The ordination of Aaron and his sons is complicated and intensive - several animals must be sacrificed, parts of their bodies anointed, a ritual meal prepared, and this must happen over seven days. It's not a quick ceremony and a handshake.
I was ordained last year, and our ceremony was one hour - very meaningful, but also very efficient. Reading about Aaron's week-long consecration, I realized something: deep transitions take time. You can't instantly move from non-priest to priest by pronouncement alone. Something in your actual lived experience must change.
The extended ritual gives the new priests time to actually embody a new identity, to be publicly set apart, to experience the weight of what they're committing to. We've lost something important in our modern speed.
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