Numbers, Chapters 28-30

Chapter 28

A recap of daily sacrifices: one lamb in the morning, with bread and wine, and another in the evening. Monthly sacrifices, to be offered at the new moon: two bullocks, a ram, seven lambs. Passover and First Fruits sacrifices are a repeat of monthly sacrifices. No working on the sabbath or on holidays, except sacrificing. Yes, this is a boring repeat of several other chapters. Great news for carnivorous priests!

Chapter 29

The Feast of Trumpets, or the harvest festival, requires the same sacrifices as the monthly ones, except that a kid goat is also on the menu. Yom Kippur: same sacrifices. Sukkot: 13 bullocks, 2 rams, 14 lambs, 1 kid goat the first day, plus bread and wine, 12 bullocks, 2 rams, 14 lambs. 1 kid goat on day 2, 11 bullocks, 2 rams, 14 lambs, 1 kid goat on day 3, 10 bullocks, 2 rams, 14 lambs, 1 goat on day 4, 9 bullocks, 2 rams, 14 lambs, 1 goat on day 5, 8 bullocks, 2 rams, 14 lambs, 1 kid goat on day 6, 7 bullocks, 2 rams, 14 lambs 1 goat on day 7. No work on the 8th day, except to sacrifice 1 bullock, 1 ram and 7 lambs. So in 8 days, that's a total of 71 bullocks, 15 rams, 105 lambs and 8 goats. Vegetarians are SOL. Oh, and this is besides all the other kinds of sacrifice, like for menstruating women and lepers.

Chapter 30

What it means when various people make oaths. A man must do what he promises. If an unmarried woman makes a vow, her father can overrule it and she isn't responsible. Otherwise, she has to keep it, but ultimately daddy's responsible. Husbands can also override their wives' vows. Divorced or widowed women are responsible for their own promises. Jerry Falwell loves this of course, because it confirms his world view that women should submit to their husbands. I've read about women who take this so seriously that they'll consult their husbands on what to wear that day and how to do their hair. Of course he has no advice for women who submit to their husbands for 15 years, cleaning house and home-schooling their 9 kids, only to have hubby drop dead at age 43 or leave them for a woman who can decide how to wear her hair for her own damned self. He'd just tell you it's your fault, you sinned and now you have to deal with the consequences.