*Omitted (should not have been added to the Laws)
**Changed (a misinterpretation of the Law or based on the wrong scripture)
***No Longer Kept (No longer applicable today)
***Law #321 A Kohen must not enter the Temple intoxicated
Lev. 10:9 “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, though, nor
thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye
die: it shall be a statute forever through your generations.”
To better understand why the priest was commanded not to
drink before service, verse 10 goes on to say, “…that ye may put difference
between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean and that ye may teach
the children of Israel all the statutes which the Most High has spoken unto
them by the hand of Moses.”
Because the Levite is no longer in place, this Law can no
longer be kept but the concept is still the same. Do not compromise yourself to the point of
not being able to decipher right from wrong and clean from unclean,
particularly when you should be in the mind to teach, mentor or lead. This is a lesson we can all apply in our
lives.
***Law #322 A Kohen must not enter the Temple with Long Hair
& ***#323 A Kohen must not enter the Temple with torn clothes
Lev. 10:6 “And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and
unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest
ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the
whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Most High has kindled.
The commands here are for the Kohen not to enter the Temple
with a bald head or torn garments.
***Law #324 A Kohen must not enter the Temple
indiscriminately
Lev. 16:2 “And the Most High said unto Moses, speak unto
Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the
vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will
appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
The Law is for the priest not to enter into the holy place
indiscriminately or whenever he wants to.
Verse 3 says he must enter with a sin offering and a burnt
offering. Verse 4 says he must be clean
and in holy attire. We see there was an
order of doing things in the place the Most High established or else the price
to pay was death.
***Law#325 A Kohen must not leave the Temple during service
Lev. 10:7 “And ye shall not go out from the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the Most
High is upon you…”
The Kohen must not leave during service.
***Law #326 To send the impure from the Temple
Num. 5:2 “Command the children of Israel, that thy put out
of the camp every leper, and every one that has an issue, and whosoever is
defiled by the dead.
The command is for the Kohan to send the impure out of the
Temple. Verse 3 says both male and
female. The idea of coming as you are,
not so much in the old days. Quite
possibly the reason for so many tainted ministries is because everyone is
allowed to come as they are instead of seeing the standard set and following
after that standard.
***Law #327 Impure people must not enter the Temple
Num. 5:3 “Both male and female shall ye put out, without the
camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof
I dwell.
The command is for impure people to be put out of the Temple
by the Kohan. We see a repeat of Law #326. This is a Law that can be omitted.
***Law #328 Impure people must not enter the Temple Mount area
Deut. 23:1 “He that is wounded in the stones or has his
privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Most High.”
***Law #329 Impure Kohanim must not do service in the temple
Lev. 22:2 “Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they
separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that
they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am
the Most High.
The command is that the unclean Kohanim must not do service
in the Temple. Same idea as Law #328. If they are not allowed in the Temple, they
are not allowed to do service in the Temple.
The emphasis in this Law is that they not only stay out of the Temple if
unclean but stay separated from the holy things of the Nation.
***Law #330 An impure Kohen, following immersion, must wait
until after sundown before returning to service
Lev. 22:7 “And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and
shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.”
The Law says after immersion, a now clean Kohen must wait
until after sundown to return to service.
The scripture specifically say, he shall be clean after sundown and then
return to service.
***Law #331 A Kohen must wash his hands and feet before
service
Ex. 30:19 “For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and
their feet thereat:”
Kohen must wash hands and feet before service
***Law #332 A Kohen with a physical blemish must not enter
the sanctuary or approach the altar
Lev 21:23 “Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come
nigh unto the altar, because he has a blemish; that he profane not my
sanctuaries: for I the Most High do sanctify them.”
Kohen with a physical blemish must not enter the sanctuary
or approach the altar
***Law #333 A Kohen with a physical blemish must not serve
& ***Law #334 A
Kohen with a temporary blemish must t not serve
Lev. 21:17-20 “Speak to Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of
thy seed in their generations that has any blemish, he shall not approach: a
blind man, or a lame or he that has a flat nose, or anything superfluous, or a
man that is broken-footed or broken-handed or crookbacked or a dwarf, or that
has a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy or scabbed or has his stones broken.”
We see greater detail of Law #322 and what “blemish” means.
They shall not approach, those of the seed of Aaron. Meaning, they shall not serve. Maimonide’s List includes another Law #334,
even Kohen with a temporary blemish may not serve. This Law is derived from the types of
blemishes we see in the scriptures; scabs, broken bones (temporary) to flat
nose or dwarf (permanent)
***Law #335 One who is not a Kohen must not serve
Num. 18:4 “And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the
charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the
tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.”
The command is that one must be Kohen to serve in the
Temple.
Blemished?
In Laws #332-334, we see examples of
the word "blemish," being defined in Lev. 21:17-20 as anyone
who is blind, lame, flat nose, has a broken bone or whose growth is
stunted. Even temporary blemishes such as a healing wound scab was
condemned from entering into the Tabernacle.
We will see more examples in Lev. 22.
The idea of an imperfect human or animal not being a
sufficient offering either for service or sacrifice may rub some people the
wrong way. But this Law is not about the validity of the flawed
individual. It's actually about the flawless perfection of the Most High
we serve and therefore, the perfect worship he deserves to match His
perfection. I think we all agree that if we could offer Him perfect
worship, we would. But because we are flawed, we cannot. If we
could offer him perfection we would, but we cannot.
All we have is our flawed selves to offer
Him. Know that in terms of mercy for our flaws, His grace is
sufficient. That being said, in no way should we be discouraged to worship because of our blemish. But let these Laws which seem to denounce us
because of our imperfection, be a reflection not of our flawed condition but
of how perfect our worship should be towards Him. Our worship is to
be flawless, even when the worshipper is not.
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