Exodus 20-34

Complete Jewish Bible

20 Then God said all these words:

א ²“I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the abode of slavery.

ב ³“You are to have no other gods before me. ⁴You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline. ⁵You are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot.

ג ⁷“You are not to use lightly the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who uses his name lightly.

ד ⁸“Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. ⁹You have six days to labor and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. ¹¹For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.

ה ¹²“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land which Adonai your God is giving you.

ו ¹³“Do not murder.

ז ⁽¹⁴⁾“Do not commit adultery.

ח ⁽¹⁵⁾“Do not steal.

ט ⁽¹⁶⁾“Do not give false evidence against your neighbor.

י ¹⁴⁽¹⁷⁾“Do not covet your neighbor’s house; do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

(A: vii) ¹⁵⁽¹⁸⁾All the people experienced the thunder, the lightning, the sound of the shofar, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled. Standing at a distance, ¹⁶⁽¹⁹⁾they said to Moshe, “You, speak with us; and we will listen. But don’t let God speak with us, or we will die.” ¹⁷⁽²⁰⁾Moshe answered the people, “Don’t be afraid, because God has come only to test you and make you fear him, so that you won’t commit sins.” ¹⁸⁽²¹⁾So the people stood at a distance, but Moshe approached the thick darkness where God was.

(A: Maftir) ¹⁹⁽²²⁾Adonai said to Moshe, “Here is what you are to say to the people of Isra’el: ‘You yourselves have seen that I spoke with you from heaven. ²⁰⁽²³⁾You are not to make with me gods of silver, nor are you to make gods of gold for yourselves. (S: Maftir) ²¹⁽²⁴⁾For me you need make only an altar of earth; on it you will sacrifice your burnt offerings, peace offerings, sheep, goats and cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you. ²²⁽²⁵⁾If you do make me an altar of stone, you are not to build it of cut stones; for if you use a tool on it, you profane it. ²³⁽²⁶⁾Likewise, you are not to use steps to go up to my altar; so that you won’t be indecently uncovered.’”

Haftarah Yitro: Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 6:1–7:6; 9:5(6)– 6(7) (A); 6:1–13 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Yitro: Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:21–30; 15:1–11; 19:16–30; Mark 7:5–15; 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30; Acts 6:1–7; Romans 2:17–29; 7:7–12; 13:8–10; Ephesians 6:1–3; 1 Timothy 3:1–14; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 1:5–9; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 12:18–29; Ya‘akov (James) 2:8–13; 1 Kefa (1 Peter) 2:9–10

Parashah 18: Mishpatim (Rulings) 21:1–24:18

21 “These are the rulings you are to present to them:

²“If you purchase a Hebrew slave, he is to work six years; but in the seventh, he is to be given his freedom without having to pay anything. ³If he came single, he is to leave single; if he was married when he came, his wife is to go with him when he leaves. ⁴But if his master gave him a wife, and she bore him sons or daughters, then the wife and her children will belong to her master, and he will leave by himself. ⁵Nevertheless, if the slave declares, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children, so I don’t want to go free,’ ⁶then his master is to bring him before God; and there at the door or doorpost, his master is to pierce his ear with an awl; and the man will be his slave for life.

⁷“If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to go free like the men-slaves. ⁸If her master married her but decides she no longer pleases him, then he is to allow her to be redeemed. He is not allowed to sell her to a foreign people, because he has treated her unfairly. ⁹If he has her marry his son, then he is to treat her like a daughter. ¹⁰If he marries another wife, he is not to reduce her food, clothing or marital rights. ¹¹If he fails to provide her with these three things, she is to be given her freedom without having to pay anything.

¹²“Whoever attacks a person and causes his death must be put to death. ¹³If it was not premeditated but an act of God, then I will designate for you a place to which he can flee. ¹⁴But if someone willfully kills another after deliberate planning, you are to take him even from my altar and put him to death.

¹⁵“Whoever attacks his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁶“Whoever kidnaps someone must be put to death, regardless of whether he has already sold him or the person is found still in his possession.

¹⁷“Whoever curses his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁸“If two people fight, and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist, and the injured party doesn’t die but is confined to his bed; ¹⁹then, if he recovers enough to be able to walk around outside, even if with a cane, the attacker will be free of liability, except to compensate him for his loss of time and take responsibility for his care until his recovery is complete.

(ii) ²⁰“If a person beats his male or female slave with a stick so severely that he dies, he is to be punished; ²¹except that if the slave lives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his property.

²²“If people are fighting with each other and happen to hurt a pregnant woman so badly that her unborn child dies, then, even if no other harm follows, he must be fined. He must pay the amount set by the woman’s husband and confirmed by judges. ²³But if any harm follows, then you are to give life for life, ²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵burn for burn, wound for wound and bruise for bruise.

²⁶“If a person hits his male or female slave’s eye and destroys it, he must let him go free in compensation for his eye. ²⁷If he knocks out his male or female slave’s tooth, he must let him go free in compensation for his tooth.

²⁸“If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox is to be stoned and its flesh not eaten, but the owner of the ox will have no further liability. ²⁹However, if the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and the owner was warned but did not confine it, so that it ended up killing a man or a woman; then the ox is to be stoned, and its owner too is to be put to death. ³⁰However, a ransom may be imposed on him; and the death penalty will be commuted if he pays the amount imposed. ³¹If the ox gores a son or daughter, the same rule applies. ³²If the ox gores a male or female slave, its owner must give their master twelve ounces of silver; and the ox is to be stoned to death.

³³“If someone removes the cover from a cistern or digs one and fails to cover it, and an ox or donkey falls in, ³⁴the owner of the cistern must make good the loss by compensating the animal’s owner; but the dead animal will be his.

³⁵“If one person’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, they are to sell the live ox and divide the revenue from the sale; and they are also to divide the dead animal. ³⁶But if it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and the owner did not confine it; he must pay ox for ox, but the dead animal will be his.

³⁷^(22:1)“If someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he is to pay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

22 ⁽²⁾“If a thief caught in the act of breaking in is beaten to death, it is not murder; ²⁽³⁾unless it happens after sunrise, in which case it is murder. A thief must make restitution; so if he has nothing, he himself is to be sold to make good the loss from the theft. ³⁽⁴⁾If what he stole is found alive in his possession, he is to pay double, no matter whether it is an ox, a donkey or a sheep.

(iii) ⁴⁽⁵⁾“If a person causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over or lets his animal loose to graze in someone else’s field, he is to make restitution from the best produce of his own field and vineyard.

⁵⁽⁶⁾“If a fire is started and spreads to thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain or a field is destroyed, the person who lit it must make restitution.

⁶⁽⁷⁾“If a person entrusts a neighbor with money or goods, and they are stolen from the trustee’s house, then, if the thief is found, he must pay double. ⁷⁽⁸⁾But if the thief is not found, then the trustee must state before God that he did not take the person’s goods himself. ⁸⁽⁹⁾In every case of dispute over ownership, whether of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, clothing, or any missing property, where one person says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to come before God; and the one whom God condemns must pay the other one double.

⁹⁽¹⁰⁾“If a person trusts a neighbor to look after a donkey, ox, sheep or any animal, and it dies, is injured or is driven away unseen, ¹⁰⁽¹¹⁾then the neighbor’s oath before Adonai that he has not taken the goods will settle the matter between them — the owner is to accept it without the neighbor’s making restitution. ¹¹⁽¹²⁾But if it was stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner. ¹²⁽¹³⁾If it was torn to pieces by an animal, the neighbor must bring it as evidence, and then he doesn’t need to make good the loss.

¹³⁽¹⁴⁾“If someone borrows something from his neighbor, and it gets injured or dies with the owner not present, he must make restitution. ¹⁴⁽¹⁵⁾If the owner was present, he need not make good the loss. If the owner hired it out, the loss is covered by the hiring fee.

¹⁵⁽¹⁶⁾“If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. ¹⁶⁽¹⁷⁾But if her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay a sum equivalent to the bride-price for virgins.

¹⁷⁽¹⁸⁾“You are not to permit a sorceress to live.

¹⁸⁽¹⁹⁾“Whoever has sexual relations with an animal must be put to death.

¹⁹⁽²⁰⁾“Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than Adonai alone is to be completely destroyed.

²⁰⁽²¹⁾“You must neither wrong nor oppress a foreigner living among you, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

²¹⁽²²⁾“You are not to abuse any widow or orphan. ²²⁽²³⁾If you do abuse them in any way, and they cry to me, I will certainly heed their cry. ²³⁽²⁴⁾My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword — your own wives will be widows and your own children fatherless.

²⁴⁽²⁵⁾“If you loan money to one of my people who is poor, you are not to deal with him as would a creditor; and you are not to charge him interest. ²⁵⁽²⁶⁾If you take your neighbor’s coat as collateral, you are to restore it to him by sundown, ²⁶⁽²⁷⁾because it is his only garment — he needs it to wrap his body; what else does he have in which to sleep? Moreover, if he cries out to me, I will listen; because I am compassionate.

(iv) ²⁷⁽²⁸⁾“You are not to curse God, and you are not to curse a leader of your people.

²⁸⁽²⁹⁾“You are not to delay offering from your harvest of grain, olive oil or wine.

“The firstborn of your sons you are to give to me. ²⁹⁽³⁰⁾You are to do the same with your oxen and your sheep — it is to stay with its mother seven days, and on the eighth day you are to give it to me.

³⁰⁽³¹⁾“You are to be my specially separated people. Therefore you are not to eat any flesh torn by wild animals in the countryside; rather, throw it out for the dogs.

23 “You are not to repeat false rumors; do not join hands with the wicked by offering perjured testimony. ²Do not follow the crowd when it does what is wrong; and don’t allow the popular view to sway you into offering testimony for any cause if the effect will be to pervert justice. ³On the other hand, don’t favor a person’s lawsuit simply because he is poor.

⁴“If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey straying, you must return it to him. ⁵If you see the donkey which belongs to someone who hates you lying down helpless under its load, you are not to pass him by but to go and help him free it.

(v) ⁶“Do not deny anyone justice in his lawsuit simply because he is poor. ⁷Keep away from fraud, and do not cause the death of the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked. ⁸You are not to receive a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clearsighted and subverts the cause of the righteous.

⁹“You are not to oppress a foreigner, for you know how a foreigner feels, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

¹⁰“For six years, you are to sow your land with seed and gather in its harvest. ¹¹But the seventh year, you are to let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people can eat; and what they leave, the wild animals in the countryside can eat. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.

¹²“For six days, you are to work. But on the seventh day, you are to rest, so that your ox and donkey can rest, and your slave-girl’s son and the foreigner be renewed.

¹³“Pay attention to everything I have said to you; do not invoke the names of other gods or even let them be heard crossing your lips.

¹⁴“Three times a year, you are to observe a festival for me. ¹⁵Keep the festival of matzah: for seven days, as I ordered you, you are to eat matzah at the time determined in the month of Aviv; for it was in that month that you left Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. ¹⁶Next, the festival of harvest, the firstfruits of your efforts sowing in the field; and last, the festival of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in from the fields the results of your efforts. ¹⁷Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Lord, Adonai.

¹⁸“You are not to offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the fat of my festival to remain all night until morning.

¹⁹“You are to bring the best firstfruits of your land into the house of Adonai your God.

“You are not to boil a young animal in its mother’s milk.

(vi) ²⁰“I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹Pay attention to him, listen to what he says and do not rebel against him; because he will not forgive any wrongdoing of yours, since my name resides in him. ²²But if you listen to what he says and do everything I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. ²³When my angel goes ahead of you and brings you to the Emori, Hitti, P’rizi, Kena‘ani, Hivi and Y’vusi, I will make an end of them. ²⁴You are not to worship their gods, serve them or follow their practices; rather, you are to demolish them completely and smash their standing-stones to pieces.

²⁵“You are to serve Adonai your God; and he will bless your food and water. I will take sickness away from among you. (vii) ²⁶In your land your women will not miscarry or be barren, and you will live out the full span of your lives. ²⁷I will send terror of me ahead of you, throwing into confusion all the people to whom you come; and I will make all your enemies turn their backs on you. ²⁸I will send hornets ahead of you to drive out the Hivi, Kena‘ani and Hitti from before you. ²⁹I will not drive them out from before you in one year, which would cause the land to become desolate and the wild animals too many for you. ³⁰I will drive them out from before you gradually, until you have grown in number and can take possession of the land. ³¹I will set your boundaries from the Sea of Suf to the sea of the P’lishtim and from the desert to the [Euphrates] River, for I will hand the inhabitants of the land over to you, and you will drive them out from before you. ³²You are not to make a covenant with them or with their gods. ³³They are not to live in your land; otherwise they will make you sin against me by ensnaring you to serve their gods.”

24 To Moshe [Adonai] said, “Come up to Adonai — you, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, and seventy of the leaders of Isra’el. Prostrate yourselves at a distance, ²while Moshe alone approaches Adonai — the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him.” ³Moshe came and told the people everything Adonai had said, including all the rulings. The people answered with one voice: “We will obey every word Adonai has spoken.”

⁴Moshe wrote down all the words of Adonai. He rose early in the morning, built an altar at the base of the mountain and set upright twelve large stones to represent the twelve tribes of Isra’el. ⁵He sent the young men of the people of Isra’el to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings of oxen to Adonai. ⁶Moshe took half of the blood and put it in basins; the other half of the blood he splashed against the altar. ⁷Then he took the book of the covenant and read it aloud, so that the people could hear; and they responded, “Everything that Adonai has spoken, we will do and obey.” ⁸Moshe took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which Adonai has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and seventy of the leaders went up; ¹⁰and they saw the God of Isra’el. Under his feet was something like a sapphire stone pavement as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹He did not reach out his hand against these notables of Isra’el; on the contrary, they saw God, even as they were eating and drinking.

¹²Adonai said to Moshe, “Come up to me on the mountain, and stay there. I will give you the stone tablets with the Torah and the mitzvot I have written on them, so that you can teach them.” ¹³Moshe got up, also Y’hoshua his assistant; and Moshe went up onto the mountain of God. ¹⁴To the leaders he said, “Stay here for us, until we come back to you. See, Aharon and Hur are with you; whoever has a problem should turn to them.” (S: Maftir) ¹⁵Moshe went up onto the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. (A: Maftir) ¹⁶The glory of Adonai stayed on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moshe out of the cloud. ¹⁷To the people of Isra’el the glory of Adonai looked like a raging fire on the top of the mountain. ¹⁸Moshe entered the cloud and went up on the mountain; he was on the mountain forty days and nights.

Haftarah Mishpatim: Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 34:8–22; 33:25–26

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Mishpatim: Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:38–42; 15:1–20; Mark 7:1–23; Acts 23:1–11; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 9:15–22; 10:28–39

Parashah 19: T’rumah (Contribution) 25:1–27:19

25 Adonai said to Moshe, ²“Tell the people of Isra’el to take up a collection for me — accept a contribution from anyone who wholeheartedly wants to give. ³The contribution you are to take from them is to consist of gold, silver and bronze; ⁴blue, purple and scarlet yarn; fine linen, goat’s hair, ⁵tanned ram skins and fine leather; acacia-wood; ⁶oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁷onyx stones and other stones to be set, for the ritual vest and breastplate.

⁸“They are to make me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them. ⁹You are to make it according to everything I show you — the design of the tabernacle and the design of its furnishings. This is how you are to make it.

¹⁰“They are to make an ark of acacia-wood three-and-three-quarters feet long, two-and-a-quarter feet wide and two-and-a-quarter feet high. ¹¹You are to overlay it with pure gold — overlay it both inside and outside — and put a molding of gold around the top of it. ¹²Cast four gold rings for it, and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. ¹³Make poles of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴Put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark; you will use them to carry the ark. ¹⁵The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they are not to be removed from it. ¹⁶Into the ark you are to put the testimony which I am about to give you.

(ii) ¹⁷“You are to make a cover for the ark out of pure gold; it is to be three-and-three-quarters feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet high. ¹⁸You are to make two k’ruvim of gold. Make them of hammered work for the two ends of the ark-cover. ¹⁹Make one keruv for one end and one keruv for the other end; make the k’ruvim of one piece with the ark-cover at its two ends. ²⁰The k’ruvim will have their wings spread out above, so that their wings cover the ark, and their faces are toward each other and toward the ark-cover. ²¹You are to put the ark-cover on top of the ark.

“Inside the ark you will put the testimony that I am about to give you. ²²There I will meet with you. I will speak with you from above the ark-cover, from between the two k’ruvim which are on the ark for the testimony, about all the orders I am giving you for the people of Isra’el.

²³“You are to make a table of acacia-wood three feet long, eighteen inches wide and eighteen inches high. ²⁴Overlay it with pure gold, and put a molding of gold around the top of it. ²⁵Make around it a rim a handbreadth wide, and put a molding of gold around the rim. ²⁶Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners, near its four legs. ²⁷The rings to hold the poles used to carry the table are to be placed close to the rim. ²⁸Make the poles of acacia-wood, overlay them with gold, and use them to carry the table.

²⁹“Make its dishes, pans, bowls and pitchers of pure gold. ³⁰On the table you are to place the bread of the presence in my presence always.

(S: iii) ³¹“You are to make a menorah of pure gold. It is to be made of hammered work; its base, shaft, cups, ring of outer leaves and petals are to be of one piece with it. ³²It is to have six branches extending from its sides, three branches of the menorah on one side of it and three on the other. ³³On one branch are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a ring of outer leaves and petals; likewise on the opposite branch three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a ring of outer leaves and petals; and similarly for all six branches extending from the menorah. ³⁴On the central shaft of the menorah are to be four cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with its ring of outer leaves and petals. ³⁵Where each pair of branches joins the central shaft is to be a ring of outer leaves of one piece with the pair of branches — thus for all six branches. ³⁶The rings of outer leaves and their branches are to be of one piece with the shaft. Thus the whole menorah is to be a single piece of hammered work made of pure gold.

³⁷“Make seven lamps for the menorah, and mount them so as to give light to the space in front of it. ³⁸Its tongs and trays are to be of pure gold. ³⁹The menorah and its utensils are to be made of sixty-six pounds of pure gold. ⁴⁰See that you make them according to the design being shown you on the mountain.

26 (A: iii) “You are to make the tabernacle with ten sheets of finely woven linen and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn. You are to make them with k’ruvim worked in, that have been crafted by a skilled artisan. ²Each one is to be forty-two feet long and six feet wide; all the sheets are to be the same size. ³Five sheets are to be joined one to another, and the other five sheets are to be joined one to another. ⁴Make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set, and do the same on the edge of the outermost sheet in the second set. ⁵Make fifty loops on the one sheet, and make fifty loops on the edge of the sheet in the second set; the loops are to be opposite one another. ⁶Make fifty fasteners of gold, and couple the sheets to each other with the fasteners, so that the tabernacle forms a single unit.

⁷“You are to make sheets of goat’s hair to be used as a tent covering the tabernacle; make eleven sheets. ⁸Each sheet is to be forty-five feet long and six feet wide — all eleven sheets are to be the same size. ⁹Join five sheets together and six sheets together, and fold the sixth sheet double at the front of the tent. ¹⁰Make fifty loops on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set and fifty loops on the edge of the outermost sheet in the second set. ¹¹Make fifty fasteners of bronze, put the fasteners in the loops, and join the tent together, so that it forms a single unit. ¹²As for the overhanging part that remains of the sheets forming the tent, the half-sheet remaining is to hang over the back of the tabernacle; ¹³and the eighteen inches on the one side and the eighteen inches on the other side of that remaining in the length of the sheets forming the tent is to hang over the tabernacle to cover it on each side.

¹⁴“You are to make a covering for the tent of tanned ram skins and an outer covering of fine leather.

(iv) ¹⁵“Make the upright planks for the tabernacle out of acacia-wood. ¹⁶Each plank is to be fifteen feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide. ¹⁷There are to be two projections on each plank, and the planks are to be joined one to another. That is how you are to make all the planks for the tabernacle.

¹⁸“Make the planks for the tabernacle as follows: twenty planks for the south side, facing southward. ¹⁹Make forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under one plank for its two projections and two sockets under another plank for its two projections. ²⁰“For the second side of the tabernacle, to the north, make twenty planks ²¹and their forty silver sockets, two sockets under one plank and two under another. ²²“For the rear part of the tabernacle, toward the west, make six planks. ²³For the corners of the tabernacle in the rear, make two planks; ²⁴these are to be double from the bottom all the way to the top but joined at a single ring. Do the same with both of them; they are to form the two corners. ²⁵Thus there will be eight planks with their silver sockets, sixteen sockets, two sockets under one plank and two under another.

²⁶“Make crossbars of acacia-wood, five for the planks of the one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷five crossbars for the planks of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the planks at the side of the tabernacle at the rear toward the west. ²⁸The middle crossbar, halfway up the planks, is to extend from end to end. ²⁹Overlay the planks with gold, make gold rings for them through which the crossbars will pass, and overlay the crossbars with gold.

³⁰“You are to erect the tabernacle according to the design you have been shown on the mountain.

(v) ³¹“You are to make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. Make it with k’ruvim worked in, that have been crafted by a skilled artisan. ³²Hang it with gold hooks on four acacia-wood posts overlaid with gold and standing in four silver sockets. ³³Hang the curtain below the fasteners. Then bring the ark for the testimony inside the curtain; the curtain will be the divider for you between the Holy Place and the Especially Holy Place. ³⁴You are to put the ark-cover on the ark for the testimony in the Especially Holy Place.

³⁵“You are to put the table outside the curtain and the menorah opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; put the table on the north side.

³⁶“For the entrance to the tent, make a screen of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen; it should be in colors, the work of a weaver. ³⁷For the screen, make five posts of acacia-wood; overlay them with gold; and cast for them five sockets of bronze.

27 (vi) “You are to make the altar of acacia-wood, seven-and-a-half feet long and seven-and-a-half feet wide — the altar is to be square and four-and-a-half feet high. ²Make horns for it on its four corners; the horns are to be of one piece with it; and you are to overlay it with bronze.

³“Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat-hooks and fire pans; all its utensils you are to make of bronze. ⁴Make for it a grate of bronze netting; and on the four corners of the netting, make four bronze rings. ⁵Put it under the rim of the altar, so that the netting reaches halfway up the altar. ⁶Make poles of acacia-wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. ⁷Its poles are to be put into the rings; the poles are to be on both sides of the altar for carrying it. ⁸The altar is to be made of planks and hollow inside. They are to make it just as you were shown on the mountain.

(vii) ⁹“Here is how you are to make the courtyard of the tabernacle. On the south side, facing southward, are to be tapestries for the courtyard made of finely woven linen, 150 feet for one side, ¹⁰supported on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets; the hooks on the posts and the attached rings for hanging are to be of silver. ¹¹Likewise, along the north side are to be tapestries 150 feet long, hung on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets, with silver hooks and rings for the posts. ¹²Across the width of the courtyard on the west side are to be tapestries seventy-five feet long, hung on ten posts in ten sockets. ¹³The width of the courtyard on the east side, facing east, will be seventy-five feet. ¹⁴The tapestries for one side [of the gateway] will be twenty-two-and-a-half feet long, hung on three posts in three sockets; ¹⁵for the other side there will be tapestries twenty-two-and-a-half feet long on three posts in three sockets.

¹⁶“For the gateway of the courtyard there is to be a screen thirty feet made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. It should be in colors, the work of a weaver. It is to be on four posts in four sockets. (Maftir) ¹⁷All the posts all the way around the courtyard are to be banded with silver and to stand in sockets of bronze. ¹⁸The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet and the width seventy-five feet everywhere; with the height seven-and-a-half feet. The tapestries and screen are to be of finely woven linen, and the sockets are to be of bronze.

¹⁹“All the equipment needed for every kind of service in the tabernacle, as well as the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.

Haftarah T’rumah: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 5:26(12)– 6:13

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah T’rumah: Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 8:1–6; 9:23–24; 10:1

Parashah 20: Tetzaveh (You are to order) 27:20 –30:10

²⁰“You are to order the people of Isra’el to bring you pure oil of pounded olives for the light, and to keep a lamp burning continually. ²¹Aharon and his sons are to put it in the tent of meeting, outside the curtain in front of the testimony, and keep it burning from evening until morning before Adonai. This is to be a permanent regulation through all the generations of the people of Isra’el.

28 “You are to summon your brother Aharon and his sons to come from among the people of Isra’el to you, so that they can serve me as cohanim — Aharon and his sons Nadav, Avihu, El‘azar and Itamar. ²You are to make for your brother Aharon garments set apart for serving God, expressing dignity and splendor. ³Speak to all the craftsmen to whom I have given the spirit of wisdom, and have them make Aharon’s garments to set him apart for me, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen.

⁴“The garments they are to make are these: a breastplate, a ritual vest, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aharon and his sons, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen. ⁵They are to use gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.

⁶“They are to make the ritual vest of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely woven linen, crafted by a skilled artisan. ⁷Attached to its front and back edges are to be two shoulder-pieces that can be fastened together. ⁸Its decorated belt is to be of the same workmanship and materials — gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen. ⁹Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Isra’el — ¹⁰six of their names on one stone and the six remaining names on the other, in the order of their birth. ¹¹An engraver should engrave the names of the sons of Isra’el on the two stones as he would engrave a seal. Mount the stones in gold settings, ¹²and put the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the vest as stones calling to mind the sons of Isra’el. Aharon is to carry their names before Adonai on his two shoulders as a reminder.

(ii) ¹³“Make gold squares ¹⁴and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; attach the cord-like chains to the squares.

¹⁵“Make a breastplate for judging. Have it crafted by a skilled artisan; make it like the work of the ritual vest — make it of gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen. ¹⁶When folded double it is to be square — a hand-span by a hand-span. ¹⁷Put in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: the first row is to be a carnelian, a topaz and an emerald; ¹⁸the second row a green feldspar, a sapphire and a diamond; ¹⁹the third row an orange zircon, an agate and an amethyst; ²⁰and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They are to be mounted in their gold settings. ²¹The stones will correspond to the names of the twelve sons of Isra’el; they are to be engraved with their names as a seal would be engraved, to represent the twelve tribes.

²²“On the breastplate, make two pure gold chains twisted like cords. ²³Also for the breastplate, make two gold rings; and put the gold rings on the two ends of the breastplate. ²⁴Put the two twisted gold chains in the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate; ²⁵attach the other two ends of the twisted chains to the front of the shoulder-pieces of the ritual vest. ²⁶Make two gold rings and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, at its edge, on the side facing in toward the vest. ²⁷Also make two gold rings and attach them low on the front part of the vest’s shoulder-pieces, near the join, above the vest’s decorated belt. ²⁸Then bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, so that it can be on the vest’s decorated belt, and so that the breastplate won’t swing loose from the vest. ²⁹Aharon will carry the names of the sons of Isra’el on the breastplate for judging, over his heart, when he enters the Holy Place, as a continual reminder before Adonai. ³⁰You are to put the urim and the tumim in the breastplate for judging; they will be over Aharon’s heart when he goes into the presence of Adonai. Thus Aharon will always have the means for making decisions for the people of Isra’el over his heart when he is in the presence of Adonai.

(iii) ³¹“You are to make the robe for the ritual vest entirely of blue. ³²It is to have an opening for the head in the middle. Around the opening is to be a border woven like the neck of a coat of mail, so that it won’t tear. ³³On its bottom hem make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet; and put them all the way around, with gold bells between them all the way around — ³⁴gold bell, pomegranate, gold bell, pomegranate, all the way around the hem of the robe. ³⁵Aharon is to wear it when he ministers, and its sound will be heard whenever he enters the Holy Place before Adonai and when he leaves, so that he won’t die.

³⁶“You are to make an ornament of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal, ‘Set apart for Adonai.’ ³⁷Fasten it to the turban with a blue cord, on the front of the turban, ³⁸over Aharon’s forehead. Because Aharon bears the guilt for any errors committed by the people of Isra’el in consecrating their holy gifts, this ornament is always to be on his forehead, so that the gifts for Adonai will be accepted by him.

³⁹“You are to weave the checkered tunic of fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make a belt, the work of a weaver in colors. ⁴⁰Likewise for Aharon’s sons make tunics, sashes and headgear expressing dignity and splendor. ⁴¹With them clothe your brother Aharon and his sons. Then anoint them, inaugurate them, and consecrate them, so that they will be able to serve me in the office of cohen. ⁴²Also make for them linen shorts reaching from waist to thigh, to cover their bare flesh. ⁴³Aharon and his sons are to wear them when they go into the tent of meeting and when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they won’t incur guilt and die. This is to be a perpetual regulation, both for him and for his descendants.

29 (iv) “Here is what you are to do to consecrate them for ministry to me in the office of cohen. Take one young bull and two rams without defect, ²also matzah, matzah cakes mixed with olive oil, and matzah wafers spread with oil — all made from fine wheat flour; ³put them together in a basket, and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.

⁴“Bring Aharon and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water. ⁵Take the garments, and put on Aharon the tunic, the robe for the ritual vest, the vest itself, and the breastplate. Fasten the vest on him with its belt. ⁶Put the turban on his head and attach the holy ornament to the turban. ⁷Then take the anointing oil, and anoint him by pouring it on his head. ⁸Bring his sons; put tunics on them; ⁹wrap sashes around them, Aharon and his sons; and put the headgear on their heads. The office of cohen is to be theirs by a permanent regulation. Thus you will consecrate Aharon and his sons.

¹⁰“Bring the young bull to the front of the tent of meeting. Aharon and his sons are to lay their hands on the bull’s head, ¹¹and you are to slaughter the bull in the presence of Adonai at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹²Take some of the bull’s blood, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ¹³Take all the fat that covers the inner organs, the covering of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and offer them up in smoke on the altar. ¹⁴But the bull’s flesh, skin and dung you are to destroy by fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

¹⁵“Take one of the rams: Aharon and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head; ¹⁶and you are to slaughter the ram, take its blood, and splash it on all sides of the altar. ¹⁷Quarter the ram, wash the inner organs and the lower parts of the legs, and put them with the quarters and the head. ¹⁸Then offer up the whole ram in smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering for Adonai, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to Adonai by fire.

(v) ¹⁹“Take the other ram: Aharon and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head; ²⁰and you are to slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the lobe of Aharon’s right ear, on the lobes of his sons’ right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Take the rest of the blood and splash it on all sides of the altar. ²¹Then take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aharon and his clothing and on his sons and the clothing of his sons with him; so that he and his clothing will be consecrated, and with him his sons and his sons’ clothing. ²²Also take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, the two kidneys, the fat covering them and the right thigh — for it is a ram of consecration — ²³along with one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread and one wafer from the basket of matzah which is before Adonai — ²⁴and put it all in the hands of Aharon and his sons. They are to wave them as a wave offering in the presence of Adonai. ²⁵Then take them back; and burn them up in smoke on the altar, on top of the burnt offering, to be a pleasing aroma before Adonai; it is an offering made to Adonai by fire.

²⁶“Take the breast of the ram for Aharon’s consecration, and wave it as a wave offering before Adonai; it will be your share. ²⁷Consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of any contribution that has been waved and raised up, whether from the ram of consecration, or from anything else meant for Aharon or his sons; ²⁸this will belong to Aharon and his sons as their share perpetually due from the people of Isra’el — it will be a contribution from the people of Isra’el from their peace offerings, their contribution to Adonai.

²⁹“The holy garments of Aharon will be used by his sons after him; they will be anointed and consecrated in them. ³⁰The son who becomes cohen in his place, who comes into the tent of meeting to serve in the Holy Place, is to wear them for seven days. ³¹Take the ram of consecration, and boil its meat in a holy place. ³²Aharon and his sons will eat the ram’s meat and the bread in the basket at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ³³They are to eat the things with which atonement was made for them, to inaugurate and consecrate them; no one else may eat this food, because it is holy. ³⁴If any of the meat for the consecration or any of the bread remains until morning, burn up what remains; it is not to be eaten, because it is holy. ³⁵Carry out all these orders I have given you concerning Aharon and his sons. You are to spend seven days consecrating them.

³⁶“Each day, offer a young bull as a sin offering, besides the other offerings of atonement; offer the sin offering on the altar as your atonement for it; then anoint it to consecrate it. ³⁷Seven days you will make atonement on the altar and consecrate it; thus the altar will be especially holy, and whatever touches the altar will become holy.

(vi) ³⁸“Now this is what you are to offer on the altar: two lambs a year old, regularly, every day. ³⁹The one lamb you are to offer in the morning and the other lamb at dusk. ⁴⁰With the one lamb offer two quarts of finely ground flour mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives; along with one quart of wine as a drink offering. ⁴¹The other lamb you are to offer at dusk; do with it as with the morning grain and drink offerings — it will be a pleasing aroma, an offering made to Adonai by fire. ⁴²Through all your generations this is to be the regular burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting before Adonai. There is where I will meet with you to speak with you. ⁴³There I will meet with the people of Isra’el; and the place will be consecrated by my glory. ⁴⁴I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar, likewise I will consecrate Aharon and his sons to serve me in the office of cohen. ⁴⁵Then I will live with the people of Isra’el and be their God: ⁴⁶they will know that I am Adonai their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt in order to live with them. I am Adonai their God.

30 (vii) “You are to make an altar on which to burn incense; make it of acacia-wood. ²It is to be eighteen inches square and three feet high; its horns are to be of one piece with it. ³Overlay it with pure gold — its top, all around its sides, and its horns; and put around it a molding of gold. ⁴Make two gold rings for it under its molding at the two corners on both sides; this is where the carrying-poles will go. ⁵Make the poles of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold.

⁶“Place it in front of the curtain by the ark for the testimony, in front of the ark-cover that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. ⁷Aharon will burn fragrant incense on it as a pleasing aroma every morning; he is to burn it when he prepares the lamps. (Maftir) ⁸Aharon is also to burn it when he lights the lamps at dusk; this is the regular burning of incense before Adonai through all your generations. ⁹You are not to offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering or a grain offering; and you are not to pour a drink offering on it. ¹⁰Aharon is to make atonement on its horns once a year — with the blood of the sin offering of atonement he is to make atonement for it once a year through all your generations; it is especially holy to Adonai.”

Haftarah Tetzaveh: Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 43:10–27

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Tetzaveh: Philippians 4:10–20

Parashah 21: Ki Tissa (When you take) 30:11–34:35

¹¹Adonai said to Moshe, ¹²“When you take a census of the people of Isra’el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to Adonai, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census. ¹³Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to Adonai half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). ¹⁴Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to Adonai — ¹⁵the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving Adonai’s offering to atone for your lives. ¹⁶You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra’el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra’el before Adonai to atone for your lives.”

¹⁷Adonai said to Moshe, ¹⁸“You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ¹⁹Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there ²⁰when they enter the tent of meeting — they are to wash with water, so that they won’t die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for Adonai, ²¹they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won’t die. This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations.”

²²Adonai said to Moshe, ²³“Take the best spices — 500 shekels of myrrh [12 1/2 pounds], half this amount (250 shekels) of aromatic cinnamon [6 1/4 pounds], 250 shekels of aromatic cane, ²⁴500 shekels of cassia (use the sanctuary standard), and one gallon of olive oil — ²⁵and make them into a holy anointing oil; blend it and perfume it as would an expert perfume-maker; it will be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, ²⁷the table and all its utensils, the menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, ²⁸the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin with its base. ²⁹You are to consecrate them — they will be especially holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. ³⁰Then you are to anoint Aharon and his sons — you are to consecrate them to serve me in the office of cohen.

³¹“Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘This is to be a holy anointing oil for me through all your generations. ³²It is not to be used for anointing a person’s body; and you are not to make any like it, with the same composition of ingredients — it is holy, and you are to treat it as holy. ³³Whoever makes any like it or uses it on any unauthorized person is to be cut off from his people.’”

³⁴Adonai said to Moshe, “Take aromatic plant substances — balsam resin, sweet onycha root and bitter galbanum gum — these spices along with frankincense, all in equal quantities; ³⁵and make incense, blended and perfumed as would an expert perfume-maker, salted, pure and holy. ³⁶You are to grind up some of it very finely and put it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; you are to regard it as especially holy. ³⁷You are not to make for your own use any incense like it, with the same composition of ingredients — you are to treat it as holy, for Adonai. ³⁸Whoever makes up any like it to use as perfume is to be cut off from his people.”

31 Adonai said to Moshe, ²“I have singled out B’tzal’el the son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y’hudah. ³I have filled him with the Spirit of God — with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry. ⁴He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze, ⁵cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft.

⁶“I have also appointed as his assistant Oholi’av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan. Moreover, I have endowed all the craftsmen with the wisdom to make everything I have ordered you — ⁷the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, the ark-cover above it, all the furnishings of the tent, ⁸the table and its utensils, the pure menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, ⁹the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, the basin and its base, ¹⁰the garments for officiating, the holy garments for Aharon the cohen and the garments for his sons, so that they can serve in the office of cohen, ¹¹the anointing oil and the incense of aromatic spices for the Holy Place: they are to make everything just as I have ordered you.”

¹²Adonai said to Moshe, ¹³“Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are to observe my Shabbats; for this is a sign between me and you through all your generations; so that you will know that I am Adonai, who sets you apart for me. ¹⁴Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set apart for you. Everyone who treats it as ordinary must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people. ¹⁵On six days work will get done; but the seventh day is Shabbat, for complete rest, set apart for Adonai. Whoever does any work on the day of Shabbat must be put to death. ¹⁶The people of Isra’el are to keep the Shabbat, to observe Shabbat through all their generations as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷It is a sign between me and the people of Isra’el forever; for in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and rested.’”

(ii) ¹⁸When he had finished speaking with Moshe on Mount Sinai, Adonai gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

32 When the people saw that Moshe was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aharon and said to him, “Get busy; and make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has become of him.” ²Aharon said to them, “Have your wives, sons and daughters strip off their gold earrings; and bring them to me.” ³The people stripped off their gold earrings and brought them to Aharon. ⁴He received what they gave him, melted it down, and made it into the shape of a calf. They said, “Isra’el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” ⁵On seeing this, Aharon built an altar in front of it and proclaimed, “Tomorrow is to be a feast for Adonai.” ⁶Early the next morning they got up and offered burnt offerings and presented peace offerings. Afterwards, the people sat down to eat and drink; then they got up to indulge in revelry.

⁷Adonai said to Moshe, “Go down! Hurry! Your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have become corrupt! ⁸So quickly they have turned aside from the way I ordered them to follow! They have cast a metal statue of a calf, worshipped it, sacrificed to it and said, ‘Isra’el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” ⁹Adonai continued speaking to Moshe: “I have been watching these people; and you can see how stiffnecked they are. ¹⁰Now leave me alone, so that my anger can blaze against them, and I can put an end to them! I will make a great nation out of you instead.”

¹¹Moshe pleaded with Adonai his God. He said, “Adonai, why must your anger blaze against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? ¹²Why let the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intentions that he led them out, to slaughter them in the hills and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger! Relent! Don’t bring such disaster on your people! ¹³Remember Avraham, Yitz’chak and Isra’el, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self. You promised them, ‘I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky; and I will give all this land I have spoken about to your descendants; and they will possess it forever.’” ¹⁴Adonai then changed his mind about the disaster he had planned for his people.

¹⁵Moshe turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets inscribed on both sides, on the front and on the back. ¹⁶The tablets were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. ¹⁷When Y’hoshua heard the noise of the people shouting he said to Moshe, “It sounds like war in the camp!” ¹⁸He answered, “That is neither the clamor of victory nor the wailings of defeat; what I hear is the sound of people singing.”

¹⁹But the moment Moshe got near the camp, when he saw the calf and the dancing, his own anger blazed up. He threw down the tablets he had been holding and shattered them at the base of the mountain. ²⁰Seizing the calf they had made, he melted it in the fire and ground it to powder, which he scattered on the water. Then he made the people of Isra’el drink it.

²¹Moshe said to Aharon, “What did these people do to you to make you lead them into such a terrible sin?” ²²Aharon replied, “My lord shouldn’t be so angry. You know what these people are like, that they are determined to do evil. ²³So they said to me, ‘Make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has become of him.’ ²⁴I answered them, ‘Anyone with gold, strip it off!’ So they gave it to me. I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!”

²⁵When Moshe saw that the people had gotten out of control — because Aharon had allowed them to get out of control, to the derision of their enemies — ²⁶Moshe stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “Whoever is for Adonai, come to me!” All the descendants of Levi rallied around him. ²⁷He told them, “Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘Each of you, put his sword on his side; and go up and down the camp, from gate to gate; and every man is to kill his own kinsman, his own friend and his own neighbor!” ²⁸The sons of Levi did what Moshe said, and that day three thousand of the people died. ²⁹Moshe said, “You have consecrated yourselves today to Adonai, because every one of you has been against his own son and against his own kinsman, in order to bring a blessing on yourselves today.”

³⁰The next day Moshe said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up to Adonai ; maybe I will be able to atone for your sin.” ³¹Moshe went back to Adonai and said, “Please! These people have committed a terrible sin: they have made themselves a god out of gold. ³²Now, if you will just forgive their sin! But if you won’t, then, I beg you, blot me out of your book which you have written!” ³³Adonai answered Moshe, “Those who have sinned against me are the ones I will blot out of my book. ³⁴Now go and lead the people to the place I told you about; my angel will go ahead of you. Nevertheless, the time for punishment will come; and then I will punish them for their sin.” ³⁵Adonai struck the people with a plague because they had made the calf, the one Aharon made.

33 Adonai said to Moshe, “Leave, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt; and move on from here toward the land of which I swore to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ ²I will send an angel ahead of you; and I will drive out the Kena‘ani, Emori, Hitti, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi. ³You will go to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I myself will not go with you, because you are such a stiffnecked people that I might destroy you on the way.” ⁴When the people heard this bad news, they went into mourning; and no one wore his ornaments. ⁵Adonai said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are a stiffnecked people! If I were to go up with you for even one moment, I would exterminate you! Now, keep your ornaments off; then I will decide what to do to you.’” ⁶So from Mount Horev onward, the people of Isra’el stripped themselves of their ornaments.

⁷Moshe would take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who wanted to consult Adonai would go out to the tent of meeting, outside the camp. ⁸Whenever Moshe went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand, each man at his tent door, and look at Moshe until he had gone into the tent. ⁹Whenever Moshe entered the tent, the column of cloud would descend and station itself at the entrance to the tent; and Adonai would speak with Moshe. ¹⁰When all the people saw the column of cloud stationed at the entrance to the tent, they would get up and prostrate themselves, each man at his tent door. ¹¹Adonai would speak to Moshe face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then he would return to the camp; but the young man who was his assistant, Y’hoshua the son of Nun, never left the inside of the tent.

(iii) ¹²Moshe said to Adonai, “Look, you say to me, ‘Make these people move on!’ But you haven’t let me know whom you will be sending with me. Nevertheless you have said, ‘I know you by name,’ and also, ‘You have found favor in my sight.’ ¹³Now, please, if it is really the case that I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways; so that I will understand you and continue finding favor in your sight. Moreover, keep on seeing this nation as your people.” ¹⁴He answered, “Set your mind at rest — my presence will go with you, after all.” ¹⁵Moshe replied, “If your presence doesn’t go with us, don’t make us go on from here. ¹⁶For how else is it to be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, other than by your going with us? That is what distinguishes us, me and your people, from all the other peoples on earth.”

(iv) ¹⁷Adonai said to Moshe, “I will also do what you have asked me to do, because you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” ¹⁸But Moshe said, “I beg you to show me your glory!” ¹⁹He replied, “I will cause all my goodness to pass before you, and in your presence I will pronounce the name of Adonai. Moreover, I show favor to whomever I will, and I display mercy to whomever I will. ²⁰But my face,” he continued, “you cannot see, because a human being cannot look at me and remain alive. ²¹Here,” he said, “is a place near me; stand on the rock. ²²When my glory passes by, I will put you inside a crevice in the rock and cover you with my hand, until I have passed by. ²³Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face is not to be seen.”

34 (v) Adonai said to Moshe, “Cut yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones; and I will inscribe on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. ²Be ready by morning; in the morning you are to ascend Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. ³No one is to come up with you, and no one is to be seen anywhere on the mountain; don’t even let the flocks or herds feed in front of this mountain.” ⁴Moshe cut two stone tablets like the first. Then he got up early in the morning and, with the two stone tablets in his hands, ascended Mount Sinai, as Adonai had ordered him to do.

⁵Adonai descended in the cloud, stood with him there and pronounced the name of Adonai. ⁶Adonai passed before him and proclaimed: “YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; ⁷showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations.” ⁸At once Moshe bowed his head to the ground, prostrated himself ⁹and said, “If I have now found favor in your view, Adonai, then please let Adonai go with us, even though they are a stiffnecked people; and pardon our offenses and our sin; and take us as your possession.”

(vi) ¹⁰He said, “Here, I am making a covenant; in front of all your people I will do wonders such as have not been created anywhere on earth or in any nation. All the people around you will see the work of Adonai. What I am going to do through you will be awesome! ¹¹Observe what I am ordering you to do today. Here! I am driving out ahead of you the Emori, Kena‘ani, Hitti, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi. ¹²Be careful not to make a covenant with the people living in the land where you are going, so that they won’t become a snare within your own borders. ¹³Rather, you are to demolish their altars, smash their standing-stones and cut down their sacred poles; ¹⁴because you are not to bow down to any other god; since Adonai — whose very name is Jealous — is a jealous God. ¹⁵Do not make a covenant with the people living in the land. It will cause you to go astray after their gods and sacrifice to their gods. Then they will invite you to join them in eating their sacrifices, ¹⁶and you will take their daughters as wives for your sons. Their daughters will prostitute themselves to their own gods and make your sons do the same!

¹⁷“Do not cast metal gods for yourselves.

¹⁸“Keep the festival of matzah by eating matzah, as I ordered you, for seven days during the month of Aviv; for it was in the month of Aviv that you came out from Egypt.

¹⁹“Everything that is first from the womb is mine. Of all your livestock, you are to set aside for me the males, the firstborn of cattle and flock. ²⁰The firstborn of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb; if you won’t redeem it, break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you are to redeem, and no one is to appear before me empty-handed.

²¹“Six days you will work, but on the seventh day you are to rest — even in plowing time and harvest season you are to rest.

²²“Observe the festival of Shavu‘ot with the first-gathered produce of the wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year. ²³Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Lord, Adonai, the God of Isra’el. ²⁴For I am going to expel nations ahead of you and expand your territory, and no one will even covet your land when you go up to appear before Adonai your God three times a year. ²⁵You are not to offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, and the sacrifice of the feast of Pesach is not to be left until morning. ²⁶You are to bring the best firstfruits of your land into the house of Adonai your God.

“You are not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

(vii) ²⁷Adonai said to Moshe, “Write these words down, because they are the terms of the covenant I have made with you and with Isra’el.” ²⁸Moshe was there with Adonai forty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water. [Adonai] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.

²⁹When Moshe came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, he didn’t realize that the skin of his face was sending out rays of light as a result of his talking with [Adonai]. ³⁰When Aharon and the people of Isra’el saw Moshe, the skin of his face was shining; and they were afraid to approach him. ³¹But Moshe called to them; then Aharon and all the community leaders came back to him, and Moshe spoke to them. ³²Afterwards, all the people of Isra’el came near; and he passed on to them all the orders that Adonai had told him on Mount Sinai.

(Maftir) ³³Once Moshe had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. ³⁴But when he went in before Adonai for him to speak, he would take the veil off until he came out; then, when he came out, he would tell the people of Isra’el what he had been ordered. ³⁵But when the people of Isra’el saw Moshe’s face, that the skin of Moshe’s face shone, he would put the veil back over his face until he went in again to speak with [Adonai].

Haftarah Ki Tissa: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 18:1–39 (A); 18:20–39 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Ki Tissa: Luke 11:14 –20; Acts 7:35–8:1; 1 Corinthians 10:1–13; 2 Corinthians 3:1–18