Temple Service

Abstract

This chapter discusses the Book of Temple Service (Sefer avodah) as the eighth book of the Mishnah torah that includes nine sections about the Temple and its rituals. It examines the Laws of the Temple, which opens with the commandment to make a house for God established for the offering of sacrifices. It also covers the Laws of Temple Utensils and Servers that contains the anointing of high priests and kings, the organization and functions of priests, Levites, and lay representatives in the Temple, and the priestly garments. The chapter talks about the Laws of Entrance into the Sanctuary, which refers to preparations for and disqualifications from service in the Temple, wherein priests with physical deformities and people in a state of ritual impurity are excluded. It involves the Laws of Things Forbidden for the Altar, which discusses deformed animals and other things that may not be brought as offerings.