ABSTRACT
When we come to Leviticus Rabbah, we find that the interest in exegesis of verse succeeding verse has waned. So the rabbinic exegesis of Scripture (“Midrash”) has shifted in character. Proving a proposition comes to the fore as the definitive and dominant organizing motif throughout. Exactly what did the framers of Leviticus Rabbah seek to learn when they opened the book of Leviticus, with its elaborate account of the sacrificial cult, the rules of uncleanness pertaining thereto, the priesthood and the means of support of the Temple and priesthood, and the conditions of life of the holy people in the holy place and Land? To state the answer in advance, when they read the rules of sanctification of the priesthood, they heard the message of the salvation of all Israel. Leviticus became the story of how Israel, purified from social sin and sanctified, would be saved.
