The Lord said to
Moses: “Take the Levites from among all the Israelites
and make them ceremonially clean. To purify them, do this:
Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole
bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves.” Numbers 8:5-7
Shaving
indicated a removal of the outer layer, the earthly, purifying one’s body of
hair. The ceremonial act (not all the
time) meant to indicate a removal of a layer of sin from one’s body, cleansing
them. It set the Levites apart for this
ritual, giving them a moment of dedication they were to remember.
The
regrowth process also pointed to “starting over, beginning fresh.” The Levites were to grow into the role of
priest.
Shaving
of one’s body occurred in Leviticus 13 and 14 in treating sores and
leprosy. There, it too carried the theme
of removal, cleansing and starting anew.