This week’s reading is Parshah Tzav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36). It consists, primarily, of instructions for Aaron and the cohanim, and the actual anointing.
There’s a lot of interesting stuff here, primarily in Chapter 8. I was unaware that Moses had washed Aaron and his sons with water, in front of the community (8:6). Is this a baptism? I don’t mean that it acts as the sacrament, or that it connotes anything other than performative cleanliness, but surely, as a metaphor, that’s what baptism is? Is that what John was on about in the first place?
The main thing that struck me, though, was the sense in which Aaron and his sons are singled out for this, for the anointing but also for the different socio-economic status that comes with the food set aside for them, without any reason being given for the choice. Why Aaron? Why his sons? Why not Miriam’s sons? I do, actually, understand the choice of Aaron. The genetic priesthood is strange, though. And, of course, if Scripture really believes in the genetic priesthood, why is the next thing that happens (10:1-2, next week’s reading) the death of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s no-good drunken sons.
Look, there’s a sense that seems to Your Humble Blogger to be inherent in priestliness of an ontological difference between a cohen and an Israelite. It’s not what they do, it’s who they are. In fact, the reason why sacrifices from cohenim are acceptable, while sacrifices from hoi polloi are not, must be that cohenim are, in some sense, better, closer to the Divine. Right? But I can scour the text and not find anything even remotely like that. It’s a job, period. Oh, they’re enjoined not to drink and daven, but surely if the lord were choosing air traffic controllers, a line or two about sobriety on the job would be in order as well, right?
So, I think that’s my question for the congregation: what would have been different if the priests had been chosen by merit in some way? How would that change our Judaism now, now that there is no Temple, and we are truly a nation of priests?
chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek,
-Vardibidian.