Define

• Fellowship Offering or offering of well-being

Related words

• Fellowship Offering

Additional Info

• Genesis 28 and Genesis 35 ; Jacob made this type of offering 500 years before Moses was given the law. Jacob set up the standing stone, made a vow, and offered a sacrifice of oil

  • zevach shelamim
    • zevach means "sacrifice" or "slaughter,"
    • shelamim is derived from shalom, meaning "peace," "wholeness," or "well-being." Together, they denote a sacrificial offering associated with peace, fellowship, or gratitude.
  • (Leviticus 7:12, 16). It is associated with reconciliation, fellowship with God, and communal worship, as the offerer, priests, and sometimes the offerer’s family share in eating the sacrifice. Restoration of relationship with God.
  • It is offered to
    • express thanksgiving (confession),
      • when the worshipper sought God for deliverance from his enemies or for healing from sickness
      • Since some unknown sin was often seen as the cause for oppression from an enemy or for becoming ill, it was logical that the confession of sin was necessary if he thought that was the reason for his predicament. Now it goes without saying that these sins would have been of the unintentional variety, because they were unknown to the worshipper.
      • this was more about seeking God’s mercy upon the sinful CONDITION of the worshipper rather than for acts of misbehavior. Acts of misbehavior were dealt with by means of other kinds of sacrifices
    • fulfill a vow,
      • It was typical in that day to make a vow to God that if He helped you out of some kind of problem, or would show His mercy to you for a special need, you would pledge to do something for God in return. When that pledge, that vow, to God was fulfilled it would be capped off with ceremony that included a Peace Offering.
      • This is the one offered by Paul in Acts
    • or as a freewill offering
    • the worshipper was not seeking something from God; rather, this was simply a spontaneous expression of gratitude to Yehoveh
  • The animal (cattle, sheep, or goat, male or female) must be without blemish. Specific parts are burned on the altar as God’s portion, while the priests and offerer receive portions to eat, symbolizing communion with God and others.
  • The shared meal aspect (Leviticus 7:15–18) distinguishes it from other sacrifices, as it fosters community and gratitude among the worshipers.
  • perpetual statue throughout your generations in all your dwellings - that you must eat neither fat nor blood.

• Classes of Offering : Zevah - is a lower class of offering because it could be shared with the offerer

  • the ‘Olah or the Minchah ; and this is reflected in the fact that in the Olah and the Minchah only the priests were permitted to use or benefit from any part of the sacrificial offering. In the ‘Olah, the priests could keep the animal skin; in the Minchah the priests could keep the bulk of the grain offering as their own personal food; in fact they were required to eat that food within the courtyard of the Tabernacle, for it was considered a sacred meal.
  • ended with a sacred meal, typically involving both the worshipper and the priests
  • practice of laying hands (semikhah as its called in Hebrew) on the designated sacrificial animal
    • involved some sort of symbolic transference of guilt from the worshipper to the animal; the semikhah also indicated that THIS particular animal was designated by the worshipper as his sacrifice and that it was now God’s property
  • Cattle, sheep and goats - Does not include birds as a sacrifice
  • only certain parts are burned up
  • the fat surrounding the liver, kidneys, and entrails is burned (Helev)
    • This fat is not to be consumed, like the blood
    • The animal’s body contains a different kind of fat, under the animals skin and adheres to other places. (Shuman)
    • Female animals can be used as well
  • Up until this portion of the Torah - everything was to happen only in the Tabernacle - Now it is extended to anywhere the Hebrew settled

Scriptures

• Exodus 20:24

  • mentioned right after the ten words
  • sacrifices are to be every place where he causes his name to be mentioned
  • Yah will come to you and bless you
  • Exodus 24:5; exodues 29:28; Exodus 32:6

• Leviticus 3

  • from the herd
    • male or female without blemish
    • offerer lay hand on the head and slaughter it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting
    • Aaron’s sons splash the blood around on the altar
    • offerer brings an offering made by fire,
      • the fat that covers the innards, //burnt offering //
      • all the fat on the entrail,
      • two kidneys and the fat on them which is by the loins
      • the cover ont he liver removed from the kidneys
    • Aarons sons burn it up as smoke on the altar on top fo the burnt offering - a soothin aroma to Adonai
  • from the flock
    • male or female without blemish
    • bring a lamb to present before Adonai
      • offer lay his hand on the head and slaughter it before the Tent of Meeting
      • Aaron’s sons splash it’s blook around on the altar
      • offering bring a gift made by fire
        • the fat,
        • the entire tail fat cut away close to the backbone
        • the fat that covers the innards
        • all the fat that is on the entrails
        • two kidnesy
        • the fat that is over them which is by the loins
        • the cover of the liver removed with the kidneys
      • Aaron’s sons burn it up as smoke on the altar - a food offering made by fire
    • bring a goat
      • offerer lays hand on its head and slaughters it before the Tent of the Meeting
      • Aaron’s sons splash its blood around on the altar
      • offerer bbrings offering made by fire
        • the fat that covers the innards
        • all the fat that is on the entrails
        • two kidneys
          • the fat that is over them by the loins
          • the cover on the liver removed with the kidneys
      • Aaron’s sons burn them on the altar - the food of the offering made by fire for a soothing aroma
      • all fat is for Adonai

• Leviticus 7:11-21

  • bring for thanksgiving
    • present it with the sacrifice of thanksgiving
      • matzah cakes mixed with oil
      • matzah wafers anointed with oit
      • fine flour cakes mixed with oil
    • cakes of bread with hametz
    • eaten on the day of the offering - leave none until morning
  • a vow or freewill offering (Leviticus 22:21 )
    • eaten on the day of the sacrifice
    • what remains can be eating the next day
    • meat left on the thrid day is to be burned up with fire.
      • any meat eaten on thrid day will not be accepted nor will it be credited to the offer
        • it is a foul thin - the soul who eats it bears his own inquity.
      • meat that touches unclean
        • not to be eaten
        • burned up with fire
      • everyone who is clean may eat it
        • anyone eating and having uncleanness on him - is cut off from his people
        • anyone who eats it and has uncleaneess of man, animal, or destable thing - cut off from his people

• Leviticus 23 :18-21 - part of the wave offering on Shavuot . The breast of the sacrifice was waved in a horizontal movement which released the full savour of the offering before the Lord, in appreciation of and enjoyment of His love. Similarly, the right shoulder was heaved in a vertical movement unto the Lord, in appreciation and enjoyment of the power and ability of Christ to secure everything for God.

• Numbers 6 : part of the Nazirite vows

• Numbers 7 : Princes of Israel, heads of their ancestral houses - provided a fellowship offering

• Numbers 10 : trumpets are blown over the burnt and fellowship offerings as a part of the days of rejoicing, feasts, and new moons; Ezekiel 46

• Numbers 29: . You are to prepare these for Adonai at your moadim in addition to your vow and freewill offerings, along with your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offering, and fellowship offerings

• Deuteronomy 27: offered when they crossed over and wrote the words of the torah - Joshua 8:31; Joshua 22; Judges 20:26;

• Daniel 9:

{ #And}
he shall confirm brit (covenant) with rabbim for one heptad; and in the midst of the heptad he shall cause the zevach and the minchah to cease, and on the kenaf (wing) of the abominations is one making desolate, even until the complete destruction, a destruction that is decreed, shall be poured out upon the Shomem (Desolator, Destroyer).

• Ezekiel 43 :27 - part of the offerings being offered after the glory returns to the temple (generally understood to be the Millenial Kingdom.

• Ezekiel 45 : it will be the prince’s role to give the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings at the feasts, new moons, and shabbatot. He will prepare the sin offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.

• Ezekiel 44: This gate is to be shut. It must not be opened. No one may enter through it, for Adonai God of Israel has entered through it. So it is to be kept shut. 3 Only the prince, since he is a prince, will sit there to eat bread before Adonai. He will enter by way of the porch of the gate and go out the same way.

• Proverbs 7 :14

• Colossians 1 :19:20 - For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, ( Jesus ) and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven

• Romans 5 :11: And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

• 2 Corinthians 5 :18-19: That is, in Messiah God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them; and He has entrusted the message of reconciliation to us

• Matthew 5 :23-24 21 “You have heard it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,[c] and whoever commits murder shall be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca’ shall be subject to the council[d]; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be subject to fiery Gehenna. 23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering upon the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 “Make friends quickly with your opponent while you are with him on the way. Otherwise, your opponent may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the assistant, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Amen, I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid back the last penny![e]

• Ephesians 2:14 14 For He is our shalom, the One who made the two into one and broke down the middle wall of separation. Within His flesh He made powerless the hostility— 15 the law code of mitzvot contained in regulations. He did this in order to create within Himself one new man from the two groups, making shalom,

• In the Orthodox Jewish bible, the words zevach shelamim only appear in Leviticus and Numbers. Leviticus 3, Leviticus 7, Leviticus 19, Leviticus 22, Leviticus 23, Numbers 6, Numbers 7, Numbers 15

Connections

Additional source for notes

lesson-5-ch3-2 (https://www.torahclass.com/lessons/old-testament/leviticus/lesson-5-ch3-2/)
Now lest we think that the use by Hebrews of the typical, even pagan-like, cultural religious expressions of that era even went so far as to imply that when the Israelites were enjoying their sacred meal in God’s presence, that indeed God TOO was eating food, we have only to look at Psalm 50:12, 13. It says this: (this is God speaking) “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” What we should take from this Psalm is that 1) the pagan mindset of Hebrews even in the era of David (300 years after Moses) at times must have actually viewed Yehoveh as eating food (or God would not have scolded the Hebrews about it).
Therefore the ultimate meaning of His instructions, such as here in Leviticus, whereby it speaks of the smoke being a lovely fragrance to God’s nostrils, is not physical, but spiritual in it’s meaning. God does NOT have nostrils, nor does He “smell” the smoke the way we humans think of it.