Leviticus and Numbers

Introduction

Introduction Athalya Brenner Both Leviticus and Numbers begin with the claim that what is set out in them was delivered by the Hebrew God to Moses at the Tent of Meeting, in the desert, on the way from Egypt to the promised land (Lev. 1:1; Num. 1:1). Numbers goes further, giving the date of delivery as well, as the second month in the second year of the exodus from Egypt (1:1). Leviticus ends on this note: “These are the commandments that the Lord gave Moses for the Israelite people on Mount Sinai” (Lev. 27:34).1 Numbers ends with, “These are the commandments and regulations that the Lord enjoined upon the Israelites, through Moses, on the steppes of Moab, at the Jordan near Jericho” (Num. 36:13). Even assuming that the notations back and front are bookends added by editors, Leviticus is largely static topographically and chronologically, whereas Numbers is more dynamic in this respect and takes us almost to the point of entry into the land. In this respect it is much like the end of Deuteronomy, which goes one step further, including Moses’ death and the transfer of his authority to Joshua, already mentioned in Numbers 27 and actualized in Deut. 34:9. The frame, then, is similar if not identical, and materials parallel to and overlapping Exodus and Deuteronomy appear frequently, albeit with variations. Though Leviticus and Numbers in many ways differ in content and presentation, several distinct features unify the two books. Those are: insistence on a desert community that accepts Moses’ leadership at times grudgingly and unwillingly; the centrality of the Tent of Meeting, already built and functioning; the centrality of Aaron and his priestly family for the community, in a cultic role but in other roles as well; the importance of properly conducted cult and worship, including minute instructions for priestly functioning and behavior; and the contention that social legislation and the hoped-for ethical performance it would safeguard, partly repetitive (see Leviticus 19, unanimously assigned to the H source [Holiness Code: Leviticus 17–26], and the Decalogue [Exodus 20 = Deuteronomy 5], falls within the sphere of religious regulation and religious ethical behavior. Since the latter feature is pronounced in both books, it is of little consequence for the end-product text (MT) whether the H source, to which part of Leviticus is assigned, predates 1 most or part of other chapters in Leviticus and Numbers, most of which are assigned by scholars to various versions of the P (Priestly) source. It is therefore no surprise that, out of the thirteen essays in this volume, five are focused on cultic, priestly, and theological matters (in order of appearance: Shemesh, Wong, Lipton, Lee, and Fontaine). It is also not surprising, given the interests of our contributors in general, that six essays deal with matters of social ethics, especially as they are applied to gender matters and community identity (Jacobus, Dor, Rees, Vaka’uta, Geffney, Ahiamadu), with Shemesh and Lipton’s essays dealing with both clusters of topics. Two essays extend the ethics discussion into present-day ecology concerns (Clayville and Kelly). The remaining essays, once again, are about the ethics of religious behavior and human rights (Lee and Fontaine). In sum, then, our contributors are more interested in the ethical implications of the so-called Holiness Code and Priestly source than in their formal features of arranging the community as a cultic entity and of regulating the cult itself. Four of the contributors are American (Clayville, Kelly, Gafney, Fontaine), one of whom is African American (Gafney). Two are British (Jacobus and Lipton, the latter a new immigrant to Israel). One contributor is from Australia (Rees), one from Oceania (Vaka’uta), one from Nigeria (Ahiamadu), two from Hong Kong (Wong and Lee), and four from Israel (Shemesh, Dor, Brenner, now also Lipton). Most of the contributors are Christian or post-Christian of various affiliations; the British/Israeli ones are Jewish of diverse faith convictions. Since several of the essays focus on the same text (notably in the case of Numbers 25) or issue, we leave it for our readers to ponder to what extent any particular authorly faith conviction, in addition to the obvious geographical and community factors, influences the readings here offered. Part 1: Issues in Leviticus Kristel Clayville and Joseph Kelly focus on environmental issues that can be linked to Leviticus. In so doing they center a topic that, for most readers, would be considered marginal within the frameworks of the...