When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a food offering presented to the Lord. The seven-day minimum age for sacrificial animals — the animal must remain with its mother for seven days before it is acceptable for offering. The eighth day is the first day of acceptability, paralleling the eighth day of circumcision (the covenant sign that initiates a male into the covenant community) and the eighth day of the priests' ordination (the first day of official ministry). The seven-day waiting period and the eighth-day beginning communicate the same covenant structure: the fullness of the seven-day period prepares for the new beginning of the eighth day.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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