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Leviticus 3-5

20 Jul 2026 - Theology

Accidental Sins First


Leviticus 3

This chapter details the sacrifice of peace offering, which can also be translated as the sacrifice of well-being.

We read that this offering can be of the herd, (male or female), of the flock (male or female), a lamb, or a goat.

Leviticus 3:17 - “It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.”

The blood is to be sprinkled around the altar, and the fat is to be burnt upon the altar as a sweet smell to the Lord.

We will read more about this sacrifice later.

Leviticus 4

If people learned or feared that they had sinned by accident, they could bring an offering called the “sin offering” (also called the “guilt offering”). For the Israelites, the idea of sin was “missing the mark” or “not hitting the target.”

Leviticus 4:2 - “ Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:”

This offering was of no use to a person who had sinned on purpose.

This chapter contains specific offerings for the different types of people who sinned by accident:

In three of the four cases, the law is introduced by the word “if” - if such a person commits a sin. In the case of a ruler, however, the law is prefaced by the word “when”.

Leviticus 4:22 - “When a ruler hath sinned…”

Politics deals in matters that are short term zero-sum games. Seeking to maximise the benefits to myself or my group, I come into conflict with others who seek to maximise benefits to themselves or their group. Whatever course a politician takes, it will please some and anger others. From this, there is no escape.

There is no textbook for leadership. Every situation is different and each age brings its own challenges. A ruler, in the best interests of his or her people, may decide to wage a war, knowing that some will die. A ruler may have to increase taxes, knowing that this will leave some impoverished. In many cases, only after the event will the leader know if his actions were justified, and it may depend on factors beyond his control.

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai relates the word asher, “when”, with the word ashrei, “happy”, and says: “Happy is the generation whose leader is willing to bring a sin offering for his mistakes.”

Leadership demands two kinds of courage: the strength to take a risk, and the humility to admit when a risk fails.

Leviticus 5

This chapter goes into more detail about the sin offering. This sacrifice was also offered for other accidental sins:

For these first four sins, the standard offering was a female lamb or goat. If you were poor, you could substitute the lamb or goat with other things, such as a pair of turtledoves or young pigeons, or a meal offering of flour.

Next is the trespass offering, which was required for two other accidental sins:

This offering required the sacrifice of a ram, and its value had to be estimated by a priest in shekels of silver, specifically measured according to the official “shekel of the sanctuary” to ensure a fair, standard weight.

If the person’s sin involved sanctuary property (verse 15), he or she had to return the property and give an additional “fifth” (%20) of its value to the priests in the form of shekels of silver.

All five of the types of sacrifices in Leviticus 1-5 are made when a person sins accidentally. Jacob Milgrom (1923-2010) says that putting the sacrifices for accidental sins first in the book of Leviticus shows how important they were to the community.

References

  1. The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
  2. The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)
  3. Covenant & Conversation, Volume 3: Leviticus, the Book of Holiness




Leviticus 2 Leviticus 6