literally, strange) is used with regard to “illegitimate fire, which [God] had not prescribed for them” but which Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu presented before Jehovah and for which he executed them by fire. (Le 10:2; Nu 3:4; 26:61) Subsequently, Jehovah said to Aaron: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating liquor, you and your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, that you may not die. It is a statute to time indefinite for your generations, both in order to make a distinction between the holy thing and the profane and between the unclean thing and the clean, and in order to teach the sons of Israel all the regulations that Jehovah has spoken to them by means of Moses.” (Le 10:8-​11) This seems to indicate that Nadab and Abihu were in a state of intoxication, which condition emboldened them to offer fire not prescribed. Such fire was likely illegal as to its time, place, or manner of offering, or it could have been incense other than of the composition described at Exodus 30:34, 35. Their inebriated condition did not excuse their sin.

Ħaffer għal Ġawhar Spiritwali

it-​1-E 111 ¶5

Animals

These dietary limitations applied only to those who were under the Mosaic Law, for the statement of Leviticus 11:8 is: “They are unclean for you,” that is, for the Israelites. With the abrogation of the Law on the basis of the sacrificial death of Christ Jesus, the prohibitions were canceled, and once more all humans could consider themselves under the same broad provision announced to Noah following the Deluge.—Col 2:13-​17; Ge 9:3, 4.

14-20 taʼ Diċembru

TEŻORI MILL-​KELMA T’ALLA | LEVITIKU 12-13

“Tgħallem mil-​Liġijiet Dwar il-​Ġdiem”

it-​2-E 238 ¶3

Leprosy

In garments and houses. Leprosy could also affect woolen or linen garments, or an article of skin. The plague might disappear with washing, and there were arrangements for quarantining the article. But where this yellowish-​green or reddish plague persisted, malignant leprosy was present and the article was to be burned. (Le 13:47-​59) If yellowish-​green or reddish depressions appeared in the wall of a house, the priest imposed a quarantine. It might be necessary to tear out affected stones and have the house scraped off inside, the stones and scraped-​off mortar being disposed of in an unclean place outside the city. If the plague returned, the house was declared unclean and was pulled down, and the materials were disposed of in an unclean place. But for the house pronounced clean there was an arrangement for purification. (Le 14:33-​57) It has been suggested that the leprosy affecting garments or houses was a type of mildew or mold; however, about this there is uncertainty.

21-27 taʼ Diċembru

TEŻORI MILL-​KELMA T’ALLA | LEVITIKU 14-15

“Il-​Qima Pura Tirrikjedi l-​Indafa”

it-​1-E 263

Bathing

Ceremonial bathing on the part of the Israelites in general was required for various reasons. Anyone who recovered from leprosy, anyone who contacted things touched by those with “a running discharge,” a man who had an emission of semen, a woman after menstruation or hemorrhaging, or anyone having sexual intercourse was “unclean” and had to bathe. (Le 14:8, 9; 15:4-​27) One in a tent with, or touching, a human corpse was “unclean” and had to be purified with cleansing water. If anyone refused to comply with this regulation, he “must be cut off from the midst of the congregation, because it is Jehovah’s sanctuary that he has defiled.” (Nu 19:20) Appropriately, then, washing is used figuratively to denote a clean standing before Jehovah. (Ps 26:6; 73:13; Isa 1:16; Eze 16:9) Bathing with Jehovah’s word of truth, symbolized by water, has power to cleanse.—Eph 5:26.

it-​2-E 372 ¶2

Menstruation

The woman was also viewed as unclean for the duration of an irregular running discharge of blood or “a flow longer than her menstrual impurity,” at which time she made the articles on which she lay or sat as well as persons touching these items unclean. After the abnormal discharge ceased, she was to count seven days, and she then became clean. On the eighth day the woman brought two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, who made atonement for her, presenting one of these creatures to Jehovah as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.—Le 15:19-​30; see CLEAN, CLEANNESS.

it-​1-E 1133

Holy Place

2. The tent of meeting and, later, the temple. The entire arrangement, including the courtyard of the tabernacle and the temple courts, was a holy place. (Ex 38:24; 2Ch 29:5; Ac 21:28) The primary items located in the courtyard were the altar of sacrifice and the copper basin. These were holy objects. Only those persons ceremonially clean could enter into the tabernacle courtyard at any time; likewise, no one could go into the temple courts in an unclean state. For example, a woman in the unclean state could not touch any holy thing or come into the holy place. (Le 12:2-​4) Evidently even a state of continued uncleanness on the part of the Israelites was considered to be a defiling of the tabernacle. (Le 15:31) Those presenting offerings for cleansing from leprosy brought their sacrifice only as far as the gate of the courtyard. (Le 14:11) No unclean person could partake of a communion sacrifice at the tabernacle or the temple, on pain of death.—Le 7:20, 21.

Ħaffer għal Ġawhar Spiritwali

it-​1-E 665 ¶5

Ear

At the installation of the priesthood in Israel, Moses was commanded to take some of the blood of the ram of the installation and put it on the lobe of the right ear of Aaron and of each of his sons, as well as on the right hand and right foot, indicating that what they listened to, the work they did, and the way they walked should be directly affected by what was there taking place. (Le 8:22-​24) Similarly, in the case of the cleansed leper, the Law said that the priest was to put some of the blood of the ram offered as a guilt offering, as well as some of the oil offered, on the lobe of the leper’s right ear. (Le 14:14, 17, 25, 28) An arrangement of comparable nature was found in the provision made for the man who wished to continue in slavery to his master to time indefinite. In such case the slave was to be brought to the doorpost, and his master was to pierce his ear through with an awl. This prominent mark, being made on the organ for hearing, evidently represented the slave’s desire to continue in obedient attention to his master.—Ex 21:5, 6.

28 taʼ Diċembru–3 taʼ Jannar

TEŻORI MILL-​KELMA T’ALLA | LEVITIKU 16-17

Ħaffer għal Ġawhar Spiritwali

it-​1-E 226 ¶3

Azazel

As the apostle Paul explained, by Jesus’ offering of his own perfect human life as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind, he accomplished far more than had been achieved by “the blood of bulls and of goats.” (Heb 10:4, 11, 12) He thus served as “the scapegoat,” being the ‘carrier of our sicknesses,’ the one “pierced for our transgression.” (Isa 53:4, 5; Mt 8:17; 1Pe 2:24) He ‘carried away’ the sins of all who exercise faith in the value of his sacrifice. He demonstrated the provision of God to take sinfulness into complete oblivion. In these ways the goat “for Azazel” pictures the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.