In part 5 we saw what is involved for an an ezrach, Yehovah’s son, Israel, who wants to serve beef, lamb or goat to his family, servants, and the Ger who dwells with him, while he is in or near the camp. The slaughter of this animal is called the “Thanksgiving Slaughter” or (she-la-mim zeh-vach) and is done in accordance with Yehovah’s instructions, NOT the Kosher, Halal or even the United States Department of Agriculture’s instructions. And the Ezrach who kills (sha-khat) it, is the man who also eats it.
- He selects his animal male or female (at least 8 days old or older)
- He brings it alive to the brazen altar.
- Lays his hand on the animal and kills it.
- The priest catches some of the blood and puts it on the altar.
- The man now butchers the animal and gives the priest the fat to burn on the altar.
- The man also gives the priest the breast for a heave and the right thigh as a wave offering.
- The rest of the meat belongs to the man and is food for him, his friends and those under his covering.
There are three different kinds of Thanksgiving Slaughters; the thank (to-dah) offering (kor-vawn), the vow and the freewill. For the purpose of this series I have concentrated on the most common one and the one that only a son of Yehovah, theEzrach, may bring to Him. There are just a few differences between these 3 kor-vawn and this chart should help us see them quickly. In each case they come from the herd (cattle) or the flock (sheep or goats).
| Offering (kor-van) |
Who may bring |
Sex of |
Condition |
Time in which it |
| Thank (to-dah) |
Only the Ezrach | Male or female |
Alive, whole and not torn |
Same day |
| Freewill | The Ezrach or the Ger |
Male | Alive, whole a blemish is OK* |
2 days |
| Vow | The Ezrach or the Ger |
Male | Alive, whole and no blemish |
2 days |
*And a bull or a lamb or goat that has any limb too long or too short you may bring as a freewill, but for a vow it shall not be pleasing. (Lev 22:23)
What happens to this meat between the time it is killed and the next morning is critical to the man that killed it; it is the difference between him receiving a blessing from Yehovah or a curse. Most of the instructions regarding the handling, eating and disposal of this meat at the end of this time period are codified in Leviticus 7:11-21.
‘This is the torah (instructions) for a Thanksgiving Slaughter of which he shall bring near to Yehovah: If he brings it for a to-dah, then he shall bring, with the to-dah slaughter, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. Besides the cakes, as his kor-vawn he shall bring leavened bread with a his slaughtered she-lem of to-dah (thanks). And he shall bring one cake for each offering as a heave offering to Yehovah. It shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the she-la-mim offering. ‘The flesh of a slaughter of his she-la-mim for thanks shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning.
But if the slaughter of his kor-vawn is a vow or a freewill it shall be eaten the same day that he brings his slaughter; but on the next day the remainder of it also may be eaten; the remainder of the flesh of the slaughter on the third day must be burned with fire. And if any of the flesh of his Thanksgiving Slaughter is eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, nor shall it be imputed to him; it shall be an abomination to him who offers it, and the person who eats of it shall bear guilt. (Lev 7:11-18)
We only have one day to eat this meat, or two, in the case of a vow or freewill. It does not go into the refrigerator for a few days or into the freezer for months on end.
Now let’s find out how this meat is to be treated and who may eat it during this day.
 ‘The flesh [the meat of the animal] that touches any unclean thing [an object, a person, an animal] shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. And as for the clean flesh, all who are clean may eat of it. But the person eats the flesh from the Thanksgiving Slaughter to Yehovah, while he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from his people. Moreover the person who touches any unclean thing, such as human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any abominable unclean thing, and who eats the flesh from the Thanksgiving Slaughter to Yehovah, that person shall be cut off from his people.‘ ” (Lev 7:19-21)
Any wonder why James in Acts chapter 15 chose meat slaughtered and eaten incorrectly as the number one item that the new Ger MUST NOT do? There are lots of ways, in relation to the meats, which we eat that get us kicked out of Israel; and getting kicked out of Israel means no eternal life. This is part of the reason we must begin to understand what things can make us unclean (ta-mei).
“Speak to Aaron, to his sons, and to all My son, Israel, and say to them, ‘This is the thing which Yehovah has commanded, saying: “Any man of the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, and does not come to the door of the tent of meeting to bring his kor-vawn to Yehovah before the presence of Yehovah: the guilt of bloodshed shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people. (Lev 17:2-4)
This is what His son, His Ezrach, is NOT to do. Now He contrasts this with what Israel’s seed, Israel, is to do.
To the end, that Israel’s seed shall come with their slaughterings which they [were] slaughtering in the open field, and come to Yehovah to the door of the tent of meeting, to the priest, and he [the man] shall slaughter His Thanksgiving Slaughter to Yehovah. And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of Yehovah at the door of the tent of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet aroma to Yehovah. (Lev 17:5-6)
The very next verse is where we will read, in most English translations, the words, “meat sacrificed to idols” and discover what is actually being said there. But before we do that, we must understand to whom our meats are currently slaughtered.
So next time we will compare how the meats most of us eat are slaughtered and learn the judgments of Yehovah that we can expect if we will not change our ways, to His eternal and unchanging ways.