Love Leviticus? (2) - How To Manuals

A common Hebrew phrase in the book of Leviticus is “Zoth Torah”. It is usually translated as “This is the law of” or “This is the regulations for”. An example is Leviticus 7:1.

These are the regulations for the guilt offering, which is most holy.

A better translation would be “How To”. Leviticus 7:1-10 is the “How To” for the guilt offering.

The book of Leviticus includes a whole lot of How To’s. There is a How To for each of the offerings. There is also a How To for the consecration of priests, a How To for holy food, a How To for child birth, a How To for skin diseases and a How To for religious feasts.

The phrase Zoth Torah is also used in the book of Numbers. There is a How To for jealousies, a How To for Nazarites, a How To for water of cleaning, and a How To for dead bodies.

Rather than describing these as laws, it is more correct to see them as How To’s or Instruction Manuals for the Israelites. They applied to the lives of the Israelite nation. They are not universal commands for everyone everywhere.