Parashat Ki Tisa

Census and Ransom Money

¹¹ Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹² “When you tally the sum of Bnei-Yisrael by numbering them, then every man must pay a ransom for his soul to Adonai when you count them, so that no plague will fall on them. ¹³ Everyone among them who crosses over must give half a shekel according to the Sanctuary shekel (which is 20 gerahs): half a shekel as an offering to Adonai. ¹⁴ Everyone who crosses over among them who is counted, from 20 years old and upward, is to give the offering to Adonai. ¹⁵ The rich are not to give more and the poor are not to give less than the half shekel, when they present the offering of Adonai to make atonement for your souls. ¹⁶ You are to take the atonement money from Bnei-Yisrael and give it for the service of the Tent of Meeting, so that it may be a memorial for Bnei-Yisrael before Adonai, to make atonement for your souls.”

Basin for Washing

¹⁷ Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹⁸ “You will also make a basin of bronze with a bronze stand for washing. You are to place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and their feet there. ²⁰ Whenever they go into the Tent of Meeting or come near to the altar to minister, to present an offering made by fire in smoke to Adonai, they are to wash with water so that they do not die. ²¹ They are to wash their hands and their feet, so that they do not die. It is to be an eternal statute for them, to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”

Holy Anointing Oil

²² Moreover Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ²³ “Now take for yourself the best spices: 500 shekels of flowing myrrh, half as much sweet cinnamon (250), also 250 shekels of sweet calamus, ²⁴ 500 of cassia, after the Sanctuary shekel, plus a hin^[a] of olive oil. ²⁵ You are to make holy anointing oil from it, a fragrant mixture, blended as the work of a perfumer. It will be holy anointing oil. ²⁶ You are to anoint the Tent of Meeting with it, the Ark of the Testimony, ²⁷ as well as the table and all its articles, the menorah and its articles, the altar of incense, ²⁸ the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin along with its stand. ²⁹ You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.

³⁰ “You are to anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them, so that they may minister to Me as kohanim. ³¹ Speak to Bnei-Yisrael saying, ‘This is to be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. ³² It must not be poured on human flesh, nor are you to make any like it, with its formula. It is holy and it must be holy to you. ³³ Whoever mixes any like it, or whoever puts any of it on anyone unauthorized, will be cut off from his people.’”

³⁴ Then Adonai said to Moses, “Take the sweet spices—stacte, onycha and galbanum. The spices and pure frankincense are to be in equal measures. ³⁵ Make a fragrant mixture from them, a blend like the work of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. ³⁶ You are to beat some of it into powder, and set it before the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It is to be most holy to you. ³⁷ But the incense which you make, with its formula, you are not to make for yourselves. It is to be holy to you, for Adonai. ³⁸ Whoever makes any like it, to breathe in its smell, will be cut off from his people.”

Ruach-filled Craftsmen

31 Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ² “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, ⁴ to make ingenious designs, to forge with gold, silver and bronze, ⁵ as well as cutting stones for setting and carving wood, to work in all manner of craftsmanship. ⁶ Also look, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Within the hearts of all who are wise-hearted I have placed skill, so that they may make everything that I have commanded you: ⁷ the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony, the atonement cover that is to be on it, all the furnishings of the Tabernacle, ⁸ the table and its utensils, the menorah of pure gold with all of its utensils, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar of burnt offering with all of its utensils, the basin and its stand, ¹⁰ the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the kohen, the garments for his sons to minister as kohanim, ¹¹ the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place. They are to make them just as how I commanded you.”

Shabbat: A Perpetual Covenant Sign

¹² Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹³ “Speak now to Bnei-Yisrael saying, ‘Surely you must keep My Shabbatot, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so you may know that I am Adonai who sanctifies you. ¹⁴ Therefore you are to keep the Shabbat, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it will die, for whoever does any work during Shabbat, that soul will be cut off from the midst of his people. ¹⁵ Work is to be done for six days, but on the seventh day is a Shabbat of complete rest, holy to Adonai. Whoever does any work on the Shabbat will surely be put to death. ¹⁶ So Bnei-Yisrael is to keep the Shabbat, to observe the Shabbat throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷ It is a sign between Me and Bnei-Yisrael forever, for in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.’”

¹⁸ When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave the two tablets of the Testimony to Moses—tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.