Parashat Tzav: The Full Body

(3) All its fat shall be offered: the broad tail; the fat that covers the entrails; (4) the two kidneys and the fat that is on them at the loins; and the protuberance on the liver, which shall be removed with the kidneys.

(22) He brought forward the second ram, the ram of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the ram’s head, (23) and it was slaughtered. Moses took some of its blood and put it on the ridge of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. (24) Moses then brought forward the sons of Aaron, and put some of the blood on the ridges of their right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet; and the rest of the blood Moses dashed against every side of the altar. (25) He took the fat—the broad tail, all the fat about the entrails, the protuberance of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat—and the right thigh. (26) From the basket of unleavened bread that was before יהוה, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of oil bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat parts and on the right thigh. (27) He placed all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and elevated them as an elevation offering before יהוה.

ויתן על תנוך אזן אהרן ועל בהן ידו הימנית ועל בהן רגלו הימנית, ”he placed it on the middle part of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.” I believe that the symbolism of these three procedures is connected to the three parts into which the universe is divided, ‘the world of the angels, the world of the planets, and the terrestrial part of the universe.’ Moses had been commanded to make the Tabernacle symbolic of these three parts of the universe. Whatever was inside (west) of the dividing curtain, פרכת, represented the world of the angels, disembodied spirits. Anything inside the Sanctuary but east of the dividing curtain represented the world of the planets (outer space in modern terms). The courtyard of the Tabernacle represented the terrestrial part of the universe. Seeing that the High Priest embodied within himself the awareness of his Creator and all these different divisions of the universe, it was important that this idea be given concrete expression in that his very body was treated as if it too consisted of three parts, each representing one part of the universe. Man himself may also be viewed as a microcosm of the universe. The three parts of man represent the world of communication by means of speech, i.e. the head, the part which corresponds to the world of the angels. The world of the “chayut,” physical, biological life, is from the chest down to the loins. This portion of man contains the heart, the source of all motion, i.e. the heart is perceived as issuing the directives which result in every move made by man. This part of man corresponds to the world of the planets, whose whole function appears to be their movements, their orbits. Finally, the lower part of man, that which may be described as representing עולם הטבע, the world of nature as we know it, begins from the loins downward and contains the reproductive organs. Seeing that the purpose of the offerings is the continued existence of the universe, (Taanit 27) a world which is divided into three parts, Moses had to give some of the blood which is the agent conferring the atonement aimed at by the animal-sacrifices, on the respective three parts of the Priest to ensure that all parts of the universe are recipients of the power of the sacrifice to bring about atonement. This is why the ear, the hand, and the foot, were chosen to represent these 3 parts of the microcosm as symbols for this atonement. The blood smeared on the ear symbolised the domain of speech in man or the world of the angels in the macrocosm. The blood smeared on the thumb of the Priest symbolised the world of motion, or the world of the planets in the macrocosm. The blood smeared on the big toe of the right foot of the Priest (Aaron) represented the area in man which needs atonement, and symbolised the terrestrial universe in the macrocosm. The word בהן used by the Torah to describe the thumb, is known in Tamudic Hebrew as the גודל, (compare Ketuvot 5) because it is the thickest of the five fingers. Some say that the thickest one is זרת and the smallest is גודל. These five fingers are generally known in the Talmud by the following names: אצבע, אמה, קמיצה, גודל, זרת. The reason the first & thickest finger is called זרת is because when fully extended sideways it completes the distance called זרת in the Talmud describing the distance from the extreme left point of the outstretched thumb and the corresponding point of the right by extending the little finger. [Most authorities consider the standard זרת as being approx. 28 centimeters, i.e. half a cubit. Ed.] The index finger is called אצבע as it is used to sprinkle the blood on the Altar or flick it against the dividing curtain on Yom Kippur. The middle finger is called אמה because it is the longest one protruding more than any of the others and therefore completes the measurement of the arm known as אמה. The fourth finger is called קמיצה being that it is used to measure the קומץ of the מנחה the Priest has to place on the Altar; The fifth & smallest finger is called גודל which may be related to גדילים the fringes i.e. ציציות we are to put on four-cornered garments. The word has a connotation of: “at the extreme outside, edge.” In the beginning of Tractate Ketubot 5a it is written: זו אצבע זו זרת זו קמיצה זו אמה זו גודל.
Rashi explains this as follows: This small finger זרת is for measuring the distance between the little finger & the tip of the thumb, which is used in measuring the breastplate of the High Priest; this next finger קמיצה is used for taking a fistful of the meal-offering; this middle finger אמה is used for measuring a cubit, the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, used as a measuring tool when measuring buildings or instruments.; this one next to the thumb אצבע is the finger used to sprinkle the blood of offerings on the altar; this is the thumb גודל, on which the blood and oil is placed in the purification ritual of Aharon. Each finger has a specific purpose, even for sacred functions.
Thus far Rashi on Ketuvot 5. Scientists have written that just as every organ in the human body has its specific function, many of them having been designed to perform multiple functions, so every one of the five fingers on the hand also has been created in order to perform a specific function. They believe that each of the five fingers has been assigned a task corresponding to one of our five senses, which between them account for most of man’s activities. The powers of the soul [invisible life-force, Ed.] are revealed by means of these five fingers. The first finger is meant to clean out the mouth, i.e. it corresponds to the sense of taste. The second one which is used in the nostrils corresponds to the sense of smell. The third one is used to touch things, i.e. to identify objects and people by means of the sense of touch. The fourth finger is designed to clean one’s eyes; in other words it corresponds to the sense of sight, whereas the fifth finger is designed to clean one’s ears, i.e. it corresponds to the sense of hearing. According to this theory G’d created man with five different senses and provided each of these senses with a specific outlet, i.e. one of his fingers. This is all part of the concept of the completeness of nature, i.e. a world in which everything has been assigned a specific function. We observe that each one of the five fingers performs its functions almost automatically, as if it were simply a reflex movement giving expression to the directives issuing from the respective senses. Blessed be the Lord, Creator, who has created man using so much intelligence in doing so (compare Berachot 60).

22) (Vayikra 8:24): "And he brought forward Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tnuch of their right ear": This is the middle wall. "and upon the thumb of their right hand": This is the middle joint.

ואת ‎'כל חלבו וגו‎ [HE SHALL OFFER OF IT] ALL THE FAT etc. — So far the fat portions of the guilt offering that have to be offered have not yet been mentioned as having to be burnt (though the אשם itself has already been dealt with in Leviticus 5:15), Scripture therefore was compelled expressly to specify them here. So far, however, as the sin-offering is concerned, it (the burning of their fat) has already been mentioned in the Sedrah ויקרא (Leviticus ch. 4), therefore it was unnecessary to mention it in 6:18—23.