Pinchas | פנחס | “Phinehas ” Torah Portion Reading

Numbers 25:10-30:1Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

Parashah 41: Pinchas (Phinehas) 25:10 –30:1(29:40)

10 Adonai said to Moshe, 11 “Pinchas the son of El‘azar, the son of Aharon the cohen, has deflected my anger from the people of Isra’el by being as zealous as I am, so that I didn’t destroy them in my own zeal. 12 Therefore say, ‘I am giving him my covenant of shalom, 13 making a covenant with him and his descendants after him that the office of cohen will be theirs forever.’ This is because he was zealous on behalf of his God and made atonement for the people of Isra’el.”

14 The name of the man from Isra’el who was killed, put to death with the woman from Midyan, was Zimri the son of Salu, leader of one of the clans from the tribe of Shim‘on. 15 The name of the woman from Midyan who was killed was Kozbi the daughter of Tzur, and he was head of the people in one of the clans of Midyan.

16 Adonai said to Moshe, 17 “Treat the Midyanim as enemies and attack them; 18 because they are treating you as enemies by the trickery they used to deceive you in the P‘or incident and in the affair of their sister Kozbi, the daughter of the leader from Midyan, the woman who was killed on the day of the plague in the P‘or incident.” 19 (26:1) After the plague,

26 Adonai said to Moshe and El‘azar, the son of Aharon the cohen, “Take a census of the entire assembly of the people of Isra’el twenty years old and over, by their ancestral clans, all who are subject to military service in Isra’el.” Moshe and El‘azar the cohen spoke with them on the plains of Mo’av by the Yarden across from Yericho, explaining, “Those twenty years old and over who came out of the land of Egypt, as Adonai ordered Moshe and the people of Isra’el.”

(ii) [The census results begin with] Re’uven, the firstborn of Isra’el. The descendants of Re’uven were: of Hanokh, the family of the Hanokhi; of Pallu, the family of the Pallu’i; of Hetzron, the family of the Hetzroni; and of Karmi the family of the Karmi. These were the the families of the Re’uveni; of them were counted 43,730.

The sons of Pallu: Eli’av; and the sons of Eli’av: N’mu’el, Datan and Aviram. These are the same Datan and Aviram, men of reputation in the community, who rebelled against Moshe and Aharon in Korach’s group, when they rebelled against Adonai; 10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korach when that group died, and the fire consumed 250 men, and they became a warning sign. 11 (However, the sons of Korach did not die.)

12 The descendants of Shim‘on, by their families, were: of N’mu’el, the family of the N’mu’eli; of Yamin, the family of the Yamini; of Yakhin, the family of the Yakhini; 13 of Zerach, the family of the Zarchi; and of Sha’ul, the family of the Sha’uli. 14 These were the families of the Shim‘oni, 22,200.

15 The descendants of Gad, by their families, were: of Tz’fon, the family of the Tz’foni; of Haggi, the family of the Haggi; of Shuni, the family of the Shuni; 16 of Ozni, the family of the Ozni; of ‘Eri, the family of the ‘Eri; 17 of Arod, the family of the Arodi; and of Ar’eli, the family of the Ar’eli. 18 These were the families of the sons of Gad, according to those counted of them, 40,500.

19 The sons of Y’hudah: First ‘Er and Onan, but ‘Er and Onan died in the land of Kena‘an. 20 The sons of Y’hudah who had descendants were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelani; of Peretz, the family of the Partzi; and of Zerach, the family of the Zarchi. 21 The sons of Peretz were: of Hetzron, the family of the Hetzroni; and of Hamul, the family of the Hamuli. 22 These were the families of Y’hudah, according to those counted of them, 76,500.

23 The descendants of Yissakhar, by their families, were: of Tola, the family of the Tola‘i; of Puvah, the family of the Puni; 24 of Yashuv, the family of the Yashuvi; and of Shimron, the family of the Shimroni. 25 These were the families of Yissakhar, according to those counted of them, 64,300.

26 The descendants of Z’vulun, by their families, were: of Sered, the family of the Sardi; of Elon, the family of the Eloni; and of Yachle’el, the family of the Yachle’eli. 27 These were the families of the Z’vuloni, according to those counted of them, 60,500.

28 The sons of Yosef, by their families, were M’nasheh and Efrayim. 29 The descendants of M’nasheh were: of Makhir, the family of the Makhiri. Makhir was the father of Gil‘ad; of Gil‘ad, the family of the Gil‘adi. 30 These are the descendants of Gil‘ad: of I‘ezer, the family of the I‘ezri; of Helek, the family of the Helki; 31 of Asri’el, the family of the Asri’eli; of Sh’khem, the family of the Shikhmi; 32 of Sh’mida, the family of the Sh’mida‘i; and of Hefer, the family of the Hefri. 33 Tz’lof’chad the son of Hefer had no sons but daughters; the names of the daughters of Tz’lof’chad were Machlah, No‘ah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirtzah. 34 These were the families of M’nasheh; of them were counted 52,700.

35 These are the descendants of Efrayim, by their families: of Shutelach, the family of the Shutalchi; of Bekher, the family of the Bakhri; and of Tachan, the family of the Tachani. 36 These are the descendants of Shutelach: of ‘Eran, the family of the ‘Erani. 37 These were the families of the descendants of Efrayim, according to those of them that were counted, 32,500. These were the descendants of Yosef, by their families.

38 The descendants of Binyamin, by their families were: of Bela, the family of the Bal‘i; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbeli; of Achiram, the family of the Achirami; 39 of Sh’fufam, the family of the Shufami; and of Hufam, the family of the Hufami. 40 The sons of Bela were Ard and Na‘aman; [of Ard,] the family of the Ardi; and of Na‘aman, the family of the Na‘ami. 41 These were the descendants of Binyamin, by their families; of them were counted 45,600.

42 The descendants of Dan, by their families, were: of Shucham, the family of the Shuchami. These are the families of Dan, by their families. 43 All the families of the Shuchami, according to those of them that were counted, were 64,400.

44 The descendants of Asher, by their families: of Yimnah, the family of the Yimnah; of Yishvi, the family of the Yishvi; and of B’ri‘ah, the family of the B’ri‘i. 45 Of the descendants of B’ri‘ah: of Hever, the family of the Hevri; and of Malki’el, the family of the Malki’eli. 46 The name of Asher’s daughter was Serach. 47 These were the families of the descendants of Asher, according to those of them that were counted, 53,400.

48 The descendants of Naftali, by their families: of Yachtze’el, the families of the Yachtze’eli; of Guni, the family of the Guni; 49 of Yetzer, the family of the Yitzri; and of Shillem, the family of the Shillemi. 50 These are the families of Naftali according to their families; those of them that were counted were 45,400.

51 Thus those who were counted of the people of Isra’el numbered 601,730.

(iii) 52 Adonai said to Moshe, 53 “The land is to be parceled out among these as a possession to be inherited, according to the number of names. 54 To those families with more persons you are to give a greater inheritance, and to those with fewer you are to give a smaller inheritance — each family’s inheritance is to be given according to the number counted in it. 55 However, the land is to be awarded by lot. They will inherit according to the names of the tribes of their ancestors, 56 but the inheritance is to be parceled out by lot between the families with more and those with fewer.”

57 Those counted among the Levi, by their families, were: of Gershon, the family of the Gershuni, of K’hat, the family of the K’hati; and of M’rari, the family of the M’rari. 58 These are the families of Levi: the family of the Livni, the family of the Hevroni, the family of the Machli, the family of the Mushi and the family of the Korchi. K’hat was the father of ‘Amram. 59 The name of ‘Amram’s wife was Yokheved the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to ‘Amram Aharon, Moshe and their sister Miryam. 60 To Aharon were born Nadav, Avihu, El‘azar and Itamar; 61 but Nadav and Avihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before Adonai. 62 Those males one month old or more counted of the Levi were 23,000. These were not included in the census of the people of Isra’el, because no land for inheritance was given to them among the people of Isra’el.

63 These are the ones counted by Moshe and El‘azar the cohen, who took a census of the people of Isra’el in the plains of Mo’av by the Yarden across from Yericho. 64 But there was not a man among them who had also been included in the census of Moshe and Aharon the cohen when they enumerated the people of Isra’el in the Sinai Desert; 65 because Adonai had said of them, “They will surely die in the desert.” So there was not left even one of them, except Kalev the son of Y’funeh and Y’hoshua the son of Nun.

27 Then the daughters of Tz’lof’chad the son of Hefer, the son of Gil‘ad, the son of Machir, the son of M’nasheh, of the families of M’nasheh, the son of Yosef, approached. These were the names of his daughters: Machlah, No‘ah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirtzah. They stood in front of Moshe, El‘azar the cohen, the leaders and the whole community at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, “Our father died in the desert. He wasn’t part of the group who assembled themselves to rebel against Adonai in Korach’s group, but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be eliminated from his family just because he didn’t have a son? Give us property to possess along with the brothers of our father.” Moshe brought their cause before Adonai.

(iv) Adonai answered Moshe, “The daughters of Tz’lof’chad are right in what they say. You must give them property to be inherited along with that of their father’s brothers; have what their father would have inherited pass to them. Moreover, say to the people of Isra’el, ‘If a man dies and does not have a son, you are to have his inheritance pass to his daughter. If he doesn’t have a daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father doesn’t have brothers, give his inheritance to the closest relative in his family, and he will possess it. This will be the standard for judgment to be used by the people of Isra’el, as Adonai ordered Moshe.’”

12 Adonai said to Moshe, “Climb this mountain in the ‘Avarim Range, and look out at the land which I have given the people of Isra’el. 13 After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, just as Aharon your brother was gathered; 14 because in the Tzin Desert, when the community was disputing with me, you rebelled against my order to uphold my holiness by means of the water, with them looking on.” (This was M’rivat-Kadesh Spring, in the Tzin Desert.)

15 Moshe said to Adonai, 16 “Let Adonai, God of the spirits of all human beings, appoint a man to be over the community, 17 to go out and come in ahead of them, to lead them out and bring them in, so that Adonai’s community will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

18 Adonai said to Moshe, “Take Y’hoshua the son of Nun, a spiritual man, and lay your hand on him. 19 Put him in front of El‘azar the cohen and the whole community, and commission him in their sight. 20 Delegate to him some of your authority, so that the entire community of Isra’el will obey him. 21 He is to present himself to El‘azar the cohen, who is to find out by means of the urim what Adonai’s will is for Y’hoshua’s decisions. Then, at his word they will go out, and at his word they will come in, both he and all the people of Isra’el with him, the whole community.”

22 Moshe did as Adonai had ordered him. He took Y’hoshua, put him before El‘azar the cohen and the whole community, 23 laid his hands on him, and commissioned him, as Adonai had said through Moshe.

28 (v) Adonai said to Moshe, “Give an order to the people of Isra’el. Tell them, ‘You are to take care to offer me at the proper time the food presented to me as offerings made by fire, providing a fragrant aroma for me.’ Tell them, ‘This is the offering made by fire that you are to bring to Adonai: male lambs in their first year and without defect, two daily as a regular burnt offering. Offer the one lamb in the morning and the other lamb at dusk, along with two quarts of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives. It is the regular burnt offering, the same as was offered on Mount Sinai to give a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire for Adonai. Its drink offering is to be one-quarter hin for one lamb; in the Holy Place you are to pour out a drink offering of intoxicating liquor to Adonai. The other lamb you are to present at dusk; present it with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering as in the morning; it is an offering made by fire, with a fragrant aroma for Adonai.

“‘On Shabbat offer two male lambs in their first year and without defect, with one gallon of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, and its drink offering. 10 This is the burnt offering for every Shabbat, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

11 “‘At each Rosh-Hodesh of yours, you are to present a burnt offering to Adonai consisting of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs in their first year and without defect; 12 with six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for the one ram; 13 and two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each lamb. This will be the burnt offering giving a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire for Adonai. 14 Their drink offerings will be two quarts of wine for a bull, one-and-one-third quarts for the ram, and one quart for each lamb. This is the burnt offering for every Rosh-Hodesh throughout the months of the year. 15 Also a male goat is to be offered as a sin offering to Adonai, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

(vi) 16 “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Adonai’s Pesach. 17 On the fifteenth day of the month is to be a feast. Matzah is to be eaten for seven days. 18 The first day is to be a holy convocation: do not do any kind of ordinary work; 19 but present an offering made by fire, a burnt offering, to Adonai, consisting of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs in their first year (they are to be without defect for you) 20 with their grain offering, fine flour mixed with olive oil. Offer six quarts for a bull, four quarts for the ram, 21 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs; 22 also a male goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for you. 23 You are to offer these in addition to the morning burnt offering, which is the regular burnt offering. 24 In this fashion you are to offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, making a fragrant aroma for Adonai ; it is to be offered in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work.

26 “‘On the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to Adonai in your feast of Shavu‘ot, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; 27 but present a burnt offering as a fragrant aroma for Adonai, consisting of two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs in their first year, 28 and their grain offering — fine flour mixed with olive oil, six quarts for each bull, four quarts for the one ram, 29 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs — 30 plus a male goat to make atonement for you. 31 You are to offer these in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering (they are to be without defect for you), with their drink offerings.

29 “‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; it is a day of blowing the shofar for you. Prepare a burnt offering to make a fragrant aroma for Adonai — one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs in their first year and without defect — with their grain offering, consisting of fine flour mixed with olive oil — six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the ram, and two quarts for each of the seven lambs — also one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. This is to be in addition to the burnt offering for Rosh-Hodesh with its grain offering, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to the rule for them; this will be a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire to Adonai.

“‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you are to have a holy convocation. You are to deny yourselves, and you are not to do any kind of work; but you are to present a burnt offering to Adonai to make a fragrant aroma: one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs in their first year (they are to be without defect for you), with their grain offering, fine flour mixed with olive oil, six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the one ram, 10 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs; 11 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

(vii) 12 “‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you are to have a holy convocation. You are not to do any kind of ordinary work, and you are to observe a feast to Adonai seven days. 13 You are to present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, bringing a fragrant aroma to Adonai. It is to consist of thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year (they are to be without defect), 14 with their grain offering — fine flour mixed with olive oil, six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams, 15 and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs; 16 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

17 “‘On the second day you are to present twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 18 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 19 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and their drink offerings.

20 “‘On the third day eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 21 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 22 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

23 “‘On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 24 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 25 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

26 “‘On the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 27 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 28 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

29 “‘On the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 30 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 31 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

32 “‘On the seventh day seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 33 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 34 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offerings.

(Maftir) 35 “‘On the eighth day you are to have a festive assembly: you are not to do any kind of ordinary work; 36 but you are to present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, giving a fragrant aroma to Adonai — one bull, one ram, seven male lambs in their first year, without defect; 37 with the grain and drink offerings for the bull, the ram and the lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 38 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

39 “‘You are to offer these to Adonai at your designated times in addition to your vows and voluntary offerings — whether these are your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings or peace offerings.’”

30 (29:40) Moshe told the people of Isra’el everything, just as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

Haftarah Pinchas: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 18:46–19:21

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Pinchas: Mattityahu (Matthew) 26:1–30; Mark 14:1–26; Luke 22:1–20; Yochanan (John) 2:13–22; 7:1–13, 37–39; 11:55–12:1; 13:1; 18:28, 39; 19:14; Acts 2:1–21; 12:3–4; 20:5–6, 16; 27:9–11; 1 Corinthians 5:6 – 8; 16:8; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 11:28

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.

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Korach | קורח | “Korah “

Numbers 16-18:32Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

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 rebelled against Moshe. Siding with them were 250 men of Isra’el, leaders of the community, key members of the council, men of reputation. 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?”

When Moshe heard this he fell on his face. 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. Do this: take censers, Korach and all your group; 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!”

Then Moshe said to Korach, “Listen here, you sons of Levi! 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, (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. (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.”

(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, (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.

(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!” (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. (16:43) Moshe and Aharon came to the front of the tent of meeting.

(iv) (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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.”

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. 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

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.

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What is the Torah?

What is the Torah?
The Torah is called the Pentateuch or the books of Moses and includes the first 5 books of the bible. Collectively, they could be and have been called the books of Moses or Moses. For instance, Yeshua (aka Jesus) responded to the scribes and Pharisees that questioned him, “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me,” in John 5:46
Despite popular Christian teaching the word Torah does not mean, “Law.” Torah is Hebrew for “Instructions” but has been erroneously translated as “LAW” in English bibles. Although the Torah does contain laws and ordinances it cannot be summed up as a legal document rendering legal judgments. The Torah is not a set of do’s and don’ts but rather the loving instructions of a father to his children. To the Jewish Sages the Torah is the highest level of scripture followed by the Prophets (Nevi’im) and the other writings (Ketuvim). Collectively the Jewish scriptures are called the TaNaKh. It is a Jewish acronym:
T= Torah (instructions/Moses)
N= Nevi’im (Prophets)
K= Ketuvim (The other writings)
The Torah was always an oral instruction until Moses penned it down sometime between 1280 -1441BCE. Some believe that the Torah was instituted and began at Mount Sinai but there are those that believe that the Torah always existed and was the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. There are actually a lot of scriptural evidences that point out that the Torah always existed and will always exist in one form or the other. Let’s take a look at some references to this point pointing to the Torah existing before Mount Sinai:
1. Gen. 3:3,17 “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:” Here we have an establishment of a commandment (a food law) in the Garden, breaking of the commandment and the subsequent consequence of breaking the commandment- a curse or death.
2. Gen. 4:8 “…Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” This was murder and was forbidden according to Torah Law so there was a punishment for breaking the Law in Gen. 4:14 “Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.” This punishment is separation from God and death by anyone that finds him. According to the Torah a murderer is to be stoned to death except those that find refuge in what is called a “city of refuge.” Cain plead with God about his sentence and a “refuge” was created for him…”…Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” Num. 25:35 “ And the congregation shall deliver the slayer (suspect of murder) out of the hand of the revenger of blood (those that want revenge), and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest…”
3. How many of the different animals went into the ark made by Noah? If you said 2 of each kind you are wrong. Well, partially wrong. Gen. 7:2 “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two…” Again we see that clean and unclean were important to God prior to the giving of the written instruction at Mount Sinai. You can read more about kosher eating in Lev. 7. And by the way, that Sunday school picture of all animals entering two by two was sadly inaccurate. Later after the flood you will find Noah building an altar and sacrificing some of the clean animals in worship and thanks to God.(Gen. 8:20)
4. Abraham was righteous and faithful. Listen to what God says about him: Gen 26:5 “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
5. Lot the nephew of Abraham was saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The evening before he and his family were delivered from the city by the angels Lot provided a feast of unleavened bread (Passover) just like what was instructed by Yahweh to the children of Israel the evening before they fled Egypt. Gen. 19:3 “…he (Lot) made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.” Also in Exod. 12:8 “And they (Israel) shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread;”
Now let’s look at scriptural evidences that the Torah will always exist:
1. Matthew 5:17-19 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law (Torah), or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil (fill up full of meaning). For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law (Torah), till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Yeshua (aka Jesus) did not replace, make void or annul even the least of the commandments of Torah. In fact he states that the Torah will continue as long as there is a heaven and an earth.
2. Rev. 12:17 “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Yeshua Messiah.” This is a point in the future when the Beast will wage war against the chosen people of God. Again this is a group that “keeps the commandments of God,” and have the testimony of Yeshua.
3. Once the war with HaSatan (Satan) is over and there is healing to the earth and the New Jerusalem is established then we see a clear picture in scripture of the Kingdom of God on the earth and the Torah still in full effect and being taught by the Messiah King himself. Isaiah 2:3 “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he (Yeshua) will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law (Torah), and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Rev. 22:2 “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life (Torah), which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
4. The feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) will be celebrated in the New Jerusalem. Zech. 4:16 “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” The feast of Tabernacles is in the Torah and can be read in Lev. 23.
According to Jewish sages there are 4 levels of understanding or revelation in the Torah:
1. Peshat- The literal reading or face value of the text
2. Remez- The hinted or alluded meanings of the text
3. D’Rash- homiletical or exegetical application to the text
4. Sod- ‘secret’ or mystical meaning hidden in the text (e.g., Gematria)
For the people of Israel the Torah is life instruction that was passed down orally from generation to generation until penned down by Moses and the very finger of Yahweh. This emphasis of teaching the commandments of God to the children was revitalized by the words of Yahweh in Deut. 6:6-7 “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” The Kings of Israel were also required by Torah Law to write their own copy of the Torah in its entirety:
Deut. 17:18 “And it shall be, when he (the king) sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:”
The Levites were in charge of keeping the Torah and teaching the commandments of God as well as the altar service and various temple duties. After the captivity of Judah into Babylon around 538 BCE and the destruction of Jerusalem Babylon was taken over by the Persians. The Persian King Cyrus allowed the Jews (around 40,000) to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city. In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah there is a detailed account of the Jewish return. It is at this time that Ezra the scribe begins the public reading of the Torah and teaching to the Jewish exiles.
Neh. 8:1-9 “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street…they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women…And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people…and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands…So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand (teaching) the reading.”
It is after this time that that the tradition of reading the Torah every Sabbath day began. The Jews took the entire Torah and broke them up into weekly portions, called Parsha or parasha in Hebrew so that the people could read or hear the Torah being read in its entirety throughout the span of one year or three years pending on cycle they chose to follow. The public reading of the Torah Parsha were primarily done in places of worship called Synagogues and they can be seen as early as the days of King David (Psa. 74:8) and throughout the New Testament. The books of the Prophets and other writings were also broke up into weekly portions and read every Sabbath day. In the days of Yeshua we can read many accounts of Yeshua teaching and miracles being performed in the Synagogues on the Sabbath day. One account in particular opens one’s eyes to the history of what was going on as well as the integral part that the Messiah played in this weekly practice.
Luke 4:16-20 “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias (Isaiah). And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor…To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down.”
This is what the Jewish people had done for hundreds of years before and throughout the ministries of the Messianic Jewish Apostles and still today in orthodox and messianic synagogues some 2,000 years later. The messianic synagogues add a third reading called the Brit Chadasha or Renewed Covenant (New Testament). Was the Torah explicitly just for the Jewish people or were the Gentiles (those of other nations) that were coming to faith in Yeshua as their Messiah expected to adhere to the same commandments of God? This was something that the early Jewish believers such as Paul, Peter, John and James also had to figure out. It wasn’t that they did not know the answer. The problem was that the Torah was so vast and hard to understand and grasp immediately for the new gentile believers, who did not grow up with the commandments being heard continuously, that they wanted to have a starting point for new believers that was easy to grasp quickly. The rest of the information they would soak up by hearing it read and taught every week in the synagogues. You have to understand that these were Greeks and those of other nations with religious beliefs rooted in idolatry, paganism, Hellenism, and philosophies much in contrast with the character of the God of Israel. After a council about this matter in Jerusalem they all agreed that to start new believers were to be given three commandments and the rest they would pick up over time by hearing Moses read in the Synagogues every sabbath. Letters were then dispatched to the messianic believers and teachers and it is found in Acts 15. James the brother of Yeshua makes this declaration:
Acts 15:19-21 “Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.”
Here we have three things that are imperative for a New Testament believer whether they are of Jewish descent or one of another nation. These three laws are referred by Torah teachers as “The Heart of The Law” and can be read in Lev. 17,18,19.
1. “abstain from pollutions of idols”- This is idolatry and one could not even enter the assembly of the Jews if you were involved with such practices. This was a big issue among the gentile nations.
2. “fornication”- This was also a problem among the gentile nations. This would involve incest, orgies, rape, molestation, beastiality, and all kinds of horrific practices.
3. “things strangled, and from blood”- This may sound like two separate things but they are one. This is eating Kosher. Those animals deemed unclean for consumption were considered blood when eating them. The prescribed method of killing a pig for consumption in the days of Acts was by strangulation.
Abraham wasn’t Jewish and he kept the law. Abraham came from the land of the Chaldeans and was considered the first Hebrew (one that crossed over). Noah was before Abraham and knew which animals were considered clean and unclean and how to sacrifice before the Lord and he wasn’t Jewish. This concept of the commandments of God only pertaining to the Jews is ludicrous and there are no scriptural evidences that point to this false conclusion. The concept of the Torah being for all people is spoken right from the mouth of Yahweh himself:
Exod. 12:19 “…for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.”
Exod. 12:49 “One law (Torah) shall be to him that is homeborn (Israel/Jew), and unto the stranger (gentile) that sojourneth among you.”
Lev. 17:2 “Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.”
Lev. 24:22 “Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.”
Secrets in the Torah:
Concerning the sod level of study and understanding of the Torah, there is something referred to by Jewish Sages as Gematria. Gematria is the study of numbers in relation to the Hebrew Aleph Bet used in the original Torah text. After the invention of modern day computer programs there has been many startling discoveries that have astonished the academic world and opened up the possibilities of hidden messages within the Torah. One theory is called ELS or Equidistant Letter Sequences. This theory is based on a set pattern of counting letters and selecting a letter within the numbered sequence. For example, a discovery of the Torah ELS showed that every 50th letter in Genesis, from left to right, the ELS repeatedly spells “TORAH, TORAH, TORAH. There is the same sequence in Exodus.
Every 49th letter from right to left in Deuteronomy and every 50th in Numbers say Torah backwards. All of these books are pointing to the central book of Leviticus which has an ELS every 7th letter, producing, “YHWH, YHWH, YHWH,” the sacred name of God. Some scientists and Bible scholars see this as the divine authorship of the Torah and yet others would see it as a controlled coincidence. You can be the judge.
Conclusion:
The Torah is the instructions of God to his people in how to live a righteous and full life. It is not a mere set of do’s and don’ts. The Torah was an oral instruction past down from one righteous generation to another until finally penned down by Moses at Mount Sinai. The Torah always was and will always be and will be the code of conduct in the Messianic era. By this Torah the nations will be judged and ruled by the Messiah. The Torah was central in all teachings of the New Testament including the letters of Shaul (Paul) and Simon Keefa (Simon Peter). The Messiah nor his disciples and apostles advocated the removal or diminishing of the Torah. In fact, they upheld its importance in the believer’s life. Today we should not say that the Torah was done away with at the cross. Nor should we compartmentalize it and say it is only for the Jews. This is a mistake and the Christian world needs to re-examine their position on this matter. We are all One in the Messiah. We are One family in One House with One Father and One law or set of instructions.

Parsha Beshalach

Parsha Beshalach בְּשַׁלַּח “When he sent”

Torah portion: Shemot/Exodus 13:17-17:16
Haphtarah (concluding portion): Judges 4:4-5:31
Brit Chadasha (New Testament): Revelation 19:1-20:6

Did you know: Beshalach is the 4th parsha [portion] of sefer [scroll of/book of] Shemot?

Culinary Arts: Want to make homemade “manna” bread? Here is a recipe that starts with sprouting and ends up with a healthy loaf of bread baked from an ancient recipe.

History Bite: Want to see some pics of the chariot wheels that were found at the bottom of the Red Sea? Here is some archaeological evidence that proves what our parsha says this week is true.

Quick Science: Read this short science article for kids about the Marah tree and the bitter waters. Want to know how YHVH changes the bitter waters sweet? CLICK HERE.

Music & Dance: This week, we will learn (or review if we already know) the Horse and Rider song which is written based on the “song of Moses” in this week’s parsha (Exodus/Shemot 15:1-21). This song is traditionally sung as part of the Pesach (Passover) Seder (order). You will find the lyrics in your Pesach Haggadah (Passover Telling). If you need a Pesach Haggadah that is written for Messianic Families, you can download one FREE from Restoring the Way by clicking HERE. If you are a guitar player, you can learn how to play this song using this YouTube tutorial. If you want to learn to DAVIDIC DANCE to this song, follow this YouTube link. If you would like to hear a modern re-make of this song, this one is a nice contemporary Christian worship tune on YouTube.

Recommended Reading: COMING OUT OF EGYPT: A first Passover story for Children, retold from the perspective of one of the first gentile converts to the Mosaic covenant- an Egyptian boy. Ready for a different kind of Passover story? Great for most people of faith, join an Egyptian boy as the plagues begin to decimate his land and his family’s livelihood. He discovers first hand the mighty power of the God of the Hebrews which radically changes the way he perceives his own religion and learns to see them as more than just slaves. A story about prejudice, friendship, faith and freedom. Written by Messianic children’s author Melody Manwell. 63 pages. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY HERE.

Bible and Hebrew Language: Click through the links below to find lots of resources from Restoring the Way Ministries to enhance your homeschool lessons.

Restoring the Way Materials:
MessiShul Parsha Lapbook Curriculum: Shemot
Preschool Adventure Series homeschool curriculum
Messianic Weekly (Kids) Volume 1: Shemot
Messianic Weekly (Kids) Volume 2 [subscription $1.99/wk] Messianic Weekly (Teens) Volume 1: Shemot
Messianic Weekly (Teens) Volume 2 [subscription $1.99/wk] Parsha for Preschool Volume 1
Parsha for Preschool Volume 2 [subscription $1.99/wk] Hebrew Handwriting Primer
Hebrew Handwriting With the Parsha Names
Noah’s Noodles Parsha Cookbook for Kids

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