A Matter of Conscience
then it shall be, when he sins and becomes guilty, that he shall restore what he took by robbery or acquired by extortion, or the deposit which was entrusted to him, or the lost property which he found, Leviticus 6:4 NASB
Becomes guilty – When are you guilty? As soon as you commit a sin? As soon as you think about committing a sin? As soon as you recognize that you have committed a sin? These possibilities depend on how we understand the word ʾāšam. The root means, “be desolate, be guilty, to offend, to acknowledge offense, to trespass.”[1] Here the word is a Qal perfect, that is, a completed action. Note the comments of Livingston, Zornberg, and Milgrom:
The primary meaning of the word ʾāšam seems to center on guilt, but moves from the act which brings guilt to the condition of guilt to the act of punishment. In any particular passage it is often difficult to determine which thrust the word has.[2]
v’ashem refers to an internal act of accepting responsibility for an act of which he had previously no awareness. It is this intimate moment of recognition that generates repentance and the concrete act of sacrifice. It is only the sinner himself who can affirm or deny his own error.[3]
. . . Jacob Milgrom translates v’ashem—”experiences contrition” or “feels guilt” . . . “I deliberately chose the noun ‘guilt’ over the common adverb ‘guilty’ in order to convey its substantive nature. It is not a metaphor or mental abstraction, but a physical reality, felt in pain or illness—literal pangs of conscience.[4]
If Milgrom is correct, then this verse needs a different translation. “When he sins and experiences the physical pangs of conscience” would be better, but that means it is possible to commit a sin and not experience the pangs of conscience. In fact, this situation is more likely the case among human beings who no longer share the culture of Torah. Remember that sin is a religious term, not an ethical one. Sin is defined by the revelation of God, not by Man’s rational determination of moral values. Rational ethics is not revealed morality. What we have today in the modern world is typically rational ethics. That’s why modern morality is legislated and changeable.
But not so under Torah. This verse is not about feeling guilty when you do something wrong. It’s about discovering you have violated one of the precepts of Torah, and for that to occur you must be aware of Torah and be committed to its standard. Then, and only then, will your conscience produce the physical reaction necessary for repentance. Sin is not sin without the Law.
There is another implication we must acknowledge. It is possible to deaden myself to the commandments of Torah and not experience the subsequent pangs of conscience. In fact, if I were to grow up in a culture that ignores Torah, or if I know Torah but numb myself to its requirements, I won’t feel the intended physical response of conscience. I’ll act without Torah consciousness. All of this leads to at least one conclusion: I have a responsibility to sensitize my conscience to Torah, and to teach my children the same. If I don’t do this, ethical anesthesia will follow, for me and for the next generation. God’s morality cannot be legislated by human processes. It is a matter of faith commitment, not public voting. The Kingdom of Heaven is not on the ballot but its absence doesn’t mean it’s not important. God rules. Pretending He doesn’t has serious side effects.
Topical Index: conscience, ethics, v’ashem, guilt, guilty, Leviticus 6:4
[1] Livingston, G. H. (1999). 180 אָשַׁם. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 78). Chicago: Moody Press.
[2] Livingston, G. H. (1999). 180 אָשַׁם. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 78). Chicago: Moody Press.
[3] Ha’amek Davar on Leviticus 4:13 cited in Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, The Hidden Order of Intimacy: Reflections on the Book of Leviticus(Schocken, 2022), p. 28.
[4] Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus 17-22: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Doubleday, 2000), p. 1425, cited in Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, The Hidden Order of Intimacy: Reflections on the Book of Leviticus (Schocken, 2022), p. 28.
