Pesachim 64 a, b

After additional considered thought regarding the intentions of the Priests when slaughtering the Paschal lamb, we move into a very different mishna and Gemara.  The mishna is the longest I can remember seeing, covering much of the rituals associated with the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb.  The Gemara seeks to clarify the actual rites intended in the mishna.

This new mishna is filled with detailed information.  We are told that groups made up of no less than 10 people wait outside of the Temple and then three groups are admitted.  Always the third group is small, as most people are accommodated earlier.  Israelites are the ones who do the sacrificing.  Levites sing part of Hallel (the rabbis dispute which part) while the Kohanim stand in two lines, collecting the blood of the offerings in their gold or their silver bowls.  These bowls have rounded bottoms so that they cannot be put down, allowing the blood to congeal.  They are held by their long handles.  The blood is passed from priest to priest until the last Priest sprinkles the blood of the sacrifice.  We are told that even on Shabbat, this ritual takes place on the 14th of Nissan.  In fact, the floors are washed on Shabbat as well, against the wishes of the rabbis.

I can't help but be astonished at the detail of these rituals.  They feel so arbitrary to me; so distant from my understanding of Judaism.  And yet these rituals are much closer to our Jewish roots, which begs another question: is there such a thing as 'authentic' Judaism?  And if we accept that there is not one way of living a Jewishly observant life - because certainly we are so far removed from the time of the Temples that our our subsequent interpretations are equally 'inauthentic' -  then how do we validate each other as Jews rather than tear each other down?  (See rainbowtallitbaby.wordpress.com on "Patrilineal Descent: What's Right Isn't Easy" for a great examination of this idea)