Leviticus 15:1-18:18

The Lord institutes the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), on which the priest confesses "all the sinful faults and transgressions of the Israelite community" in order to make "atonement for himself and his household as well as the whole Israelite community." It is a day of fasting  to be observed on a set day each year, "so that you may be cleansed of all your sins before the Lord." On that day, the priest places the sins and transgressions of the community on the head of a live goat that is then sent away to the desert. I did not know until now that this is where the concept of a scapegoat came from! The Lord instructs Moses about the sacredness of blood, since "the life of a living body is in its blood." The Lord is very explicit about not partaking in blood, making me wonder if this might be a contrast to other religious rituals of that time. The Lord instructs Moses regarding the sanctity of sex, although it is essentially a list of sex one may not have, rather than a positive discussion. Not exactly John Paul II's Theology of the Body. In this section, however, there is also this powerful statement: Keep, then, my statutes and decrees, for the man who carries them out will find life through them. I am the Lord. Jesus the Lord ultimately fulfills the law and is the Way to new life.