About the
book of Leviticus:
The word Leviticus
is a Latin word that has reference to the
Levites—one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Levites held the lesser
priesthood and were given the responsibility to officiate in the tabernacle and
later at the temple in Jerusalem (see Numbers 3:5–10). The book of Leviticus
contains instructions on performing priesthood duties, such as animal sacrifice
and other rituals that would help teach the children of Israel about Jesus
Christ and His Atonement (see Alma 34:13–14). The Lord revealed a primary
purpose for the instructions He gave in the book of Leviticus: “Ye shall be
holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2; see also Leviticus
11:44–45; 20:26; 21:6).
Moses is the
author of Leviticus. Moses and his older brother, Aaron, were both members of
the tribe of Levi (see Exodus 6:16–20).
The
book of Leviticus has been described as a priesthood handbook for Aaron and his
sons (who served as priests) and for the Levites generally. Through these
instructions, we learn about the laws, rituals, ceremonies, and festivals that
would teach Israel how to be clean, holy, and different from the world.
Central
to the book of Leviticus is the concept of atonement; the word atonement occurs
more frequently in this book than in any other book of scripture. Leviticus
describes in detail the system of animal sacrifices that served to remind
Israel that “it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus
17:11). Thus, these sacrifices symbolically pointed Israel forward to the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who would shed His blood to atone for the sins of
mankind. (Seminary Teacher Manual p.200)
