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WJAFC Paris
A weekly Journal of information and training published by the World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center Under the umbrella of the General Conference —Office of Adventist Mission
Journal of Information and Training — Issue 681— 21 May 2 0 1 6 / 1 5 I y a r 5 7 7 6
Jael Wells Cuellar English Edition: Richard-Amram Elofer
Richard Amram Elofer
Russian Edition: Alexandra Obrevko French Edition: Sabine Baris Spanish Edition: Jael Wells Cuellar Portuguese Edition: Carlos Muniz Dutch Edition: Hubert Paulleta
Hubert Paulleta 8
Shabbat — Emor
Shabbat Shalom Newsletter
Resources:
Carlos Muniz Emails: English: richard@elofer.com Russian: sashok_l@mail.ru French: sabinebaris@gmail.com Spanish: jael_wells@hotmail.com Portuguese: cdmuniz@gmail.com Dutch: hpauletta@hotmail.com
Credit photos: Richard Elofer, Alexandra Obrevko, Jael Wells Cuellar Hubert Paulleta, Laurent Baris and Advent Digital Media
for more information: contact us at www.jewishadventist.org
Alexandra Obrevko
Sabine Baris
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21 May / 15 Iyar 2016 / 5776
This issue
News P.1 Parasha’s comments P.2-4 Haftara P.4-5 Apostolic Writings P.5 Stories P.6 Inspirational Corner P.6,7 Color Sheet for Kids P.7
Weekly Jewish-Adventist Journal of Information
We pray every week for leaders of the Jewish Ministry, According to our list of prayer for 2016, I suggest that our partners pray from May 22 to 28, for Dr Jennifer Betham-lang & Roger Lang who are the leaders of the Jewish ministry in New Zealand leading together the Jewish Adventist Congregation in Wellington. Let’s pray for their ministry.
NEWS Next Celebration
i The Jewish people have two periods of im-
portant celebrations, Spring and Autumn. On Spring time, Pesach, the counting of the Omer for 49 days, and Shavuot. On Autumn RoshHashana, Yom-Kippur, and Succoth. However there are much more celebrations on the Spring. The people of Israel have the custom to establish rabbinical celebrations when something happen in the history of the Jewish people. Among important events of the 20th century are the Holocaust, the Independence of the State of Israel, the end of the Six-day War and the reunification of Jerusalem. All this event are celebrated between Pesach and Shavuot. Thus the Yom-HaShoah is on Nissan 27 (May 5), Yom-Hatzmaut on Iyar 4 (May 12), Yom-Yerushalaïm on Iyar 28 (June 5), and only after Shavuot is celebrated on Sivan 6 and 7 (June 12 and 13). That means on this period there are many occasions to meet with Jews, to mingle with them, to show them our sympathy and to win their confidence. It is a good way to build friendship with the Jewish people. It is easy to get directly from the synagogue leaders the events and celebrations on this dates, if not on Internet. I received this week an e-mail from the Jewish community in Paris who are organizing an exceptional evening on June 1st, here is this information for our friends living in Paris and its region.
Sabbath in Toulouse, France
i On Sabbath 14th of May Richard Elofer had a great Sabbath of preaching and teaching in the French city of Toulouse, those who are aware of the French news and anti-Semitism in France, remember that it was in the city of Toulouse that a radical Islamic killed seven people (3 solders, 3 children and a Rabbi) 4 of them in front of the Jewish school Ozar Hatorah, it was significant for Richard Elofer, to be in Toulouse and to teach the members about Friendship with Jews and to avoid the sin of anti-Semitism.
Parasha Overview
Emor
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he Kohanim are commanded to avoid contact with corpses in order to maintain a high standard of ritual purity. They may attend the funeral of only their seven closest relatives: father, mother, wife, son, daughter, brother, and unmarried sister. The Kohen gadol (High Priest) may not attend the funeral of even his closest relatives. Certain marital restrictions are placed on the kohanim. The nation is required to honor the kohanim. The physical irregularities that invalidate a Kohen from serving in the Temple are listed. Terumah, a produce tithe given to the kohanim, may be eaten only by kohanim and their household. An animal may be sacrificed in the
“and you shall treat them as holy, since they offer the food of your God; they shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, I who sanctify you, am holy.” (Leviticus 21:8)
Parasha for this Week Emor
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Leviticus 21:1 - 24:22
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Emor
he name of our parasha is interesting, the word “Emor” comes from the verb “Amar” or “Le’emor” to tell. This word became popular in the Jewish tradition because it gave the name of one category of interpreters of the Bible, the “Amoraim” the tellers. The first generations of interpreters of the Bible after the destruction of the Temple were the “Tanaim”, term which, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia, is from “tanna” and is derived from the Aramaic “teni” or “tena” (to teach). Thus the Tanaim where the “teachers” of the Torah. And after the Tanaim came the “Amoraim” who where the tellers of what they heard from their masters the Tanaim. In the first verse of our parasha the verb “amar” is central, it is repeated three times. “The L-RD said [VayOmer] to Moses, “Speak [Emor] to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say [VeAmarta] to them: (Leviticus 21:1a). The whole verse revolves around this verb “to tell”, three times in order to insist on the importance of what Moses is going to tell them right now.
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Cohanim and Dead Corpse
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he book of Leviticus is also called Torat Hakohanim (the Law of the priests) that is why from the beginning of our reading of this book we have read a number of specific laws given by G-d for the Cohanim (the priests) most of these laws are for the forgiveness of Israel through the services of the Sanctuary. It is a book which deals with the holiness of every Jew and believer who accept to follow the Torah. The full meaning of what Moses is telling to the Priests must be communicated to them and to their descendent after them in order to take these instructions to heart. The torah states “A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die,” (Leviticus 21:1b). It is interesting, that today in the 21st century, even though the Temple does not exist and the Cohanim are not anymore performing any service to God, they keep very carefully this law. I remember that when I was young, one of my friend was named Cohen. He was not religious at all, he did not pass the Bar-Mitzvah
and never went to synagogue except from time to time for Yom Kippur. On a day, we were in the house of a common friend and on that moment his mother died, automatically my other friend Cohen, left this house and I explained to the people who were presents why he left this house so quickly. Even though he was not practicing Judaism, he still was aware that as a Cohen and could not stay in the presence of a dead body.
Who Sanctify Israel?
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he Torah states: “And you shall observe my commandments and do them, I am the Almighty. And you shall not desecrate my Holy Name and I will be sanctified among the Children of Israel, I am the Almighty who sanctifies you.” (Leviticus 22:31-32). The Chasam Sofer comments that verse 31 is an introduction to verse 32. Rashi states that “you shall observe my commandments” refers to studying Torah since the only way to have the knowledge to observe the commandments is through studying them first. Therefore, the Torah immediately warns those who
study Torah against chilul HaShem (desecration of G-d), it obliges those who study Torah to make a kiddush HaShem (sanctification of G-d). The behavior of anyone who studies Torah should be on such a level that it will be an expression of the sanctity of the Almighty. People who observe those who study Torah should be able to say that the Torah gives those who study it much wisdom and promotes excellence in their daily behavior. Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz used to stress, “Everyone who studies Torah must excel in his love for other people, in showing honor and respect to other people, and in the pleasant manner with which he should always speak to others. His elevated behavior should be on such a level that everyone will say about him, ‘How fortunate is his father who taught him Torah. How fortunate is his teacher who taught him Torah. How unfortunate are those who have not studied Torah. This person who has studied Torah, see how pleasant are his ways.’” This statement of Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz should
be repeated over and over again. Based on the Talmudic statement in the Bavli Talmud, Yoma 86a, which stresses three points: 1. love for other people, 2. honor and respect for others, and 3. a pleasant manner of speaking. Not everyone can appreciate the genius of deep Torah thoughts. However, everyone does appreciate being spoken to with kindness and respect.
Believers and Torah
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he Torah states, “And you shall count from the day after the day of rest, from the day that you brought the wave offering of the Omer, seven complete weeks they shall be.” (Leviticus 23:15). Why do the Jewish people have the emphasis on counting the days of the Omer between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (Pentecost)? The Torah gives them a mitzvah to count the days from the second day of Pesach until the holiday of Shavuot. The root of this commandment, wrote in the Chinuch (a book that gives an understanding and details
of each of the 613 mitzvot) is that the essence of G-d’s people is the Torah. The Israelites were redeemed from Egypt in order to accept the Torah at Sinai and to fulfill it. The counting of the days from the exodus until the day they accepted the Torah is an expression of the importance of the Torah for Gd’s People. Just as a person who is in prison and knows that he will be released on a certain day will count each day until he finally gets his freedom, so too, we count the days until we receive the Torah. Counting the days shows that our entire being has a strong desire to finally reach the end of the time we are counting. (Sefer HaChinuch 306) The greater your appreciation of the Torah, the more you will study it. Realizing how important the Torah is for Israel as a people and for each believer individually, they have great joy and pleasure when they devote themselves to studying and mastering it. Every year when they count the days between Pesach and Shavuot, they once again repeat this message daily for fortynine days.
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Temple after it is eight days old and must be free from any physical defects. The nation is commanded to sanctify the Name of G-d by insuring that their behavior is always exemplary, and by being prepared to surrender their lives rather than murder, engage in licentious relations or worship idols. The special characteristics of the Shabbat and other holidays are described, and the nation is reminded not to do certain types of creative work during these holidays. New grain may not be eaten until the omer of barley is offered in the Temple. The Torah explains the laws of preparing the oil for the menorah and baking the lechem hapanim (Bread of his face) in the Temple. A man blasphemes G-d and is executed as prescribed in the Torah.
Haftara Overview Ezekiel 44:15-31
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lthough G-d has said often enough that Israel is not faithful, in this hafttara we learn that G-d still has some among his people who remain faithful to him. Among them is the family of the high priest. “But the priests, who are Levites and descendants of Zadok and who faithfully carried out the duties of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me…” (Ez. 44:15). It was a great privilege for this family to receive such great approval from G-d, “They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and perform my service” (Ez. 44:16). Then the text reminds of the Priesthood rules: - No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. - They shall not marry a widow, or a divorced woman, but only a virgin. - They shall teach my people the difference
“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places.” (Leviticus 23:3)
Shavuot and Ruach Hakodesh
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n this weeks parasha, we are introduced to the mitzvah of counting the Omer, the sevenweek countdown from the second day of Passover until the festival of Shavuot, the Torah commands: “You shall count (for yourselves) seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath (day of rest), from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath (week). Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the L-RD.” (Leviticus 23:15–16) First question: Why does the Torah use a double expression, “You shall count (for yourselves)?” Consider that you are counting something which belongs to you — for your benefit. Then you will want to “illuminate” each day of your life more and more. The lesson of Sefirat HaOmer (counting the homer) is: Make each day count, for it is yours which you are counting. A second question: Why does the Torah find it nec-
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essary to do the arithmetic for us? Don’t we know that the day after a full seven weeks is the fiftieth day? The commentators offer a homiletic explanation. Let us take a closer look at the counting of the Omer. On an elementary level, we count the Omer to build up our excitement and anticipation for the festival of Shavuot, which celebrates the giving of the Torah. On the mystical level, however, the preparation is far more profound. During these seven weeks, we are meant to climb the ladder of elevation, to refine and improve our inner selves so that we will receive the Torah with purity of soul. Each day, each week brings us higher and higher until we reach the final goal. The talmidim of Yeshua climbed this ladder of elevation. After hearing the promise of Yeshua it is said “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had come in, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying; that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and
Judas the son of James. All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” (Acts 1:12-14). The result of climbing the ladder of elevation by being in one accord, persevering in prayer and supplication, they received a new gift, the Holy Spirit. Israel received on Shavuot day the Torah, however the Torah can be internalized and understood only by the power of the Ruach Hakodesh, the spirit of God who give light. That’s why the prophet Jeremiah affirmed, “this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer 31:33). Shavuot is coming very soon, this year it will be on June 12 and 13. Do we want to experience this rain of the Ruach Hakodesh in our life and to benefit of the Giving of the Torah, it is time to work for a spiritual revival of your congregation, to climb the ladder of elevation and to let the Ruach Hakodesh to come fully in us, without any restriction.
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Apostolic Writings — Matthew 18:15-23
n the text of the parasha we have the description of the feasts God gave to Israel. They are in the chapter 23 of Leviticus. Among these feast Shavuot or Pentecost. Shavuot is never on a fixed day, but 50 days after Pesach. The Jewish people is invited to count 49 days after the day of Pesach, and the day after (the fiftieth) is the day of Shavuot. The word Shavuot is the plural of the word Shavua (week), that is why this feast is called the feasts of the weeks. This name comes from the fact that they have to count 7 full weeks after the day of Pesach. “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD.” (Leviticus 23:15–16). This feast is also called Pentecost. This word is the latin version of the greek word Pentekoste which means fiftieth. The counting of the period of the Omer (49 days) that the Jewish people started on the day after Pesach, is interesting because this number—49, is a number we find in other parts of the Bible and especially the prophet Daniel and in the Brit Hachadasha. In the Apostolic writing text for this week (Matthew 18:15-23), Yeshua gives some rules about his Kehilah (assembly). These instructions are important for the future of the talmidim. In the future Kehilah of Yeshua each member is important and each one should
be careful not to hurt anyone. We remember that one of the important commandments we have read last week was “you shall love your neighbor as yourself:” (Leviticus 19:18). Loving our neighbor means also to be honest with him and to tell him when he is doing something wrong. Yeshua advises us “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” (Mat 18:15). Here we have an interesting connection between the parasha and this text of the Besorah (gospel); it is the count Yeshua asked Shim’on-Peter to make in forgiving people. In the Kehila it can happen that people have arguments between one another, it could happen that some disagreements happen between two brothers/sisters, then what to do? Shim’on asked this question to Yeshua “L-rd, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Mattew 18:21). Up to seven times? we know that in the Jewish thinking 7 is the number of completeness, as G-d has completed the creation in 7 days. The circle is circled (completeness), in this context offering complete forgiveness. However, Yeshua surprised his talmidim saying: “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (22) not only “complete forgiveness”, but perfect forgiveness. 70 x 7 times. This number 490 or 49 x 10 is the number of endless, infinite forgiveness. We have the same number in the prophecy of Daniel 9.
Daniel prays for the forgives of Israel (Daniel 9:3-20) and as an answer to his prayer, God sent the angel Gabriel to tell him how Israel will get perfect/infinite forgiveness, through the sacrifice or death of the Messiah. And this forgiveness is introduced by the number 490 (70 weeks) or 70 x 7 days = 490 days or 49 x 10. In the parasha the people of Israel had to count 49 days between Passover and Shavuot. This count is the time of a serious preparation in order to get forgiveness from God and to be able to hear the voice of God giving the 10 commandments from mount Sinai. The number 49 of our parasha is to go towards perfection which is symbolized in the Jewish tradition also by the number 50, but only G-d goes to 50. Israel is invited to count the Omer for 49 days and then G-d gives the 10 commandments. Rabbi Shaul said about the law of G-d: “The law is holy and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.” (Rom 7:12), “We know that the law is spiritual (14) and “I agree that the law is good.” (16) This law which is holy, righteous, good and spiritual, can only be given by a righteous, holy and perfect G-d on the 50th days after the exodus. Then when Yeshua said 70 x 7, he means perfect forgiveness, not partial or conditional forgiveness but complete forgiveness., 70x7 or 7x7x10 = 490 forgiveness or perfect forgiveness that only G-d can give. Thus the invitation fo Yeshua is to imitate God in our forgiveness of others.
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between the holy and the common. - They shall show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. - In a controversy they shall act as judges, and they shall decide it according to my judgments. - This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no holding in Israel; I am their holding. In the text of the parasha we have chapter 23 of Leviticus which presents the Sabbath and holy days of Israel, among them Yom Kippur, “The L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you… (Lev. 23:27). The haftara speaks that way about the priest family because it is a reminder of the various rules and laws given to the priests and of course the rules about Yom Kippur. “On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering for himself…” (Ez. 44:27).
Stories and Traditions
If Only I Knew…
R Inspirational Corner v
The angels of heaven look upon the distress of God’s family upon the earth, and they are prepared to cooperate with men in relieving oppression and suffering. God in His providence had brought the priest and the Levite along the road where the wounded sufferer lay, that they might see his need of mercy and help. All heaven watched to see if the hearts of these men would be touched with pity for human woe. (DA 500).
abbi Yitzchak said: “The Torah teaches us that when a person does a Mitzvah, he should do so with a complete and happy heart. Had Reuven known that the Torah would record that he attempted to save Joseph from his brothers, he would have put him on his shoulders and run with him home. And if Aaron had known that the Torah would record that he would be happy when he met Moses after [was chosen], he would have come with drums and cymbals. And if Boaz had known that the prophets would record that he gave Ruth some parched grain to eat, he would have given her a royal banquet.” (Midrash - Yalkut, Shimoni Ruth 604).
Rabbi Akiva
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uring the period of Sefirat HaOmer, 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died. Our sages say it was because they did not show proper respect for one another (Yevamos 62b). This seems to be a rather serious punishment for such a light offense. Why were they deserving of such harsh judgment? The Talmud (Kesubos 62b) relates the story of an ignorant shepherd named Akiva, who Rachel the daughter of the wealthy Kalba Savua wished to marry. She fell in love with him according to the Gemara, because he was “modest and a good person”. She knew that if he would apply himself to Torah studies, he would become a great scholar. Her father threatened that he would disown and
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disinherit her if she married such an ignorant. She married him anyway. They were paupers for 24 years. We know the rest of the story (he became the great Rabbi Akiva). Tosfot in Ketubot ask how it could be that the Gemara there describes Rabbi Akiva as a “good person” when the Talmud elsewhere [Pessachim 49b] says that Rabbi Akiva (when he was an ignorant) used to hate Torah scholars and would (if he could) bite into them like a donkey. Tosfot answers that Rabbi Akiva expressed this attitude not out of hatred for Torah scholars per se, but out of resentment that they kept themselves aloof from the masses. He perceived (perhaps erroneously) haughtiness on their part and therefore could not stand such perceived arrogance. Tosfot means that Akiva was, in fact, a good person — so good that he could not tolerate it when others put on airs and looked down on the masses. He felt that this was an affront to other (simpler) people and — good person that he was — felt an urgency to defend the honor of even simple people who were ignoramuses. Given the fact that Rabbi Akiva was such a righteous and pious individual when it came to defending the rights of even simple ignoramuses, the critique of his students was all that much greater for not following in their master’s footsteps regarding showing honor for their fellow students. For that harsh critique, they unfortunately died during the days of Sefirat haOmer (counting the Omer).
Raising Funds
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abbi Yisrael Zelman z”l, grew up in Chicago long before the flourishing of Torah institutions in that city. As a married man, every Saturday night after the conclusion of the Shabbat he would pass a newsstand on the way home from synagogue and pick up the day’s newspapers. As the Shabbat had just ended and Reb Yisrael did not carry any money with him, he had made an arrangement with the vendors to return on Sunday morning to pay for the papers. He walked in for Havdallah with a stack of newspapers in his hand. But Rabbi Yisrael Zelman was not interested in the sports pages nor was he interested in the headlines. In fact he was not interested in the paper altogether. Rabbi Zelman bought the papers for his mother. She also was not interested in the sports or the news. She was interested in the dead. You see, every Saturday night she would comb the newspapers looking for announcements of tombstone unveiling that were to take place the next day at the Jewish Cemeteries in the Chicago area. An unveiling is a time when people are charitable, and the elderly Mrs. Zelman would go every Sunday to the cemeteries and raise funds from those gathered for talmudic schools in Europe and in Israel. She would eventually turn the coins into bills and send the money overseas. A plaque hangs today in the Slobodka Yeshiva in Israel and various other Yeshivot commemorating her efforts.
Kids Parasha Emor
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Leviticus 21:1 - 24:22 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the L-rd, if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the L-rd to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the L-rd or give them to the L-rd as a food offering on the altar. You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted.” (Leviticus 22:18–23) http://www.bnai-tikkun.org.nz 7
Inspirational Corner v The most important
part of the daily ministration was the service in behalf of individuals. The repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle, and, placing his hand upon the victim’s head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent sacrifice. By his own hand the animal was then slain, and the blood was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary. In some cases the blood was not taken into the holy place. But the flesh was eaten by the priest. . . . Both ceremonies symbolized the transfer of sin from the penitent to the sanctuary. (EP 246).