Teachings in Leviticus

Religious Studies: KS3, topic 1.1.14

Leviticus also contains many other teachings on worship, festivals and right action.

When the Israelites entered the Land of Israel, worship in the Temple was very important.
People who lived too far from Jerusalem had to go there on a pilgrimage 3 times a year.
This was during the festivals of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot.
This would give them the spiritual boost and reconnection to God.

One of the most famous instructions is Leviticus 19:18 to “love your neighbour as yourself.”
Later in the Christian Bible, this was repeated by Jesus and has become a major teaching in Christianity.
Other rules are: to pay workers on time; to not cheat with weights and measures; to not to be cruel to animals; and to make sure that the weakest members of society are looked after.
The Israelites had 2 sets of laws - some between people & some between people & God.

There are lots of rituals on Yom Kippur, which is an annual day of atonement.
The High Priest performs rituals to seek forgiveness from God for the people of Israel.
This was accompanied by individual prayer, and regret for wrongdoing.

On Yom Kippur, sacrifices are offered on behalf of an individual, their family and all people.
One animal was sent to the desert to symbolically carrying the sins of the people.
This animal was pushed over a cliff (symbolically getting rid of the people’s wrongdoing).
Any sin committed between people would need a personal request for forgiveness.
The rituals only helped if a person sinned against God.
If you sinned against another person, then that person would need to forgive you.

Test yourself on Teachings in Leviticus

During which three festivals are Jewish people told to make the pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem?