In short
“Other” than the Ten Commandments, is what I mean. (That’s next week*.) There are a lot. Some rabbinic traditions say 613 in total. I just wanted to give an overview of some of them.
Why they are important
Look, I know everyone hates laws, judging by all the people that break the speed limit and riot against the government, but these are more than just stupid commands. The laws of the Torah are really fair, kind, compassionate and often illustrate God’s holiness.
And here we go…
Food laws
- Animals to eat and not eat (Lev 11:3-8; Deut 14:3-21)
- No new fruit (Lev 19:23) or grain (Lev 23:14)
- Blood in an animal (Gen 9:4; Lev 3:17)
Social justice
- “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit” (Ex 23:6; cf Lev 19:15)
- No bribes (Ex 23:8)
- The Year of Jubilee (Lev 25)
- Intentional murder, manslaughter, etc. (Ex 21:12-31)
- Fair weights and measures (Lev 19:36)
- Death penalty (Lev 24:17; Gen 9:5-6)
Ritual purity
- Unclean animals (Lev 11:24-47)
- Leprosy (Lev 13-14)
- Human bodily… you know (Lev 15)
Kindness
- Love your neighbor (Lev 19:18)
- Leave food out for the poor (Lev 19:9-10)
Consecration
- Nazarite vow (Num 6:1-21)
- Priestly holiness (Lev 21)
- Feasts and sacrifices (Lev 23)
And many more, of course.
Theology and doctrine
We will cover this many more times this year, but I do want to be clear that none of these laws are binding on us today (Galatians 3:23-24, for one of many examples).
Footnote
* You know, in hindsight, I regret covering this BEFORE the Ten Commandments. I know why I did it – I didn’t have time for it in the week we covered Exodus, and the Ten Commandments are mentioned again in Deuteronomy, so I slotted it there. The fun of cramming the Bible into a year.
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