Leviticus 19
"Tabernacle", Biblical illustrations, Sweet Media, 1984.
BookBook of Leviticus
Hebrew Bible partTorah
Order in the Hebrew part3
CategoryTorah
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part3

Leviticus 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It contains laws on a variety of topics, and is attributed by tradition to Moses.[1]

Text

The original text of Leviticus 19, like the rest of Leviticus, was written in Hebrew. Some of the more ancient Hebrew sources for this chapter, are the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Samaritan Pentateuch. There is also a Greek translation known as the Septuagint, from the 3rd century BC. Since the introduction of chapter divisions in the late medieval period, this chapter is divided into 37 verses.

Synopsis

The chapter begins with God giving Moses a message for the Israelites about the need to be holy, to respect parents, and to avoid idolatry (verses 1–4). Next are instructions for peace offerings (5-8), food aid for poor people and foreigners (9-10), and various instructions relating to ethical treatment of others (11-18) and agricultural practices (19). The chapter penalises adulterous relations between a free man and a married female slave (20-22), and restricts the use of fruit from young trees (23-25). The chapter closes with a variety of other regulations on several subjects (26-36) and a general instruction to obey all of God's commands (37).

The laws of Leviticus 19 are put in no obvious order, and as a result scholars tend to think that the chapter includes a collection of regulations from various sources.[1]

The practice of leaving a portion of crops in the field for poor people or foreigners to use, mentioned in verses 9 and 10, reappears in the second chapter of the book of Ruth.

Golden Rule

Included in this chapter is the Golden Rule, (verse 18) which states, (Hebrew: ואהבת לרעך כמוך‎):

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

— Leviticus 19:18

Hillel the Elder (c. 110 BC – 10 AD),[2] used this verse as a most important message of the Torah for his teachings. Once, he was challenged by a gentile who asked to be converted under the condition that the Torah be explained to him while he stood on one foot. Hillel accepted him as a candidate for conversion to Judaism but, drawing on Leviticus 19:18, briefed the man:

What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.

— Shabbath folio:31a, Babylonian Talmud

Judaism

In Judaism, the whole chapter is part of the weekly Torah portion (parashah) Kedoshim (קְדֹשִׁים‎) which comprises Leviticus 19:1-20:27.[3]

In addition, the chapter (or parts of it) is sometimes used as the Torah reading during the afternoon service on Yom Kippur, particularly in Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, and Conservative Judaism.[4][5][6] In that context, it is used as a substitute for the traditional reading, which is the previous chapter, Leviticus 18.[7]

Decalogue

This chapter contains statements that echo the contents of much of the Ten Commandments (Decalogue).[8]

TopicLeviticus 19Exodus 20
graven images19:420:3
using God's name in vain19:1220:7
the sabbath19:3, 3020:8-12
honouring parents19:3120:12
murder19:1620:13
adultery19:2920:14
stealing19:11, 1320:15
lying19:1120:16

However, the relationship is not obvious because the wording, much of the precise concept and the order of presentation are different.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 See page 239 in Carmichael, Calum M. “Laws of Leviticus 19.” The Harvard Theological Review, vol. 87, no. 3, 1994, pp. 239–256.
  2. ↑ Jewish Encyclopedia: Hillel: "His activity of forty years is perhaps historical; and since it began, according to a trustworthy tradition (Shab. 15a), one hundred years before the destruction of Jerusalem, it must have covered the period 30 BC–10 AD"
  3. ↑ Parashah calendar
  4. ↑ Block, Bruce S. (September 28, 2017). "Yom Kippur: A reading list". Jewish Standard. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  5. ↑ Harlow, Jules, ed. (1978). Maḥzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: A Prayer Book for the Days of Awe (2nd ed.). New York: Rabbinical Assembly. pp. 628–631. ISBN 0874411483.
  6. ↑ Plaskow, Judith (2015). The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Feminism, Judaism, and Sexual Ethics, 1972-2003. Boston: Beacon Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0807096734.
  7. ↑ Katz, Marc (October 11, 2019). "Leviticus 18: Don't Shy Away From Wrestling With The Torah's Tough Texts". forward.com. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  8. 1 2 Grabbe 2007, p. 103.

Bibliography

Commentaries on Leviticus

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