The Priestly Service

Laws of Worship of God

The priestly service consisted of ritual worship carried out by priests in the Tabernacle (Mishkan) and later in the Temple. The service included offering daily sacrifices, cleaning and preparing the altar for sacrifice, arranging the menorah for lighting, offering the ketoret, and more. Particulars of the service are discussed in detail in the book of Leviticus and in the fifth order of the Mishnah and Talmud, Kodashim.

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The Enduring Significance of the Priestly Service

GUIDES

The sacrificial service in the Temple remains a spiritual pillar upon which the world stands, even after the Temple's destruction. The Babylonian Talmud's tractate Zevachim, part of the order Kodashim, meticulously discusses these sacrificial laws as 'Halakha for the messianic period.'

The sacrificial service in the Temple is one of the fundamental topics of the Torah, and according to Jewish belief it is one of the spiritual pillars upon which the world stands. Although the Temple was destroyed, and the halakhot of the Temple service have come to be known as: Halakha for the messianic period, they have always been studied thoroughly. A complete order of the Talmud, Kodashim, is devoted to these topics.

Introductions to the Babylonian Talmud, Zevachim, Introduction to Zevachim 1

Guardians of the Sanctuary

TANAKH

The Levites played a crucial role in protecting the Israelites from divine punishment by serving in the sanctuary. The Book of Numbers details the purification and designation of the Levites to serve in the Tent of Meeting, taking the place of the first-born Israelites.

Thereafter the Levites shall be qualified for the service of the Tent of Meeting, once you have purified them and designated them as an elevation offering. For they are formally assigned to Me from among the Israelites: I have taken them for Myself in place of all the first issue of the womb, of all the male first-born of the Israelites. For every male first-born among the Israelites, human as well as beast, is Mine; I consecrated them to Myself at the time that I smote every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt. Now I take the Levites instead of every male first-born of the Israelites;…

Numbers 8:15-22

The Three Pillars of the World

MISHNAH

The world stands upon three fundamental pillars: the Torah, the Temple service, and the practice of acts of piety. Pirkei Avot, a tractate of the Mishnah, records the teachings of Shimon the Righteous, who emphasizes these three pillars as foundational to sustaining the world.

Shimon the Righteous was one of the last of the men of the great assembly. He used to say: the world stands upon three things: the Torah, the Temple service, and the practice of acts of piety.

Pirkei Avot 1:2

The World Stands on Sacrifices

COMMENTARY

The world’s very existence is said to depend on the sacrifices offered in the Temple. Ovadiah Bartenura, a 15th-century commentator, explains the fundamental importance of sacrifices in maintaining the heavens and the earth.

"on the [Temple] service": The service of the sacrifices. For such have we taught in tractate Taanit, "Were it not for the groupings [involved in the sacrifices] the heavens and the earth would not have endured (Taanit 27b)." And we have found that on account of the sacrifices that Noah brought, the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that He would never bring a flood. So it is that the world stands upon the sacrifices.

Bartenura on Pirkei Avot 1:2:5

Preparing the High Priest for Yom Kippur

HALAKHAH

The High Priest's meticulous preparation for Yom Kippur was crucial to ensure the proper performance of the sacred rituals. Rambam’s Mishneh Torah details the rigorous training and practice required for the High Priest to be fully prepared for the Yom Kippur service.

For all of these seven days, he is trained to perform the Temple service. He casts the blood on the altar, offers the incense, kindles the lamps, and offers the limbs of the continuous offering on the altar's pyre so that he will be familiar with the Temple service.
He is given sages from the elders of the court who read the relevant passages for him and teach him the service necessary to be performed on the holy day and its order. They tell him: "My sir, the High Priest, read by yourself, for perhaps you have forgotten or you never learned this point…

Mishneh Torah, Service on the Day of Atonement 1:5

The Role of Music in Priestly Service

COMMENTARY

Music was not just an embellishment but a core component of the priestly service in the Temple. Radak, a renowned medieval biblical commentator, explains that the term 'service' in the context of the Temple refers specifically to the musical accompaniment provided by the Levites.

And they performed their service (‘avodatam) as prescribed for them. This means the service of music. It similarly says in the Torah, la‘avod ‘avodat ‘avodah (=to perform duties of service; Num 4:47), which means music—the service that accompanied the sacrifices.

Radak on I Chronicles 6:17:1

The High Priest's Service on Yom Kippur

LITURGY

The detailed and sequential order of the High Priest's service on Yom Kippur is a fascinating glimpse into the ancient rituals of atonement and purification. This text, part of the Avodah Service recited during the Musaf prayer on Yom Kippur, describes the High Priest's meticulous preparations and actions in the Temple.

Source of all energy and power! Who could possibly duplicate Your mighty works? You constructed chambers above the cold waters, and placed the globe in space. When the world was filled with total darkness You wrapped yourself in Your garment, radiating with morning light. You divided the impetuous waters with an awesome, crystal-like sky; and gathered them into the depths so they would not cover the dry land. You uncovered the surface of the earth, and brought forth vegetation. You planted a garden in the East for those who praise you…

Machzor Yom Kippur Ashkenaz, Musaf for Yom Kippur, The Avodah Service 1-4

Maintaining the Priestly Service

COMMENTARY

The logistical and organizational aspects of maintaining the priestly service in the Tabernacle were crucial for the uninterrupted performance of religious duties. Ralbag, a 14th-century rationalist commentator, provides detailed insights into the communal contributions and organization necessary for the continuous operation of the Temple.

To charge ourselves one-third of a shekel yearly: It is fitting that you should know that this shekel was bigger than the shekel mentioned in the Torah. And that is why a third of a shekel sufficed for them, since it was [equivalent to] the half-shekel that the Torah commanded. And it has already been explained in Parashat Ki Tissa that this silver was given for the service of the tabernacle, to [use it for] all of the communal sacrifices and all of the work that was required in the Temple. And in order that the service in the Temple never cease, they cast lots for the wood offering…

Ralbag on Nehemiah 10:33:1

Qualifications for Priestly Service

KABBALAH

The moral and spiritual qualifications of the priests and Levites are crucial to ensure they are fit to serve God. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, emphasizes the importance of inquiring about the ways and deeds of those who serve in the priestly role.

But if he is truly virtuous, then the people are justified through him, and punishment is removed from them through him.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘For this reason the priest and Levite were examined as to their character, and if they were not found satisfactory they were not allowed to minister. And so, too, with the members of the Sanhedrin before they were allowed to judge.’ And if it is found that he is fit, we give him all the stringency of the Temple. But if not, he does not ascend to the service. This is [the meaning] of that which is written: And of Levi he said…

Zohar, Vayikra 44:313-314

Relatedראו גם

Sacrificial Rite

Temple Service

Laws of Temple Workers

Sacrifices

Entering the Temple

Priests Drinking Wine

Priestly Shifts

Service of the Levites

Service of God

Priests with Blemishes

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