T he first part of this portion is addressed to the priests and contains laws about purity, marriage and physical perfection. Next we find the details of Shabbat and the festivals, again from the perspective of the priest.
Death defiles a priest.
The priest must be physically unblemished as well. In this code, holiness requires separation, and rewards distinctions based on blood lines and physical integrity rather than an earned state of righteousness. It is curious, then, to encounter the lengthy middle section of the portion, which sets forth the holy days, from the Sabbath and Passover to Sukkot. Yet the rhetoric is utterly changed. Here are harvests, first fruits and sweet savor.