Vayikra 17:3

3 What man soever there be of Bais Yisroel, that sacrificeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the machaneh, or that sacrificeth it outside of the machaneh,

Vayikra 17:3 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 17:3

What man soever [there be] of the house of Israel
Whether high or low, rich or poor:

that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat in the camp;
which are particularly mentioned, as Gersom observes, because of these the offerings were; for the law respects the killing of them not for common food, but for sacrifice, as appears from the following verses; for this law was to be a statute for ever, whereas in that sense it was not, and could not be observed, especially when they were come into the land of Canaan; nor would it have been decent or convenient to have brought such vast numbers of cattle every day to be killed at the door of the tabernacle, and must have made the service of the priests extremely laborious to kill them, or even to see that they were killed aright:

or that killeth [it] out of the camp;
which furnishes out another reason against the same notion, since it was not usual to kill for common food without the camp, but in their own tents within it; whereas to sacrifice without the camp was commonly done.

Vayikra 17:3 In-Context

1 7 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

2 Speak unto Aharon, and unto his banim, and unto all the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them: This is the thing which Hashem hath commanded, saying,

3 What man soever there be of Bais Yisroel, that sacrificeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the machaneh, or that sacrificeth it outside of the machaneh,

4 And bringeth it not unto the petach (entrance) of the Ohel Mo’ed, to offer a korban unto Hashem before the Mishkan of Hashem, [shefach] dahm (shedding of blood) shall be imputed unto that man; he hath committed shefach dahm; and that man shall be cut off [see Daniel 9:26 regarding Moshiach] from among his people;

5 To the end that the Bnei Yisroel may bring their zevakhim, which they offer in the open sadeh, even that they may bring them unto Hashem, unto the petach of the Ohel Mo’ed, unto the kohen, and offer them for zivkhei shelamim unto Hashem.