וזה הדבר אשר תעשה להם לקדש אותם, “and this is the thing you are to do for them in order to sanctify them;” after all the construction work on the Tabernacle had been completed as well as the vestments for the priests, the Torah now instructs the priests about their laws of ritual purity, and under what conditions they may partake of the sacrificial sacrifices, where and when these may be consumed, and by whom, in the case of household members of the priests. Rules about ritual baths in order to be ritually pure are also discussed.

תעשה להם, “you shall do for them;” in this instance the plural mode is used as these rules apply to Aaron and his sons. On this day of consecration they were all treated as if of the same rank.

ויצקת על ראשו, “you will pour it unto his head; (the oil of anointing);” seeing that Aaron was the High Priest, he was the only one to be anointed. [In verse 19 we will read that when performing sacrificial service the right earlobes and right thumb of Aaron’s sons were also anointed with this oil. Ed.]

ואת בשר הפר, “and the flesh of the bull;” the Torah mentions the flesh separately seeing that the skin of the entire bull had already been removed before the animal was cut up. Afterwards Aaron took all of it outside the camp as it was a sin offering. This is how our sages in the Sifra, interpret the verse in Leviticus 4,12, where the sin offering of the High Priest is discussed, when he has been guilty of sin, of course, not like here.

תשרוף באש, “you shall burn in fire;” Rashi explains that this is the only externally offered sin offering that needs to be burned outside. (Instead of the priests consuming part of its meat) We do find that the calf Aaron offered up (Leviticus 9,11) as well as the second bull of the Levites (Ezra 6,17) and the bull of which Ezekiel speaks concerning the future in Ezekiel 45,22 which were all external sin offerings and whose flesh, and entrails were burned or will be burned outside the sacred compounds. Some commentators try and explain the reason why these sin offerings’ flesh had to be burned outside the sacred compound as due to the fact that they were Aaron’s personal offerings, and just as Aaron’s personal minchah offerings must be burned up completely, (Leviticus 6,15) the same applies to his other personal offerings. The purpose of these offerings was to sanctify the altar. Compare verse 36 in our chapter. This procedure could be completed only by means of blood. It appears that at the time of the consecration rites of the Tabernacle and the slaughtering of these animals there was not yet a functioning altar, so that these parts all had to be burned outside the camp.

ולקחת מן הדם אשר על המזבח, “you will take from the blood which is on the altar;” we do not find another example of this kind of sprinkling blood when the blood had to be gathered up after first having been deliberately sprinkled, except during these consecration rites for Aaron and his sons when he and his sons were symbolically being united to the altar through each being sprinkled with some of the blood of these sacrifices. And this sprinkling is a testimony and clear sign for all subsequent generations that only they and no strangers (i.e. non-Kohanim) are authorized to offer sacrifices on the altar.

ואת שוק הימין, “and the right thigh,” we do not again find an example of burning up the right thigh together with the entrails on any other occasion. The thigh of the ram of the consecration rights being treated in such a manner occurred only on the first day of the seven days of these rites. On the remaining six days not a single thigh was burned up on the altar. This is what Rashi explains when he writes in this connection that the right thigh was intended to be a portion for the officiating priest to eat, (during the other six days of these consecration rights) the offering being understood as a “peaceoffering” [the very word שלמים being understood as “perfection, according to Rashi. Ed.] ”

כי איל מלואים הוא, “for this is a ram of ordination or consecration.” Through its being presented on the altar, these men, Aaron and his sons, became consecrated as priests.

ושמת הכול על כפי אהרן ועל כפי בניו, “you are to place all of it on the palms of Aaron and the palms of his sons.”

You, Moses, will then accept it from them, like a person who accepts a gift and says: “this I offer as a sacrifice before the king,” whereupon the king’s servant (the altar) accepts it on the king’s behalf.

אשר לאהרן, “which was Aaron’s;” at this point Aaron’s sons are not mentioned, as he was the principal figure.

The expressions: תנופה and תרומה, are basically the same but the breast is called תנופה, elevation, which had been heaved, and subsequently eaten by Aaron, whereas the thigh was burned up on the altar. Subsequently both would be eaten by the priests.

אשר כופר בהם, “wherewith atonement was made for them;” this verse has at least one word missing, and its meaning is as if the Torah had written: אשר כופר להם בהם, “by means of which the sin of the golden calf had been forgiven them.”

על הכפרים, “in addition to the other offerings for atonement;” the two rams that were offered for atonement.”

קדש קדשים, “most holy.” Actually, the correct translation would be: “holy just like the other holy things.”

כל הנוגע במזבח, “whatsoever touches the altar;” anyone wishing to touch the altar must first undergo purification rites. This is also what is written in Exodus 30,20: או בגשתם אל המזבח וגו', “or when they approach the altar, etc.” This is similar to Exodus 19,22: וגם הכהנים הנגשים יתקדשו, “and also the priests who come near have to sanctify themselves;”

וזה אשי תעשה, “and this is what you shall do:” Moses will observe seven days of consecration followed by Aaron and his sons observing their own days of consecration. (Ibn Ezra) This is a pattern for all future generations. [I confess not to understand this, as once priests were born to the priesthood, what purpose would consecration serve, and which ritual do we call consecration of seven days nowadays? Ed.]

עולת תמיד לדורותיכם, a daily recurring communal burnt offering throughout your generations.” This offering would be instituted daily after the Israelites had crossed the Jordan. Even though this has not been spelled out clearly, reason dictates that it was not an offering presented only in the desert or even only at the bottom of Mount Sinai. If it had been a one time offering, how would we understand the line: עולת תמיד העשויה בהר סיני, “the continual burnt offering offered at Mount Sinai?”We also have the statement by the prophet Amos in Amos 5,25: הזבחים ומנחה הגשתם לי במדבר ארבעים שנה בית ישראל, “the meat offerings and gift offering that you offered for Me for the forty years in the desert, house of Israel?” Where would the Israelites in the desert have taken the wine, oil, finely ground wheat flour, and all the four legged animals from while they had been in the desert, until the fortieth year completely apart from the people surrounding them? There were so many communal offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moons, festivals, in addition to the daily offerings! If you were to point to Moses telling Pharaoh that the Israelites were going to take all their livestock with them on their going to the desert for three days to offer sacrifices to their G-d (Exodus 10,9) or when they complained about their livestock being thirsty, this was in the fortieth year after they had conquered the lands of Sichon and Og, and had captured a huge amount of livestock, which prompted Gad and Reuven to request to settle in that region permanently. Where would they have taken all these beasts from during the preceding 38 years? There certainly was no grass in the desert to have fed them!

ונקדש בכבודי, “and it will be sanctified by My Presence.” This is what Moses had said to the people in Leviticus 9,6: “and the glory of the Lord will appear to you!”

ושכנתי בתוך בני ישראל, “I shall dwell among the Children of Israel.” The reference is to the time when the flags would be erected, they being equivalent to a dividing fence between the camp of the Israelites and the camp of the Levites, and the camp of the Levites and the compound of the Tabernacle.

וידעו כי אני' ה, “and they will know that I am the Lord.” They will know that the reason I have taken them out of Egypt was for this, that they construct a residence for Me on earth. This was what G-d had meant when he told Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3,12) תעבדון את האלוקים על ההר הזה, “you will serve G-d on this Mountain.”