After reading chapter 23:
*We have more laws: Do not spread lies, or become a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd when it is in the wrong. Do not show favoritism to the poor during lawsuits. If your neighbor's animals get loose, take them back. Give your enemy help with his animals if he needs it. Treat the poor with fairness. Do not falsely accuse or put to death an innocent person. Do not take bribes. Again, do not oppress foreigners.
*The land is to be rested from crops every seventh year; fields, vinyards and trees apply. All people and animals are to rest every seventh day. Be obedient and do not even speak the names of other gods.
*Every year will be three festivals to Yahweh, the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of harvest, and the feast of ingathering. These would probably take place in the spring, summer, and fall. The feast of harvest is to give God the first fruits of crops sown in the fields. The feast of ingathering is at the end of the growing season. Sacrifes at those times must not have blood or yeast in them. The fat of animal sacrifices must be kept til morning. The very best stuff is given to God. Last but not least, do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.
*Okay. The laws about how to treat people fairly do seem mostly fair. Resting land and people seems like a good thing on the face of it. Sacrifices, however, seem like such a waste of good produce. What most people don't realize is that the priests got to keep and eat parts of the sacrifices, after they had been offered to God. That was one of the perks of being a priest. God got the fat of the animal. It would produce a nice fire. The rest was usually eaten by the people providing the sacrifice. Not much food was wasted on God. He usually declined to eat most of what was offered, probably keeping an eye on his waistline. The thing about the goat cooked in its mother's milk is just weird.
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