Leviticus

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, penetrating scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. His lengthy introduction to Leviticus provides Bible students an excellent and thorough
overview of one of the Bible’s least understood and appreciated subjects: animal sacrifice. See
Abravanel’s World for the discourse in its entirety.

“And God called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the Tent of the
Meeting saying, speak unto the Children of Israel, and say unto them:
When any man of you brings an offering unto God, you shall bring your
offering of the cattle, even of the herd.”

Here we bring Abravanel’s opening remarks on that discussion, one that begins by showing how the
Book of Leviticus transitions easily from the books of Genesis and Exodus.

Genesis details the creation of the world – from nothing. Ensuing chapters chronicle early man’s
begetting and begetting and begetting. The narratives of the three patriarchs cover most of Genesis,
concluding with Jacob and family leaving famine-ridden Canaan for verdant Egypt.

Exodus records the Egyptian exile, marked by Jewish misery and enslavement. Divine redemption
studded with miracles broke the Hebrews’ bondage, Moses and Aaron leading the way. More wonders
met the Jews at the Red Sea, and along their desert trek. Then came Sinai, where each person
experienced prophecy. Directly from the Creator, they heard divine commandments.

Alas, trouble arrived. Hebrews built and prostrated themselves to a molten calf. Exodus also describes
how catharsis healed their egregious sin. The Maker issued instruction to build for Him a Tabernacle, a
sanctuary for His Shechinah. Subsequently, divine providence attached itself to the Chosen People. This
became evident to the encampment on the day when the Tabernacle had been erected (and thereafter),
as per the closing two verses in Exodus: “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of
God filled the Tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud
abode thereon, and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle.”

This, Abravanel says, sets the scene for the Torah’s third book, the Book of Leviticus. It pertains to the
service in the Tabernacle. Central to that holy service is animal sacrifice, performed by the priests for the
express purpose of aiding the Hebrews realign their religious priorities, and atone for transgression. In a
nutshell, we have laid out the opening remarks of Abravanel’s very lengthy prologue to Leviticus.

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. In Leviticus 19, readers learn about Biblical values. For Abravanel, the topic boils
down to three words – imitation of God (imitatio Dei). Let us elaborate on this heady topic of man
striving to emulate the Maker, as a vehicle to acquire Biblical values.

“And God spoke unto Moses saying, speak unto all the congregation of
the Children of Israel and say to them. You shall be holy, for I your God
Almighty am holy.”

Abravanel questions God’s commanding Moses to convene “all the congregation of the Children of
Israel.” If the purpose was to teach the Hebrews the Ten Commandments, as our chapter implies, then,
what’s the rationale? The nation already heard God utter the Ten Commandments on Sinai. Soon
thereafter, those commandments had been carved into stone Tablets. Hence, the Jews were well-versed
in them. Abravanel concludes his question – why the repeat of the Ten Commandments here?

Truthfully, the reason why God dispatched His messenger to gather the Hebrews, and adjure them to
comply with Heaven’s directives, had to do with preparing them for what was in store – entering into
the divine covenant (Leviticus 26). The Creator wanted to indelibly impress upon the Chosen People the
Ten Commandments and other core teachings. They would stand the Hebrews in good stead.

Abravanel continues and explains why our chapter, though it generally tracks the Torah-giving Sinai
event, is not a carbon copy, per se. Simply, there was no reason for our chapter to replicate Sinai.
Instead, here is another major takeaway.

God wanted to disabuse the Hebrews of an erroneous notion, a vile one at that. The people should not
infer or believe that Torah truths are a by-product of man’s intellect or rationale. Certainly not. The
guiding force and authority behind the divine commandments are, well, the Divine, God the source.

The Creator desires – and commands – man to emulate Him. Biblical values are God driven. He wants
Jews to walk in His ways, cleaving unto Him. As for man, the ultimate aim to strive toward piety and
wholesomeness, should not be portrayed as a philosophical pursuit, or an exercise in any other
academic study.

Abravanel clarifies precisely what is meant by our verse: “You shall be holy, for I your God Almighty am
holy.”Though the earlier chapter cautioned Jews to stay clear of sexual mischief, holiness is predicated
on more than moderation of sex. Holiness means moderation, as per the Torah’s ethos. Period.

Jews strive to regulate all manners of life, sanctifying it to the fullest. They may enjoy spousal intimacy,
but not overdo it. It’s fine to enjoy food and drink, but not overdo it. The same goes for all pleasures. A
gluttonous lifestyle is an anathema to holiness. “You shall be holy” encapsulates a mindset, a way of life.

Precede with caution, might be the operative catch-phrase, when we speak of physical pleasures.
Notwithstanding, ascetism and other radical philosophies that stress, and are obsessed with, self-
flagellation sorely miss the point; they have no place in Judaism.

For Abravanel, “You shall be holy, for I your God Almighty am holy” guides Jews, a lodestar. The Maker is
completely apart from things physical. How apt for a servant to draw inspiration and guidance from his
master! Biblical values may be viewed from that prism.

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel, (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. Leviticus 11 discusses Jewish dietary laws. In typical Abravanel fashion, he dives
into the subject of kashrut with fundamental questions. Here are two:

• Why did the Creator ban certain foods, as outlined in our chapter?
• Do dietary laws promote good health?

“And God spoke unto Moses and Aaron, saying unto them. Speak unto
the Children of Israel saying, these are the living things which you may
eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.”

Abravanel sharpens his queries, by telling Bible students that Jewish dietary laws can’t possibly be
about nutrition and health. Why? Everyone can observe the simple facts on the ground. Gentiles eat
nonkosher food, and yet are not the worse for it. Actually, they’re quite strong and hale.

And if our chapter intends to outlaw foods that are toxic or harmful, well, that simply isn’t the case. How
many deadly animals should have been written about explicitly, on account of the danger they present
to man – abundantly more dangerous than rabbits, camels, and swine – which the Torah does mention.

Abravanel strongly censures some Bible commentators for theorizing that Jewish dietary laws are about
good health. Patently false, he asserts. Heaven save us from such ludicrousness, Abravanel lambasts.

He continues. If the holy and divine Bible can be reduced to a medical digest or nutrition guide
companion, then it would dwarf in size and scope in comparison to other secular medical treatises or
texts. Again, the animals, fowl, and fish prohibited to Jews do not relate to healthy eating. Gentiles
freely partake of these banned animals, and yet they’re well-built, fit as a fiddle.

Abravanel’s entire essay on the topic of Jewish dietary laws may be found in Abravanel’s World.
However, for our purposes here, let us advance the following.

The holy Torah is not interested, per se, in healing or promoting man’s body, physicality. Instead, the
essential thing is to provide divine instruction on protecting and strengthening the soul. Hence, the
Torah forbids those foods that undermine the well-being of a Jew’s eternal inner being.

In sum, the all-important thing about Jewish dietary laws centers on purifying the soul, shielding it from
spiritual pollutants.