Why the Kohen Gadol brings a Daily Meal Offering

Parshat Tzav 5772
It’s important to develop sound habits.

But why would God insist that the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) develop the habit of bringing a meal offering every day?

The High Priest’s Meal Offering

Here are the verses that discuss the meal offering of the Kohen Gadol (translation by Judaica Press).

Some Answers

Leviticus 6:13

This verse is contradictory. When is this offering brought: on the day of anointing or every day? The verse first mentions one particular day, but then talks about a daily offering.

The Gemara Menachot explains that this verse is talking about the Kohen Gadol and a regular kohen.

A regular priest would bring a meal offering on the first day that he performed the service as a kohen. This was part of his initiation into the priestly service and was brought only once.

However, the “perpetual offering” was brought by the Kohen Gadol every morning and evening.

In addition, from verse 15 it is derived that on the day that a regular priest is promoted to be High Priest he brings a meal offering. His higher level of service requires a new initiation.

Putting this all together, if the first time a priest serves in the Beit HaMikdash is as Kohen Gadol, he will bring three meal offerings:

1. his dedication meal offering to serve as a kohen;
2. his dedication meal offering to become Kohen Gadol;
3. the regular daily offering of the Kohen Gadol.

Why is part of the meal offering brought in the morning and the second part brought in the evening?

Abarbanel’s Approach

Abarbanel offers ten reasons why the Kohen Gadol brings a daily meal offering.

The first reason he suggests is because all of the Jewish people are relying on the Kohen Gadol to perform the daily service and atone for the people. But as the verse in Kohelet 7:20 says, “There is no man on earth who does good and does not sin.” If the Kohen Gadol is not free of sin, then how can he atone for everyone else?

Therefore, the Kohen Gadol brings his meal offering each morning and evening to atone for his sins.

Thus we see that Abarbanel understands that this meal offering is actually a sin offering.

We read in Leviticus 5:11-13 that a meal offering may be brought as a sin offering by a poor person.

When a meal offering is brought as a sin offering, the person bringing it does not put oil or frankincense on it. The daily offering of the Kohen Gadol was prepared with oil, but no oil or frankincense was placed on it. So it makes sense to consider it as a sin offering.

Another reason the Abarbanel offers is that when a person who sinned sees the Kohen Gadol bring his meal offering in the morning and evening, they will not be embarrassed or ashamed to bring their proper sin offering.

Leviticus 6:15 and 16

Why are we told twice that this meal offering is completely consumed by fire?

According to Rashi, the repetition is to teach that every meal offering brought by a kohen, whether voluntary or for a sin, was to be totally burnt.

Only the frankincense and a handful of flour of a regular meal offering were burned on the altar. The kohen who performed the service was given the remainder to eat.

If this was done with the meal offering of a kohen, then only a small portion would be fully dedicated to God. Thus the commentators explain that the kohen’s meal offering is completely burnt on the altar.

Your Turn

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