Friday, August 8, 2014

Leviticus: Chapter 19

Hollowing the hallowed

Keep the edges

The singularity

Learn to wait the long hours

And not tear in despair















[For full chapter, click here
A medley of laws, that reiterate and expand on the ten commandments and their aftermath (honoring  parents; the Sabbath; do not steal; do not bear God's name in vain). The framing, however, is different. These laws now revolve around the concept of "holiness" (kadosh, lit. "dedicated") and a newly introduced concept, h'l'l, commonly translated as "desecrate," yet from the same root as "empty", "hollow"--an interesting etymology considering that consecration is referred to as "filling" (miluim). 
The sacred is the domain of the full; to desecrate is to hollow out.   
The commandments are now interspersed with the refrain : "I am your God." They are filled with presence; and demand patience, a waiting to be full. Produce and fields must never be completly emptied--the edges must always be kept for the other. The edges of self and other must also never be fully broken. the aws of sexuality here expand to protecting the genetic integrity of animals and plants; linen and wool (the plant and animal) cannot be woven together to a single whole]

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