Bible in 90 Days

(ii) ¹⁵ “After that, the L’vi’im will enter and do the service of the tent of meeting. You will cleanse them and offer them as a wave offering, ¹⁶ because they are entirely given to me from among the people of Isra’el; I have taken them for myself in place of all those who come first out of the womb, that is, the firstborn males of the people of Isra’el. ¹⁷ For all the firstborn among the people of Isra’el are mine, both humans and animals; on the day I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set them apart for myself. ¹⁸ But I have taken the L’vi’im in place of all the firstborn among the people of Isra’el, ¹⁹ and I have given the L’vi’im to Aharon and his sons from among the people of Isra’el to do the service of the people of Isra’el in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Isra’el, so that no plague will fall on the people of Isra’el in consequence of their coming too close to the sanctuary.”

²⁰ This is what Moshe, Aharon and all the community of the people of Isra’el did to the L’vi’im. The people of Isra’el acted in accordance with everything that Adonai had ordered Moshe in regard to the L’vi’im. ²¹ The L’vi’im purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aharon offered them as a holy gift before Adonai and made atonement for them in order to cleanse them. ²² After that, the L’vi’im came to do their service in the tent of meeting in front of Aharon and his sons; they acted in accordance with Adonai’s orders to Moshe in regard to the L’vi’im.

²³ Adonai said to Moshe, ²⁴ “Here are instructions concerning the L’vi’im: when they reach the age of twenty-five, they are to begin performing their duties serving in the tent of meeting; ²⁵ and when they reach the age of fifty, they are to stop performing this work and not serve any longer. ²⁶ They will assist their brothers who are performing their duties in the tent of meeting, but they themselves will not do any of the work. This is what you are to do with the L’vi’im in regard to their duties.”

9 (iii) Adonai spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert in the first month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt; he said, ² “Let the people of Isra’el observe Pesach at its designated time. ³ On the fourteenth day of this month, at dusk, you are to observe it — at its designated time. You are to observe it according to all its regulations and rules.” ⁴ Moshe told the people of Isra’el to observe Pesach. ⁵ So they observed Pesach at dusk on the fourteenth day of the month in the Sinai Desert; the people of Isra’el acted in accordance with all that Adonai had ordered Moshe.

⁶ But there were certain people who had become unclean because of someone’s corpse, so that they could not observe Pesach on that day. So they came before Moshe and Aharon that day ⁷ and said to him, “We are unclean because of someone’s corpse; but why must we be kept from bringing the offering for Adonai at the time designated for the people of Isra’el?” ⁸ Moshe answered them, “Wait, so that I can hear what Adonai will order concerning you.” ⁹ Adonai said to Moshe, ¹⁰ “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘If any of you now or in future generations is unclean because of a corpse, or if he is on a trip abroad, nevertheless he is to observe Pesach. ¹¹ But he will observe it in the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk. They are to eat it with matzah and maror, ¹² they are to leave none of it until morning, and they are not to break any of its bones — they are to observe it according to all the regulations of Pesach. ¹³ But the person who is clean and not on a trip who fails to observe Pesach will be cut off from his people; because he did not bring the offering for Adonai at its designated time, that person will bear the consequences of his sin. ¹⁴ If a foreigner is staying with you and wants to observe Pesach for Adonai, he is to do it according to the regulations and rules of Pesach — you are to have the same law for the foreigner as for the citizen of the land.’”

(iv) ¹⁵ On the day the tabernacle was put up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, that is, the tent of the testimony; and in the evening, over the tabernacle was what appeared to be fire, which remained until morning. ¹⁶ So the cloud always covered it, and it looked like fire at night. ¹⁷ Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tent, the people of Isra’el continued their travels; and they camped wherever the cloud stopped. ¹⁸ At the order of Adonai, the people of Isra’el traveled; at the order of Adonai, they camped; and as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they stayed in camp. ¹⁹ Even when the cloud remained on the tabernacle for a long time, the people of Isra’el did what Adonai had charged them to do and did not travel. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle; according to Adonai’s order, they remained in camp; and according to Adonai’s order, they traveled. ²¹ Sometimes the cloud was there only from evening until morning; so that when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they traveled. Or even if it continued up both day and night, when the cloud was up, they traveled. ²² Whether it was two days, a month or a year that the cloud remained over the tabernacle, staying on it, the people of Isra’el remained in camp and did not travel; but as soon as it was taken up, they traveled. ²³ At Adonai’s order, they camped; and at Adonai’s order, they traveled — they did what Adonai had charged them to do through Moshe.

10 Adonai said to Moshe, ² “Make two trumpets; make them of hammered silver. Use them for summoning the community and for sounding the call to break camp and move on. ³ When they are sounded, the entire community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁴ If only one is sounded, then just the leaders, the heads of the clans of Isra’el, are to assemble before you.

⁵ “When you sound an alarm, the camps to the east will commence traveling. ⁶ When you sound a second alarm, the camps to the south will set out; they will sound alarms to announce when to travel. ⁷ However, when the community is to be assembled, you are to sound; but don’t sound an alarm. ⁸ It will be the sons of Aharon, the cohanim, who are to sound the trumpets; this will be a permanent regulation for you through all your generations.

⁹ “When you go to war in your land against an adversary who is oppressing you, you are to sound an alarm with the trumpets; then you will be remembered before Adonai your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.

¹⁰ “Also on your days of rejoicing, at your designated times and on Rosh-Hodesh, you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; these will be your reminder before your God. I am Adonai your God.”

(v) ¹¹ On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony; ¹² and the people of Isra’el moved out in stages from the Sinai Desert. The cloud stopped in the Pa’ran Desert.

¹³ So they set out on their first journey, in keeping with Adonai’s order through Moshe. ¹⁴ In the lead was the banner of the camp of the descendants of Y’hudah, whose companies moved forward; over his company was Nachshon the son of ‘Amminadav. ¹⁵ Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of Yissakhar was N’tan’el the son of Tzu‘ar. ¹⁶ Over the company of the descendants of Z’vulun was Eli’av the son of Helon.

¹⁷ Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the descendants of Gershon and the descendants of M’rari set out, carrying the tabernacle.

¹⁸ Next, the banner of the camp of Re’uven moved forward by companies; over his company was Elitzur the son of Sh’de’ur. ¹⁹ Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of Shim‘on was Shlumi’el the son of Tzurishaddai. ²⁰ Over the company of the descendants of Gad was Elyasaf the son of De‘u’el.

²¹ Then the descendants of K’hat set out, carrying the sanctuary, so that [at the next camp] the tabernacle could be set up before they arrived.

²² The banner of the camp of the descendants of Efrayim moved forward by companies; over his company was Elishama the son of ‘Ammihud. ²³ Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of M’nasheh was Gamli’el the son of P’dahtzur. ²⁴ Over the company of the descendants of Binyamin was Avidan the son of Gid‘oni.

²⁵ The banner of the camp of the descendants of Dan, forming the rearguard for all the camps, moved forward by companies; over his company was Achi‘ezer the son of ‘Ammishaddai. ²⁶ Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of Asher was Pag‘i’el the son of ‘Okhran. ²⁷ Over the company of the descendants of Naftali was Achira the son of ‘Enan.

²⁸ This is how the people of Isra’el traveled by companies; thus they moved forward.

(S: vi) ²⁹ Moshe said to Hovav the son of Re‘u’el the Midyani, Moshe’s father-in-law, “We are traveling to the place about which Adonai said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, because Adonai has promised good things to Isra’el.” ³⁰ But he replied, “I will not go; I would rather go back to my own country and my own kinsmen.” ³¹ Moshe continued, “Please don’t leave us, because you know that we have to camp in the desert, and you can serve as our eyes. ³² If you do go with us, then whatever good Adonai does for us, we will do the same for you.”

³³ So they set out from Adonai’s mountain and traveled for three days. Ahead of them on this three-day journey went the ark of Adonai’s covenant, searching for a new place to stop. ³⁴ The cloud of Adonai was over them during the day as they set out from the camp. (A: vi) ³⁵ When the ark moved forward, Moshe said,

³⁶ When it stopped, he said,

11 But the people began complaining about their hardships to Adonai. When Adonai heard it, his anger flared up, so that fire from Adonai broke out against them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. ² Then the people cried to Moshe, Moshe prayed to Adonai, and the fire abated. ³ That place was called Tav‘erah [burning] because Adonai’s fire broke out against them.

⁴ Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra’el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, “If only we had meat to eat! ⁵ We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt — it cost us nothing! — and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, the garlic! ⁶ But now we’re withering away, we have nothing to look at but this man.”

⁷ The man, by the way, was like coriander seed and white like gum resin. ⁸ The people would go around gathering it and would grind it up in mills or pound it to paste with mortar and pestle. Then they would cook it in pots and make it into loaves that tasted like cakes baked with olive oil. ⁹ When the dew settled on the camp during the night, the man came with it.

¹⁰ Moshe heard the people crying, family after family, each person at the entrance to his tent; the anger of Adonai flared up violently; and Moshe too was displeased. ¹¹ Moshe asked Adonai, “Why are you treating your servant so badly? Why haven’t I found favor in your sight, so that you put the burden of this entire people on me? ¹² Did I conceive this people? Was I their father, so that you tell me, ‘Carry them in your arms, like a nurse carrying a baby, to the land you swore to their ancestors?’ ¹³ Where am I going to get meat to give to this entire people? — because they keep bothering me with their crying and saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴ I can’t carry this entire people by myself alone — it’s too much for me! ¹⁵ If you are going to treat me this way, then just kill me outright! — please, if you have any mercy toward me! — and don’t let me go on being this miserable!”

¹⁶ Adonai said to Moshe, “Bring me seventy of the leaders of Isra’el, people you recognize as leaders of the people and officers of theirs. Bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand there with you. ¹⁷ I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit which rests on you and put it on them. Then they will carry the burden of the people along with you, so that you won’t carry it yourself alone.

¹⁸ “Tell the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat; because you cried in the ears of Adonai, “If only we had meat to eat! We had the good life in Egypt!” All right, Adonai is going to give you meat, and you will eat it. ¹⁹ You won’t eat it just one day, or two days, or five, or ten, or twenty days, ²⁰ but a whole month! — until it comes out of your nose and you hate it! — because you have rejected Adonai, who is here with you, and distressed him with your crying and asking, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

²¹ But Moshe said, “Here I am with six hundred thousand men on foot, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ ²² If whole flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would it be enough? If all the fish in the sea were collected for them, would even that be enough?” ²³ Adonai answered Moshe, “Has Adonai’s arm grown short? Now you will see whether what I said will happen or not!”

²⁴ Moshe went out and told the people what Adonai had said. Then he collected seventy of the leaders of the people and placed them all around the tent. ²⁵ Adonai came down in the cloud, spoke to him, took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied — then but not afterwards.

²⁶ There were two men who stayed in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad, and the Spirit came to rest on them. They were among those listed to go out to the tent, but they hadn’t done so, and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man ran and told Moshe, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” ²⁸ Y’hoshua, the son of Nun, who from his youth up had been Moshe’s assistant, answered, “My lord, Moshe, stop them!” ²⁹ But Moshe replied, “Are you so zealous to protect me? I wish all of Adonai’s people were prophets! I wish Adonai would put his Spirit on all of them!”

(vii) ³⁰ Moshe and the leaders of Isra’el went back into the camp; ³¹ and Adonai sent out a wind which brought quails from across the sea and let them fall near the camp, about a day’s trip away on each side of the camp and all around it, covering the ground to a depth of three feet. ³² The people stayed up all that day, all night and all the next day gathering the quails — the person gathering the least collected ten heaps; then they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. ³³ But while the meat was still in their mouth, before they had chewed it up, the anger of Adonai flared up against the people, and Adonai struck the people with a terrible plague. ³⁴ Therefore that place was named Kivrot-HaTa’avah [graves of greed], because there they buried the people who were so greedy.

³⁵ From Kivrot-HaTa’avah the people traveled to Hatzerot, and they stayed at Hatzerot.

12 Miryam and Aharon began criticizing Moshe on account of the Ethiopian woman he had married, for he had in fact married an Ethiopian woman. ² They said, “Is it true that Adonai has spoken only with Moshe? Hasn’t he spoken with us too?” Adonai heard them. ³ Now this man Moshe was very humble, more so than anyone on earth. ⁴ Suddenly Adonai told Moshe, Aharon and Miryam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” The three of them went out.

⁵ Adonai came down in a column of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tent. He summoned Aharon and Miryam, and they both went forward. ⁶ He said, “Listen to what I say: when there is a prophet among you, I, Adonai, make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. ⁷ But it isn’t that way with my servant Moshe. He is the only one who is faithful in my entire household. ⁸ With him I speak face to face and clearly, not in riddles; he sees the image of Adonai. So why weren’t you afraid to criticize my servant Moshe?” ⁹ The anger of Adonai flared up against them, and he left.

¹⁰ But when the cloud was removed from above the tent, Miryam had tzara‘at, as white as snow. Aharon looked at Miryam, and she was as white as snow. ¹¹ Aharon said to Moshe, “Oh, my lord, please don’t punish us for this sin we committed so foolishly. ¹² Please don’t let her be like a stillborn baby, with its body half eaten away when it comes out of its mother’s womb!” ¹³ Moshe cried to Adonai, “Oh God, I beg you, please, heal her!” (Maftir) ¹⁴ Adonai answered Moshe, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she hide herself in shame for seven days? So let her be shut out of the camp for seven days; after that, she can be brought back in.” ¹⁵ Miryam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not travel until she was brought back in. ¹⁶ Afterwards, the people went on from Hatzerot and camped in the Pa’ran Desert.

Haftarah B’ha‘alotkha: Z’kharyah (Zechariah) 2:14 – 4:7

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah B’ha‘alotkha: Yochanan (John) 19:31–37; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 3:1–6

Parashah 37: Shlach L’kha (Send on your behalf) 13:1–15:41

13 Adonai said to Moshe, ² “Send men on your behalf to reconnoiter the land of Kena‘an, which I am giving to the people of Isra’el. From each ancestral tribe send someone who is a leader in his tribe.” ³ Moshe dispatched them from the Pa’ran Desert as Adonai had ordered; all of them were leading men among the people of Isra’el. ⁴ Here are their names:

¹⁶ These are the names of the men Moshe sent out to reconnoiter the land. Moshe gave to Hoshea the son of Nun the name Y’hoshua.

¹⁷ Moshe sent them to reconnoiter the land of Kena‘an, instructing them, “Go on up to the Negev and into the hills, ¹⁸ and see what the land is like. Notice the people living there, whether they are strong or weak, few or many; ¹⁹ and what kind of country they live in, whether it is good or bad; and what kind of cities they live in, open or fortified. ²⁰ See whether the land is fertile or unproductive and whether there is wood in it or not. Finally, be bold enough to bring back some of the fruit of the land.”

When they left it was the season for the first grapes to ripen. (ii) ²¹ They went up and reconnoitered the land from the Tzin Desert to Rechov near the entrance to Hamat. ²² They went up into the Negev and arrived at Hevron; Achiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the ‘Anakim, lived there. (Hevron was built seven years before Tzo‘an in Egypt.) ²³ They came to the Eshkol Valley; and there they cut off a branch bearing one cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two of them; they also took pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ That place was called the Valley of Eshkol [cluster], because of the cluster which the people of Isra’el cut down there.

²⁵ Forty days later, they returned from reconnoitering the land ²⁶ and went to Moshe, Aharon and the entire community of the people of Isra’el at Kadesh in the Pa’ran Desert, where they brought back word to them and to the entire community and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ What they told him was this: “We entered the land where you sent us, and indeed it does flow with milk and honey — here is its fruit! ²⁸ However the people living in the land are fierce, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the ‘Anakim there. ²⁹ ‘Amalek lives in the area of the Negev; the Hitti, the Y’vusi and the Emori live in the hills; and the Kena‘ani live by the sea and alongside the Yarden.”

³⁰ Kalev silenced the people around Moshe and said, “We ought to go up immediately and take possession of it; there is no question that we can conquer it.” ³¹ But the men who had gone with him said, “We can’t attack those people, because they are stronger than we are”; ³² and they spread a negative report about the land they had reconnoitered for the people of Isra’el by saying, “The land we passed through in order to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people we saw there were giant! ³³ We saw the N’filim, the descendants of ‘Anak, who was from the N’filim; to ourselves we looked like grasshoppers by comparison, and we looked that way to them too!”

14 At this all the people of Isra’el cried out in dismay and wept all night long. ² Moreover, all the people of Isra’el began grumbling against Moshe and Aharon; the whole community told them, “We wish we had died in the land of Egypt! or that we had died here in the desert! ³ Why is Adonai bringing us to this land, where we will die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be taken as booty! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ And they said to each other, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”

⁵ Moshe and Aharon fell on their faces before the entire assembled community of the people of Isra’el. ⁶ Y’hoshua the son of Nun and Kalev the son of Y’funeh, from the detachment that had reconnoitered the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and said to the whole community of Isra’el, “The land we passed through in order to spy it out is an outstandingly good land! (iii) ⁸ If Adonai is pleased with us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us — a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁹ Just don’t rebel against Adonai. And don’t be afraid of the people living in the land — we’ll eat them up! Their defense has been taken away from them, and Adonai is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

¹⁰ But just as the whole community were saying they should be stoned to death, the glory of Adonai appeared in the tent of meeting to all the people of Isra’el. ¹¹ Adonai said to Moshe, “How much longer is this people going to treat me with contempt? How much longer will they not trust me, especially considering all the signs I have performed among them? ¹² I am going to strike them with sickness, destroy them and make from you a nation greater and stronger than they are!”

¹³ However, Moshe replied to Adonai, “When the Egyptians hear about this — [and they will,] because it was from among them that you, by your strength, brought this people up — ¹⁴ they will tell the people living in this land. They have heard that you, Adonai, are with this people; that you, Adonai, are seen face to face; that your cloud stands over them; that you go ahead of them in a column of cloud by day and a column of fire by night. ¹⁵ If you kill off this people at a single stroke, then the nations that have heard of your reputation will say ¹⁶ that the reason Adonai slaughtered this people in the desert is that he wasn’t able to bring them into the land which he swore to give them. ¹⁷ So now, please, let Adonai’s power be as great as when you said, ¹⁸ ‘Adonai is slow to anger, rich in grace, forgiving offenses and crimes; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and even by the third and fourth generations.’ ¹⁹ Please! Forgive the offense of this people according to the greatness of your grace, just as you have borne with this people from Egypt until now.”

²⁰ Adonai answered, “I have forgiven, as you have asked. ²¹ But as sure as I live, and that the whole earth is filled with the glory of Adonai, ²² none of the people who saw my glory and the signs I did in Egypt and in the desert, yet tested me these ten times and did not listen to my voice, ²³ will see the land I swore to their ancestors! None of those who treated me with contempt will see it. ²⁴ But my servant Kalev, because he had a different Spirit with him and has fully followed me — him I will bring into the land he entered, and it will belong to his descendants.

²⁵ “Now, since the ‘Amaleki and the Kena‘ani are living in the valley, tomorrow turn around and get yourselves into the desert along the way to the Sea of Suf.”

(iv) ²⁶ Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, ²⁷ “How long am I to put up with this evil community who keep grumbling about me? I have heard the complaints of the people of Isra’el, which they continue to raise against me. ²⁸ Tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, Adonai swears, as surely as you have spoken in my ears, I will do this to you: ²⁹ your carcasses will fall in this desert! Every single one of you who were included in the census over the age of twenty, you who have complained against me, ³⁰ will certainly not enter the land about which I raised my hand to swear that I would have you live in it — except for Kalev the son of Y’funeh and Y’hoshua the son of Nun. ³¹ But your little ones, who you said would be taken as booty — them I will bring in. They will know the land you have rejected. ³² But you, your carcasses will fall in this desert; ³³ and your children will wander about in the desert for forty years bearing the consequences of your prostitutions until the desert eats up your carcasses. ³⁴ It will be a year for every day you spent reconnoitering the land that you will bear the consequences of your offenses — forty days, forty years. Then you will know what it means to oppose me! ³⁵ I, Adonai, have spoken.’ I will certainly do this to this whole evil community who have assembled together against me — they will be destroyed in this desert and die there.”

³⁶ The men whom Moshe had sent to reconnoiter the land and who, when they returned, made the entire community complain against him by giving an unfavorable report about the land — ³⁷ those men who gave the unfavorable report about the land died by the plague in the presence of Adonai. ³⁸ Of the men who went to reconnoiter the land, only Y’hoshua the son of Nun and Kalev the son of Y’funeh remained alive.

³⁹ When Moshe told these things to all the people of Isra’el, the people felt great remorse. ⁴⁰ They arose early the next morning, came up to the top of the mountain and said, “Here we are, and we did sin, but now we’ll go up to the place Adonai promised.” ⁴¹ Moshe answered, “Why are you opposing what Adonai said? You won’t succeed! ⁴² Don’t go up there, because Adonai isn’t with you. If you do, your enemies will defeat you. ⁴³ The ‘Amalekim and the Kena‘anim are there ahead of you, and you will be struck down by the sword. The reason will be that you have turned away from following Adonai, so that Adonai won’t be with you.”

⁴⁴ But they were presumptuous and went on up toward the high parts of the hill-country, even though the ark for the covenant of Adonai — and Moshe — stayed in the camp. ⁴⁵ So the ‘Amalekim and the Kena‘anim living in that hill-country descended, struck them down and beat them back all the way to Hormah.

15 Adonai said to Moshe, ² “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘When you have come into the land where you are going to live, which I am giving to you, ³ and want to make an offering by fire to Adonai — a burnt offering or sacrifice to fulfill a special vow, or to be a voluntary offering, or at your designated times, to make a fragrant aroma for Adonai — then, whether it is comes from the herd or from the flock, ⁴ the person bringing the offering is to present Adonai with a grain offering consisting of two quarts of fine flour mixed with one quart of olive oil, ⁵ and one quart of wine for the drink offering. This is what you are to prepare with the burnt offering or for each lamb sacrificed.

⁶ “‘For a ram, prepare one gallon of fine flour mixed with one-and-one-third quarts of olive oil; ⁷ while for the drink offering, you are to present one-and-one-third quarts of wine as a fragrant aroma for Adonai.

(v) ⁸ “‘When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering, as a sacrifice to fulfill a special vow or as peace offerings for Adonai, ⁹ there is to be presented with the bull a grain offering of one-and-a-half gallons of fine flour mixed with two quarts of olive oil. ¹⁰ For the drink offering, present two quarts of wine for an offering made by fire, a fragant aroma for Adonai.

¹¹ “‘Do it this way for each bull, ram, male lamb or kid. ¹² For as many animals as you prepare, do this for each one, regardless of how many animals there are.

¹³ “‘Every citizen is to do these things in this way when presenting an offering made by fire as a fragrant aroma for Adonai. ¹⁴ If a foreigner stays with you — or whoever may be with you, through all your generations — and he wants to bring an offering made by fire as a fragrant aroma for Adonai, he is to do the same as you. ¹⁵ For this community there will be the same law for you as for the foreigner living with you; this is a permanent regulation through all your generations; the foreigner is to be treated the same way before Adonai as yourselves. ¹⁶ The same Torah and standard of judgment will apply to both you and the foreigner living with you.’”

(vi) ¹⁷ Adonai said to Moshe, ¹⁸ “Speak to the people of Isra’el; tell them, ‘When you enter the land where I am bringing you ¹⁹ and eat bread produced in the land, you are to set aside a portion as a gift for Adonai. ²⁰ Set aside from your first dough a cake as a gift; set it aside as you would set aside a portion of the grain from the threshing-floor. ²¹ From your first dough you will give Adonai a portion as a gift through all your generations.

²² “‘If by mistake you fail to observe all these mitzvot that Adonai has spoken to Moshe, ²³ yes, everything that Adonai has ordered you to do through Moshe, from the day Adonai gave the order and onward through all your generations, ²⁴ then, if it was done by mistake by the community and was not known to them, the whole community is to offer one young bull for a burnt offering as a fragrant aroma to Adonai, with its grain and drink offerings, in keeping with the rule, and one male goat as a sin offering. ²⁵ The cohen is to make atonement for the whole community of the people of Isra’el; and they will be forgiven; because it was a mistake; and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire, to Adonai, and their sin offering before Adonai for their mistake. ²⁶ The whole community of the people of Isra’el will be forgiven, likewise the foreigner staying with them; because for all the people it was a mistake.

(vii) ²⁷ “‘If an individual sins by mistake, he is to offer a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. ²⁸ The cohen will make atonement before Adonai for the person who makes a mistake by sinning inadvertently; he will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven — ²⁹ no matter whether he is a citizen of Isra’el or a foreigner living with them. You are to have one law for whoever it is that does something wrong by mistake.

³⁰ “‘But an individual who does something wrong intentionally, whether a citizen or a foreigner, is blaspheming Adonai. That person will be cut off from his people. ³¹ Because he has had contempt for the word of Adonai and has disobeyed his command, that person will be cut off completely; his offense will remain with him.’”

³² While the people of Isra’el were in the desert, they found a man gathering wood on Shabbat. ³³ Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moshe, Aharon and the whole congregation. ³⁴ They kept him in custody, because it had not yet been decided what to do to him. ³⁵ Then Adonai said to Moshe, “This man must be put to death; the entire community is to stone him to death outside the camp.” ³⁶ So the whole community brought him outside the camp and threw stones at him until he died, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

(Maftir) ³⁷ Adonai said to Moshe, ³⁸ “Speak to the people of Isra’el, instructing them to make, through all their generations, tzitziyot on the corners of their garments, and to put with the tzitzit on each corner a blue thread. ³⁹ It is to be a tzitzit for you to look at and thereby remember all of Adonai’s mitzvot and obey them, so that you won’t go around wherever your own heart and eyes lead you to prostitute yourselves; ⁴⁰ but it will help you remember and obey all my mitzvot and be holy for your God. ⁴¹ I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to be your God. I am Adonai your God.”

Haftarah Shlach L’kha: Y’hoshua (Joshua) 2:1–24

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Shlach L’kha: Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 3:7–19

Parashah 38: Korach (Korah) 16:1–18:32

16 Now Korach the son of Yitz’har, the son of K’hat, the son of Levi, along with Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli’av, and On, the son of Pelet, descendants of Re’uven, took men and ² rebelled against Moshe. Siding with them were 250 men of Isra’el, leaders of the community, key members of the council, men of reputation. ³ They assembled themselves against Moshe and Aharon and said to them, “You take too much on yourselves! After all, the entire community is holy, every one of them, and Adonai is among them. So why do you lift yourselves up above Adonai’s assembly?”

⁴ When Moshe heard this he fell on his face. ⁵ Then he said to Korach and his whole group, “In the morning, Adonai will show who are his and who is the holy person he will allow to approach him. Yes, he will bring whomever he chooses near to himself. ⁶ Do this: take censers, Korach and all your group; ⁷ put fire in them; and put incense in them before Adonai tomorrow. The one whom Adonai chooses will be the one who is holy! It is you, you sons of Levi, who are taking too much on yourselves!”

⁸ Then Moshe said to Korach, “Listen here, you sons of Levi! ⁹ Is it for you a mere trifle that the God of Isra’el has separated you from the community of Isra’el to bring you close to himself, so that you can do the work in the tabernacle of Adonai and stand before the community serving them? ¹⁰ He has brought you close and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you. Now you want the office of cohen too! ¹¹ That’s why you and your group have gathered together against Adonai! After all, what is Aharon that you complain against him?”

¹² Then Moshe sent to summon Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli’av. But they replied, “We won’t come up! ¹³ Is it such a mere trifle, bringing us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that now you arrogate to yourself the role of dictator over us? (ii) ¹⁴ You haven’t at all brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, and you haven’t put us in possession of fields and vineyards. Do you think you can gouge out these men’s eyes and blind them? We won’t come up!”

¹⁵ Moshe was very angry and said to Adonai, “Don’t accept their grain offering! I haven’t taken one donkey from them, I’ve done nothing wrong to any of them.” ¹⁶ Moshe said to Korach, “You and your group, be there before Adonai tomorrow — you, they and Aharon. ¹⁷ Each of you take his fire pan and put incense in it; every one of you, bring before Adonai his fire pan, 250 fire pans, you too, and Aharon — each one his fire pan.”

¹⁸ Each man took his fire pan, put fire in it, laid incense on it and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting with Moshe and Aharon. ¹⁹ Korach assembled all the group who were against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then the glory of Adonai appeared to the whole assembly.

(iii) ²⁰ Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, ²¹ “Separate yourselves from this assembly; I’m going to destroy them right now!” ²² They fell on their faces and said, “Oh God, God of the spirits of all humankind, if one person sins, are you going to be angry with the entire assembly?” ²³ Adonai answered Moshe, ²⁴ “Tell the assembly to move away from the homes of Korach, Datan and Aviram.” ²⁵ Moshe got up and went to Datan and Aviram, and the leaders of Isra’el followed him. ²⁶ There he said to the assembly, “Leave the tents of these wicked men! Don’t touch anything that belongs to them, or you may be swept away in all their sins.” ²⁷ So they moved away from all around the area where Korach, Datan and Aviram lived.

Then Datan and Aviram came out and stood at the entrance to their tents with their wives, sons and little ones. ²⁸ Moshe said, “Here is how you will know that Adonai has sent me to do all these things and that I haven’t done them out of my own ambition: ²⁹ if these men die a natural death like other people, only sharing the fate common to all humanity, then Adonai has not sent me. ³⁰ But if Adonai does something new — if the ground opens up and swallows them with everything they own, and they go down alive to Sh’ol — then you will understand that these men have had contempt for Adonai.”

³¹ The moment he finished speaking, the ground under them split apart — ³² the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all the people who had sided with Korach and everything they owned. ³³ So they and everything they owned went down alive into Sh’ol, the earth closed over them and their existence in the community ceased. ³⁴ All Isra’el around them fled at their shrieks, shouting, “The earth might swallow us too!” ³⁵ Then fire came out from Adonai and destroyed the 250 men who had offered the incense.

17 ^(16:36) Adonai said to Moshe, ^2 (16:37) “Tell El‘azar the son of Aharon the cohen to remove the fire pans from the fire, and scatter the smoldering coals at a distance, because they have become holy. ^3 (16:38) Also the fire pans of these men, whose sin cost them their lives, have become holy, because they were offered before Adonai. Therefore, have them hammered into plates to cover the altar. This will be a sign for the people of Isra’el.”

^4 (16:39) El‘azar the cohen took the brass fire pans which the men who had been burned to death had offered, and they hammered them into a covering for the altar, ^5 (16:40) to remind the people of Isra’el that an ordinary person, not descended from Aharon, is not to approach and burn incense before Adonai, if he wants to avoid the fate of Korach and his group — as Adonai had said to him through Moshe.

^6 (16:41) But the very next day, the whole community of the people of Isra’el complained against Moshe and Aharon: “You have killed Adonai’s people!” ^7 (16:42) However, as the community was assembling against Moshe and Aharon, they looked in the direction of the tent of meeting and saw the cloud cover it and the glory of Adonai appear. ^8 (16:43) Moshe and Aharon came to the front of the tent of meeting.

(iv) ^9 (16:44) Adonai said to Moshe, ^10 (16:45) “Get away from this assembly, and I will destroy them at once!” But they fell on their faces. ^11 (16:46) Moshe said to Aharon, “Take your fire pan, put fire from the altar in it, lay incense on it, and hurry with it to the assembly to make atonement for them, because anger has gone out from Adonai, and the plague has already begun!” ^12 (16:47) Aharon took it, as Moshe had said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. There the plague had already begun among the people, but he added the incense and made atonement for the people. ^13 (16:48) He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. ^14 (16:49) Those dying from the plague numbered 14,700 — besides those who died in the Korach incident. ^15 (16:50) Aharon returned to Moshe at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and the plague was stopped.

(v) ^16 (1) Adonai said to Moshe, ^17 (2) “Speak to the people of Isra’el, and take from them staffs, one for each ancestral tribe from each leader of a tribe, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff; ^18 (3) and write Aharon’s name on the staff of Levi, for each tribe’s leader is to have one staff. ^19 (4) Put them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, where I meet with you. ^20 (5) The staff of the man I am going to choose will sprout buds — in this way I will put a stop to the complaints the people of Isra’el keep making against you.”

^21 (6) Moshe spoke to the people of Isra’el, and all their leaders gave him staffs, one for each leader, according to their ancestral tribes, twelve staffs. Aharon’s staff was among their staffs. ^22 (7) Moshe put the staffs before Adonai in the tent of the testimony. ^23 (8) The next day Moshe went into the tent of the testimony, and there he saw that Aharon’s staff for the house of Levi had budded — it had sprouted not only buds but flowers and ripe almonds as well. ^24 (9) Moshe brought out all the staffs from before Adonai to all the people of Isra’el, and they looked, and each man took back his staff.

(vi) ^25 (10) Adonai said to Moshe, “Return Aharon’s staff to its place in front of the testimony. It is to be kept there as a sign to the rebels, so that they will stop grumbling against me and thus not die.” ^26 (11) Moshe did this; he did as Adonai had ordered him.

^27 (12) But the people of Isra’el said to Moshe, “Oh no! We’re dead men! Lost! We’re all lost! ^28 (13) Whenever anyone approaches the tabernacle of Adonai, he dies! Will we all perish?”

18 Adonai said to Aharon, “You, your sons and your father’s family line will be responsible for anything that goes wrong in the sanctuary. You and your sons with you will be responsible for anything wrong in your service as cohanim. ² But you are to bring your kinsmen, the tribe of Levi, along with yourselves, to work together with you and help you — you and your sons with you — when you are there before the tent of meeting. ³ They are to be at your disposal and perform all kinds of tasks related to the tent; only they are not to come near the holy furnishings or the altar, so that neither they nor you will die. ⁴ They will work together with you in your duties related to the tent of meeting, whatever the service in the tent may be; but an unauthorized person is not to come near you. ⁵ You will take charge of all the holy things and the altar, so that there will no longer be anger against the people of Isra’el. ⁶ I myself have taken your kinsmen the L’vi’im from among the people of Isra’el; they have been given as a gift to Adonai for you, so that you can perform the service in the tent of meeting. ⁷ You and your sons with you will exercise your prerogatives and duties as cohanim in regard to everything having to do with the altar and within the curtain. I entrust the service required of cohanim to you; the unauthorized person who tries to perform it is to be put to death.”

⁸ Adonai said to Aharon, “I myself have put you in charge of the contributions given to me. Everything consecrated by the people of Isra’el I have given and set aside for you and your sons; this is a perpetual law. ⁹ Here is what is to be yours of the especially holy things taken from the fire: every offering they make — that is, every grain offering, sin offering and guilt offering of theirs that they turn over to me — will be especially holy for you and your sons. ¹⁰ You are to eat it in an especially holy place; every male may eat it; it will be set apart for you.

¹¹ “Also yours is the contribution the people of Isra’el give in the form of wave offerings. I have given these to you, your sons and your daughters with you; this is a perpetual law. Everyone in your family who is clean may eat it. ¹² All the best of the olive oil, wine and grain, the first portion of what they give to Adonai, I have given to you. ¹³ The first produce to turn ripe of all that is in their land, which they bring to Adonai, is to be yours; every clean person in your family may eat it.

¹⁴ “Everything in Isra’el which has been consecrated unconditionally is to be yours.

¹⁵ “Everything that comes first out of the womb, of all living things which they offer to Adonai, whether human or animal, will be yours. However, the firstborn of a human being you must redeem, and the firstborn of an unclean beast you are to redeem. ¹⁶ The sum to be paid for redeeming anyone a month old or over is to be five shekels of silver [two ounces], as you value it, using the sanctuary shekel (this is the same as twenty gerahs). ¹⁷ But the firstborn of an ox, sheep or goat you are not to redeem; they are holy — you are to splash their blood against the altar and make their fat go up in smoke as an offering made by fire, as a fragrant aroma for Adonai. ¹⁸ Their meat will be yours, like the breast that is waved and the right thigh — they will be yours. ¹⁹ All the contributions of holy things which the people of Isra’el offer to Adonai I have given to you, your sons and your daughters with you; this is a perpetual law, an eternal covenant of salt before Adonai for you and your descendants with you.”

²⁰ Adonai said to Aharon, “You are not to have any inheritance or portion in their land; I am your portion and inheritance among the people of Isra’el.

(vii) ²¹ “To the descendants of Levi I have given the entire tenth of the produce collected in Isra’el. It is their inheritance in payment for the service they render in the tent of meeting. ²² From now on, the people of Isra’el are not to approach the tent of meeting, so that they will not bear the consequences of their sin and die. ²³ Only the L’vi’im are to perform the service in the tent of meeting, and they will be responsible for whatever they do wrong. This is to be a permanent regulation through all your generations. They are to have no inheritance among the people of Isra’el, ²⁴ because I have given to the L’vi’im as their inheritance the tenths of the produce which the people of Isra’el set aside as a gift for Adonai. This is why I have said to them that they are to have no inheritance among the people of Isra’el.”

²⁵ Adonai said to Moshe, ²⁶ “Tell the L’vi’im, ‘When you take from the people of Isra’el the tenth of the produce which I have given you from them as your inheritance, you are to set aside from it a gift for Adonai, one tenth of the tenth. ²⁷ The gift you set aside will be accounted to you as if it were grain from the threshing-floor and grape juice from the wine vat. ²⁸ In this way you will set aside a gift for Adonai from all your tenths that you receive from the people of Isra’el, and from these tenths you are to give to Aharon the cohen the gift set aside for Adonai. ²⁹ From everything given to you, you are to set aside all that is due Adonai, the best part of it, its holy portion.’

(Maftir) ³⁰ “Therefore you are to tell them, ‘When you set aside from it its best part, it will be accounted to the L’vi’im as if it were grain from the threshing-floor and grape juice from the wine vat. ³¹ You may eat it anywhere, you and your households; because it is your payment in return for your service in the tent of meeting. ³² Moreover, because you will have set aside from it its best parts, you will not be committing any sin because of it; for you are not to profane the holy things of the people of Isra’el, or you will die.’”

Haftarah Korach: Sh’mu’el Alef (1 Samuel) 11:14 – 12:22

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Korach: 2 Timothy 2:8–21; Y’hudah (Jude) 1–25

Parashah 39: Hukkat (Regulation) 19:1–22:1

[In regular years read with Parashah 40, in leap years read separately]

19 Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, ² “This is the regulation from the Torah which Adonai has commanded. Tell the people of Isra’el to bring you a young red female cow without fault or defect and which has never borne a yoke. ³ You are to give it to El‘azar the cohen; it is to be brought outside the camp and slaughtered in front of him. ⁴ El‘azar the cohen is to take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle this blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. ⁵ The heifer is to be burned to ashes before his eyes — its skin, meat, blood and dung is to be burned to ashes. ⁶ The cohen is to take cedar-wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn and throw them onto the heifer as it is burning up. ⁷ Then the cohen is to wash his clothes and himself in water, after which he may re-enter the camp; but the cohen will remain unclean until evening. ⁸ The person who burned up the heifer is to wash his clothes and himself in water, but he will remain unclean until evening. ⁹ A man who is clean is to collect the ashes of the heifer and store them outside the camp in a clean place. They are to be kept for the community of the people of Isra’el to prepare water for purification from sin. ¹⁰ The one who collected the ashes of the heifer is to wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. For the people of Isra’el and for the foreigner staying with them this will be a permanent regulation.

¹¹ “Anyone who touches a corpse, no matter whose dead body it is, will be unclean for seven days. ¹² He must purify himself with [these ashes] on the third and seventh days; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. ¹³ Anyone who touches a corpse, no matter whose dead body it is, and does not purify himself has defiled the tabernacle of Adonai. That person will be cut off from Isra’el, because the water for purification was not sprinkled on him. He will be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.

¹⁴ “This is the law: when a person dies in a tent, everyone who enters the tent and everything in the tent will be unclean for seven days. ¹⁵ Every open container without a cover closely attached is unclean. ¹⁶ Also whoever is in an open field and touches a corpse, whether of someone killed by a weapon or of someone who died naturally, or the bone of a person, or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.

¹⁷ “For the unclean person they are to take some of the ashes of the animal burned up as a purification from sin and add them to fresh water in a container. (LY: ii) ¹⁸ A clean person is to take a bunch of hyssop leaves, dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the containers, on the people who were there, and on the person who touched the bone or the person killed or the one who died naturally or the grave. ¹⁹ The clean person will sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days. On the seventh day he will purify him; then he will wash his clothes and himself in water; and he will be clean at evening. ²⁰ The person who remains unclean and does not purify himself will be cut off from the community because he has defiled the sanctuary of Adonai. The water for purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. ²¹ This is to be a permanent regulation for them. The person who sprinkles the water for purification is to wash his clothes. Whoever touches the water for purification will be unclean until evening. ²² Anything the unclean person touches will be unclean, and anyone who touches him will be unclean until evening.”

20 The people of Isra’el, the whole community, entered the Tzin Desert in the first month, and they stayed in Kadesh. There Miryam died, and there she was buried.

² Because the community had no water, they assembled themselves against Moshe and Aharon. ³ The people quarreled with Moshe and said, “We wish we had died when our brothers died before Adonai. ⁴ Why did you bring Adonai’s community into this desert? To die there, we and our livestock? ⁵ Why did you make us leave Egypt? To bring us to this terrible place without seed, figs, grapevines, pomegranates or even water to drink?” ⁶ Moshe and Aharon left the assembly, went to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces; and the glory of Adonai appeared to them.

(RY: ii, LY: iii) ⁷ Adonai said to Moshe, ⁸ “Take the staff, assemble the community, you and Aharon your brother; and before their eyes, tell the rock to produce its water. You will bring them water out of the rock and thus enable the community and their livestock to drink.” ⁹ Moshe took the staff from the presence of Adonai, as he had ordered him. ¹⁰ But after Moshe and Aharon had assembled the community in front of the rock, he said to them, “Listen here, you rebels! Are we supposed to bring you water from this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moshe raised his hand and hit the rock twice with his staff. Water flowed out in abundance, and the community and their livestock drank.

¹² But Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, “Because you did not trust in me, so as to cause me to be regarded as holy by the people of Isra’el, you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.” ¹³ This is M’rivah Spring [Disputation Spring], where the people of Isra’el disputed with Adonai, and he was caused to be regarded as holy by them.

(LY: iv) ¹⁴ Moshe sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: “This is what your brother Isra’el says: you know all the troubles we have gone through — ¹⁵ that our ancestors went down into Egypt, we lived in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors badly. ¹⁶ But when we cried out to Adonai, he heard us, sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. Now here we are in Kadesh, a city at the edge of your territory. ¹⁷ Please let us pass through your land. We will not go through fields or vineyards, and we won’t drink any water from the wells. We will go along the King’s Highway, not turning aside either to the right or to the left until we have left your territory.”

¹⁸ But Edom answered, “You are not to pass through my land; if you do, I will come out against you with the sword.” ¹⁹ The people of Isra’el replied, “We will keep to the highway; if we do drink the water, either we or our livestock, we will pay for it. Just let us pass through on foot — it’s nothing.” ²⁰ But he said, “You are not to pass through”; and Edom came out against them with many people and much force. ²¹ Thus Edom refused to allow Isra’el passage through its territory, so Isra’el turned away.

(RY: iii, LY: v) ²² They traveled on from Kadesh; and the people of Isra’el, the whole community, arrived at Mount Hor. ²³ At Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, ²⁴ “Aharon is about to be gathered to his people, because he is not to enter the land I have given to the people of Isra’el, inasmuch as you rebelled against what I said at the M’rivah Spring. ²⁵ Take Aharon and El‘azar his son, bring them up to Mount Hor, ²⁶ remove the garments from Aharon and put them on El‘azar his son. Aharon will be gathered to his people — he will die there.”

²⁷ Moshe did as Adonai had ordered. They went up onto Mount Hor before the eyes of the whole community. ²⁸ Moshe removed the garments from Aharon, and put them on El‘azar his son, and Aharon died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moshe and El‘azar came down the mountain. ²⁹ When the entire community saw that Aharon was dead, they mourned Aharon thirty days, the whole house of Isra’el.

21 Then the king of ‘Arad, a Kena‘ani who lived in the Negev, heard that Isra’el was approaching by way of Atarim, so he attacked Isra’el and took some of them captive. ² Isra’el made a vow to Adonai, “If you will hand this people over to me, I will completely destroy their cities.” ³ Adonai listened to what Isra’el said and handed over the Kena‘anim, so they completely destroyed them and their cities and named the place Hormah [complete destruction].

⁴ Then they traveled from Mount Hor on the road toward the Sea of Suf in order to go around the land of Edom; but the people’s tempers grew short because of the detour. ⁵ The people spoke against God and against Moshe: “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt? To die in the desert? There’s no real food, there’s no water, and we’re sick of this miserable stuff we’re eating!”

(LY: vi) ⁶ In response, Adonai sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit the people, and many of Isra’el’s people died. ⁷ The people came to Moshe and said, “We sinned by speaking against Adonai and against you. Pray to Adonai that he rid us of these snakes.” Moshe prayed for the people,