Vayikra (Leviticus): Tzav > Ch 8

Moses performs the initiation ceremony for Aaron & his sons, as G-d commanded him

• Moses took Aaron and his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil, the sin offering bull, the two rams & the basket of unleavened bread and Moses did the following:
• Assembled the entire community at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

Garments

• Brought Aaron and his sons forward and bathed them in water.
• Placed the tunic upon Aaron, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, placed the ephod upon him, girded him with the band of the ephod, and adorned him with it.
• Placed the choshen upon him, and he inserted into the choshen the Urim and the Tummim.
• He placed the cap on Aaron's head, and placed on the cap, towards his face, the golden showplate, the holy crown
• Took the anointing oil and anointed the Sanctuary and everything in it and sanctified them.
• Sprinkled from it upon the altar seven times, and he anointed the altar and all its vessels and the washstand and its base, to sanctify them.
• Poured some of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and he anointed him to sanctify him.
• He brought Aaron's sons forward and clothed them with tunics, girded them with sashes, and bound them up with high hats
• Brought the sin offering bull close, and Aaron and his sons leaned their hands [forcefully] upon the head of the sin offering bull.
• Slaughtered it, took the blood, and placed it on the horns of the altar, around, with his finger, and he purified the altar. And he poured the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it [the altar], to effect atonement upon it.
• Took all the fat which was on the innards, and the diaphragm with the liver, and the two kidneys together with their fat. And Moses caused [them] to [go up in] smoke on the altar.
• Burned the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its waste, with fire outside the camp

Ram of burnt offering

• Brought near the burnt offering ram, and Aaron and his sons leaned their hands [forcefully] upon the head of the ram.
• Slaughtered [it], and Moses dashed the blood on the altar, around.
• Cut up the ram into its pieces, and made the head, the pieces and the fat [go up in] smoke. But the innards and the legs, he washed in water, and Moses made the entire ram [go up in] smoke on the altar. It was a burnt offering [with] a pleasing fragrance, a fire offering to the Lord

Ram of investitures & unleavened bread

• Brought near the second ram, the ram of the investitures, and Aaron and his sons leaned their hands [forcefully] upon the ram's head.
• Slaughtered [it], took some of its blood, and placed it on the cartilage of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.
• Brought Aaron's sons forward, and placed some of the blood on the cartilage of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet, and Moses dashed the blood on the altar, around.
• Took the fat, the tail, all the fat which was on the innards, the diaphragm of the liver, the two kidneys together with their fat and the right thigh. And out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one loaf of unleavened bread, and one loaf of oily bread, and one wafer, and he placed them on top of the fats and the right thigh. And then he placed it all on Aaron's palms and on his sons' palms, and he waved them as a waving before the Lord.
• Took them from their hands and made them [go up in] smoke on the altar along with the burnt offering. They were investiture offerings, as a pleasing fragrance, a fire offering to the Lord.
• Took the breast and waved it as a waving before the Lord. It belonged to Moses as a portion from the ram of the investitures
• Took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar, and he sprinkled it on Aaron and on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons' garments, and he sanctified Aaron, his garments, his sons and his sons' garments with him.

7 days of investiture

• And Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, "Cook the flesh at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and eat it there, and the bread that is in the basket of the investiture offerings, as I have commanded, saying, 'Aaron and his sons shall eat it.' And whatever is left over from the flesh and the bread, you shall burn in fire. And you shall not leave the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the day of the completion of your investiture days, he will inaugurate you for seven days.
• As he did on this day, so the Lord has commanded to do, to effect atonement for you. And you shall stay day and night for seven days at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. You shall observe the Lord's command, so that you will not die, for thus I was commanded. And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded through Moses.

Rashi Commentary

• and one loaf of oily bread This refers to the רְבוּכָה, the loaves made by scalding [the dough] with boiling water, [and are called “oily bread,”] because a large quantity of oil was used for it, equal to that used for the loaves and the wafers combined. Thus it is explained in [Tractate] Men. (78a; 89a).