Leviticus is situated at the center of the Torah (Pentateuch). It derives its English name from the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, where the book is titled “Leviticus” because its main concern is worship practices officiated by the high priest Aaron and his descendants, who belong to the tribe of Levi. Because Levites not belonging to Aaron’s line are mentioned only briefly in Leviticus (25.32–33), the early rabbinic title, “The Priests’ Instruction” (Heb torat kohanim), is perhaps more fitting. The book’s Hebrew name, wayyiqra˒ (“And he [the Lord] summoned”),
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