Leviticus 3

A peace offering is one of several prescribed offerings in Jewish tradition. When Jewish people wanted to give thanks to God for something, such as good health or safety, they would sacrifice a sheep, goat, cow, or bull. They would burn part of the animal, including the kidneys and fat covering the intestines. They would eat the rest in celebration, often with family and friends. It takes a fair number of hungry people to eat a cow. But people were eager to eat meat because it was rare in Bible times for common folks to eat meat, many Bible scholars say.

“When you do this, the LORD will accept your offering. This sacrifice atones for your sins and puts you on good terms with God” (1:4). Jews taught that in God’s eyes, sin was a capital offense. Jewish law, however, says God allowed them to substitute the death of an animal for the death they deserved. “Blood is what brings a body to life. I’ve given you blood to use exclusively on the altar. It atones for your sin—it gets rid of your guilt so you can stay on good terms with the LORD. Blood is the price of your sin” (Leviticus 17:11). The writer of Hebrews says the blood of Jesus was the last sacrifice needed; it paid the price for the sins of all people for all time (Hebrews 10:10).

Fat was considered the tastiest part of an animal—juicy and sweet.

People in Bible times considered kidneys and liver favorite meat, delicious. They also associated these organs with emotions such as joy and grief. Today, people often associate the heart with those emotions. Priests in some ancient religions read signs on livers. A king might order an animal sacrificed before going into battle. Then he would have his priests look at the animal’s liver to see if there was any sign he would win the fight. Ancient clay models of livers were marked with peg holes to show where to look for signs and how to interpret them.

Literally, “finger of the liver.” It’s usually identified as the caudate lobe. There are three other lobes: right, left, and quadrate.

Herders bred fat-tailed sheep in and around what is now Israel and Palestinian Territory. The tail of a mature ram could weigh 20 pounds (9 kg) or more. Fat on the tail was considered the tastiest meat a sheep had to offer.

So, an Israelite wouldn’t order a steak grilled medium rare. But were they never allowed to eat fat, a favorite delicacy of the day? Some speculate that this rule related only to animals sacrificed on the altar. In the Hebrew poem called the Song of Moses, Moses praised God for feeding his people with the best foods, including milk, yogurt, and yummy lamb fat (Deuteronomy 32:14).