Wellbeing or peace offering

The peace offering (šĕlāmîm) differs from other offerings in several key aspects, particularly in its purpose, the involvement of the offerer in consuming the sacrifice, and its general lack of a direct atoning function. Here's a breakdown of the differences compared to other main types of sacrifices: Purpose: Burnt Offering (ʿôlâ): While the burnt offering could serve various purposes including entreaty, homage, thanksgiving, appeasement, and initially expiation, the peace offering's primary aim was to express a state of well-being, foster communion or fellowship with God, and often celebrate a specific occasion or blessing. It was brought voluntarily for reasons of thanksgiving (tôdâ), fulfilling a vow (neder), or as a freewill offering (nĕdābâ). Purification Offering (ḥaṭṭāʾt): The purification offering was specifically required for violations of divine commandments or serious ritual impurities, evils for which no restitution could be made in money or in kind. Its purpose was to carry away contamination and purge the sanctuary or the offerer from impurity. Unlike the peace offering, it was primarily concerned with expiation and purification, not fellowship. Reparation Offering (ʾāšām): The reparation offering was brought for specific offenses involving sacrilege or the misuse of sacred items, often requiring financial restitution alongside the sacrifice. While both purification and reparation offerings are considered expiatory, the reparation offering specifically addressed offenses that caused a quantifiable loss or required amends, which is distinct from the peace offering's focus on well-being and communion Cereal Offering (minḥâ): The cereal offering, a "food gift", could be offered as a necessary addition to other sacrifices or as a substitute "purgation" sacrifice. While it could serve various purposes like the burnt offering for those who couldn't afford animal sacrifices, it did not inherently involve the communal eating aspect central to the peace offering. A key differentiator of the peace offering is that the offerer and their guests would eat a portion of the sacrificed animal. This act of eating signified communion and fellowship. The Passover, a type of communal well-being sacrifice, is a prime example of the laity eating the offering. Burnt offerings were entirely consumed by fire on the altar. Purification offerings were not eaten by the officiant in the outer-sanctum, and in some cases (priest's or community's offering), the remains were burned outside the camp. In other cases (ruler or individual), the priests ate the remainder. The crucial factor determining whether the flesh was eaten and by whom was whether the offerer(s) consisted of priests or laypersons, not the presence or absence of sprinkling blood in the outer sanctum. Reparation offerings had their fat burned on the altar, and the remainder, the edible flesh, was eaten by the priests. Atonement: Purification and reparation offerings were primarily atoning sacrifices, designed to deal with sin and impurity. The peace offering was generally considered a non-atoning sacrifice While the burnt offering initially had an atoning function, the purification and reparation offerings later became the primary expiatory sacrifices Blood Ritual: In peace offerings, the blood was dashed on the sides of the altar11 ..., similar to burnt offerings In purification offerings, the blood was placed on the horns of the altar, or for more serious cases (priest or community), it was brought into the sanctuary and sprinkled on the veil before the Holy of Holies and daubed on the horns of the incense altar11 In reparation offerings, the blood was also dashed on the altar The priest who performed the blood rite for the peace offering received a specific portion as their due Mandatory vs. Voluntary: Peace offerings (along with burnt and cereal offerings) were generally voluntary, brought based on the offerer's desire or obligation (like a vow) Purification and reparation offerings were typically mandatory, required in specific situations of sin or impurity In summary, the peace offering uniquely facilitated fellowship between the offerer and God through the shared meal, distinguished itself from expiatory offerings like purification and reparation offerings in its purpose and function, and differed from the wholly burnt burnt offering and the priestly cereal offering in terms of consumption and primary intention