Parashat Pinchas

¹⁰ Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹¹ “Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen has turned away My anger from Bnei-Yisrael because he was very zealous for Me among them, so that I did not put an end to Bnei-Yisrael in My zeal. ¹² So now say: See, I am making with him a covenant of shalom! ¹³ It will be for him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood—because he was zealous for his God and atoned for Bnei-Yisrael.”

¹⁴ The name of the Israelite man killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a prince of a Simeonite ancestral household. ¹⁵ The name of the executed Midianite woman was Cozbi, daughter of Zur—he was a tribal head of an ancestral house in Midian.

¹⁶ Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹⁷ “Deal with the Midianites as enemies and strike them. ¹⁸ For they have been enemies to you in their deceptions of you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite prince, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague on account of the Peor incident.”

Numbering the Second Generation

26 After the plague, Adonai said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen saying, ² “Take a headcount of the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael, sons twenty years old and upward, by their ancestral houses, all who can serve in Israel’s army.”

³ So Moses and Eleazar the kohen spoke with them on the Moabite plains by the Jordan across from Jericho saying, ⁴ “Just as Adonai commanded Moses, a census will be taken of all men of Bnei-Yisrael who came out of Egypt, from 20 years old and upward.”

⁵ The descendants of the sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: by Hanoch the Hanochite family, by Pallu the Palluite family, ⁶ by Hezron the Hezronite family, and by Carmi the Carmite family, ⁷ these Reubenite families numbered 43,730. ⁸ The son of Pallu was Eliab. ⁹ The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These were the Dathan and Abiram who were community leaders who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among the following of Korah in their rebellion against Adonai. ¹⁰ Then the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, whose followers died when the fire consumed the 250 men, these men serving as a warning. ¹¹ Korah’s sons, however, did not die.

¹² The sons of Simeon by their families were: by Nemuel the family of the Nemuelites, by Jamin the family of the Jaminites, by Jachin the family of the Jachinites, ¹³ by Zerach the family of the Zerachites, and by Shaul the family of the Shaulites. ¹⁴ These families of the Simeonites numbered 22,200.

¹⁵ The sons of Gad by their families were: by Zephon the family of the Zephonites, by Haggi the family of the Haggites, by Shuni the family of the Shunites, ¹⁶ by Ozni the family of the Oznites, by Eri the family of the Erites, ¹⁷ by Arod the family of the Arodites, by Areli the family of the Arelites. ¹⁸ The sons of Gad numbered 40,500.

¹⁹ Er and Onan were sons of Judah but had died in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ The sons of Judah by their families were: by Shelah the Shelanite family, by Perez the Perezite family, by Zerach the Zerachite family. ²¹ The sons of Perez: by Hezron the Hezronite family, by Hamul the Hamulite family. ²² These were the sons of Judah. They numbered 76,500.

²³ The sons of Issachar by their families were: Tola and the family of the Tolaites, by Puvah the Punite family, ²⁴ by Jashub the Jashubite family, by Shimron the Shimronite family. ²⁵ These were the families of Issachar. They numbered 64,300.

²⁶ The sons of Zebulun by their families were: by Sered the family of the Seredites, by Elon the family of the Elonites, by Jahleel the family of the Jahleelites. ²⁷ These were the Zebulunite families. They numbered 60,500.

²⁸ The sons of Joseph by their families were Manasseh and Ephraim. ²⁹ The sons of Manasseh were: by Machir the family of the Machirites (Machir fathered Gilead.), by Gilead the family of the Gileadites. ³⁰ The sons of Gilead were: by Iezer the family of the Iezerites, by Helek the Helekite family, ³¹ By Asriel the Asrielite family, by Shechem the Shechemite family, ³² by Shemida the Shemidaite family, by Hepher the Hepherite family. ³³ Hepher’s son Zelophehad had no sons, only daughters. The names of Zelophehad’s daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ³⁴ These were the families of Manasseh. They numbered 52,700.

³⁵ These were the sons of Ephraim by their families: of Shuthelah the Shuthelahite family, of Becher the Bechrite family, of Tahan the Tahanite family. ³⁶ These were the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran the Eranite family. ³⁷ These were the families of the sons of Ephraim. These numbered 32,500. These were the sons of Joseph by their families.

³⁸ The sons of Benjamin by their families were: by Bela the Belaite family, by Ashbel the Ashbelite family, by Ahiram the Ahiramite family, ³⁹ by Shephupham the Shuphamite family, by Hupham the Huphamite family. ⁴⁰ The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman. By Ard was the family of the Ardites, by Naaman the family of the Naamanites. ⁴¹ These were the sons of Benjamin. They numbered 45,600.

⁴² These were the sons of Dan by their families: by Shuham the Shuhamite family. These were the families of Dan by family. ⁴³ They were all Shuhamite families, and, they numbered 64,400.

⁴⁴ The sons of Asher by their families were: by Imnah the Imnite family, by Ishvi the Ishvite family, by Beriah the Beriite family. ⁴⁵ Through the sons of Beriah: by Heber the Heberite family, by Malchiel the Malchielite family. ⁴⁶ The name of Asher’s daughter was Serah. ⁴⁷ These were the families of Asher’s sons. They numbered 53,400.

⁴⁸ The sons of Naphtali by their families were: by Jahzeel the Jahzeelite family, by Guni the Gunite family, ⁴⁹ By Jezer the Jezrite family, by Shillem the Shillemite family. ⁵⁰ These were the families of Naphtali by their families. They numbered 45,400.

⁵¹ These sons of Israel totaled 601,730.

⁵² Adonai then spoke to Moses saying, ⁵³ “The land is to be divided to these as an inheritance according to the number of names. ⁵⁴ For the larger, you are to make his inheritance larger, and to the smaller you are to make his inheritance smaller. Each is to receive his inheritance in proportion to his population. ⁵⁵ Certainly the land is to be divided by lot. They will inherit it according to the names of their ancestral tribes. ⁵⁶ The division of the inheritance of larger and smaller tribes is to be decided by the lot.”

⁵⁷ These were the numbers of the Levites by their families: by Gershon the Gershonite family, by Kohath the Kohathite family, by Merari the Merarite family. ⁵⁸ These were the families of Levi: the Libnite family, the Hebronite family, the Machlite family, the Mushite family and the Korahite family. Kohath fathered Amram. ⁵⁹ Amram’s wife’s name was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt. She gave birth for Amram, Aaron and Moses, as well as Miriam their sister. ⁶⁰ Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶¹ However, Nadab and Abihu died when they offered sacrifices with unauthorized fire before Adonai. ⁶² The male Levites a month old and upward totaled 23,000, though they were not included among Bnei-Yisrael, since He did not give them an inheritance among Bnei-Yisrael.

⁶³ These were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the kohen when they counted Bnei-Yisrael on the plains of Moab across from Jericho. ⁶⁴ Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the kohen when they counted Bnei-Yisrael in the Sinai wilderness, ⁶⁵ because Adonai had said they would surely die in the wilderness. Not one of them was left, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Inheritance of Daughters

27 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh son of Joseph (the names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah) ² stood before Moses, Eleazar the kohen and the princes of the entire assembly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and said, ³ “Our father died in the wilderness. But he was not one of the followers banding together against Adonai with Korah, though he died for his own sin. Yet he had no sons. ⁴ Why should our father’s name diminish from his family just because he had no son? Give to us property among our father’s brothers.”

⁵ So Moses brought their issue before Adonai, ⁶ and Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ⁷ “The daughters of Zelophehad are right in saying you should give them property by inheritance among their father’s relatives. You are to turn over the inheritance of their father to them.”

⁸ “Furthermore, you are to speak to Bnei-Yisrael saying: If a man dies without a son, you are to transfer his inheritance to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, you are to give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, you are to give it to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ If his father had no brothers, you are to give it to the nearest relative in his family that he might possess it. This is to be a legal statute for Bnei-Yisrael, just as Adonai commanded to Moses.”

Commissioning of Joshua

¹² Then Adonai said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range and look at the land that I have given to Bnei-Yisrael. ¹³ When you have seen it, you will be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother was gathered. ¹⁴ For in the wilderness of Zin during the strife of the community, you both rebelled against My Word instead of honoring Me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These were the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵ Moses spoke to Adonai saying, ¹⁶ “May Adonai, God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community ¹⁷ to go out and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them out so that the people of Adonai will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

¹⁸ Adonai said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Ruach, and lay your hand on him. ¹⁹ You will have him stand before Eleazar the kohen and the entire assembly and commission him before their eyes. ²⁰ Give to him some of your authority so that the whole community of Bnei-Yisrael will obey him. ²¹ He will stand before Eleazar the kohen, who will pray and obtain judgments for him by Urim and before Adonai. At his mouth, they will go out and at his mouth they will come in, he and all the community of Bnei-Yisrael with him.”

²² Moses did as Adonai commanded him. He took Joshua, stood him before Eleazar the kohen and all the entire assembly. ²³ Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him just as Adonai had spoken, by Moses’ hand.

Moadim: Appointed Times

28 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ² “Command Bnei-Yisrael and tell them to be careful to present to Me at the moadim My food offerings by fire as a pleasing aroma. ³ Tell them: This is the fire offering which you are to present to Adonai: two male lambs a year old, without flaw, as a daily regular burnt offering. ⁴ Prepare one lamb in the morning and the other lamb you are to prepare at twilight, ⁵ along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with a fourth of a hin^[a] of oil from pressed olives. ⁶ This is the regular burnt offering initiated at Mount Sinai, as a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to Adonai. ⁷ With each lamb pour out a fourth of a hin of fermented drink at the Sanctuary as a drink offering to Adonai. ⁸ Prepare the second lamb at twilight with the same type of grain and drink offerings you prepared in the morning, a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to Adonai.

Shabbat: Weekly Rest

⁹ “On the Shabbat, you are to present two flawless male lambs a year old, along with two tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil and its drink offering. ¹⁰ This is the burnt offering for every Shabbat, besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

Rosh Chodesh: New Moon

¹¹ “On the first of the month you are to present to Adonai a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven flawless male lambs a year old, ¹² with three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each bull, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with the ram, ¹³ and with each lamb a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma, an offering by fire to Adonai. ¹⁴ Their drink offerings shall be: per bull, half a hin of wine, a third of a hin of wine per ram, and, a fourth of a hin per lamb. This will be the monthly burnt offering at each new moon throughout the year. ¹⁵ Also, one male goat as a sin offering to Adonai beside the regular burnt offering is to be offered with its drink offering.

Pesach: Passover

¹⁶ “On the fourteenth day of the first month is Adonai’s Passover. ¹⁷ On the fifteenth day, there is to be a feast. For seven days, matzot will be eaten. ¹⁸ You are to hold a sacred assembly on the first day. You are not to do any laborious work. ¹⁹ You are to offer to Adonai burnt offering by fire, two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old. They are to be flawless. ²⁰ You are to offer their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah per bull, two tenths per ram, ²¹ and one tenth per each of the seven lambs, ²² plus one goat for a sin offering to atone for yourselves. ^{[b] 23} In addition to the morning burnt offering and regular burnt offering, you are to offer these. ²⁴ Just like this you are to offer each day, for seven days, the food to be offered by fire for each day as a pleasing aroma to Adonai, beside the regular burnt offering with its drink offering. ²⁵ On the seventh day, you are to have a sacred assembly, and you are to do no laborious work.

Shavuot: Feast of Weeks

²⁶ “On the Day of Firstfruits, when you offer to Adonai a new grain offering during the Feast of Weeks, you are to have a sacred assembly. You are to do no laborious work. ²⁷ You are to offer as a pleasing aroma a burnt offering to Adonai, two young bulls from the herd, one ram and seven male lambs a year old. ²⁸ With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, with the ram two tenths, ²⁹ and with each lamb, one tenth, ³⁰ plus one male goat to make atonement for you. ³¹ In addition, you are to prepare the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering. They are to be without defect.

Yom Teruah: Day of Shofar Shouts

29 “On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a sacred assembly. You are to do no laborious work. It is for you a day for sounding the shofar. ² You are to prepare a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to Adonai: one young bull from the herd, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, without flaw, ³ with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah with the bull, two tenths with the ram, ⁴ and one tenth with each of the seven lambs, ⁵ as well as one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for yourselves. ⁶ Also offer the burnt offering for the month with its grain offering, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their appropriate drink offerings as a pleasing aroma to Adonai, as an offering by fire.

Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement

⁷ “On the tenth day of this seventh month, you are to have a sacred assembly. You are to deny yourselves and do no work. ⁸ You are to present to Adonai a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma, one young bull from the herd, one ram, and seven year-old male lambs without defect, ⁹ along with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil: three tenths of an ephah with the bull, two tenths with the ram, ¹⁰ and one tenth with each of the seven lambs. ¹¹ Also offer one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement, as well as the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.

Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles

¹² “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you are to have a sacred assembly. You are not to do any of your work, and you are to celebrate the Feast to Adonai for seven days. ¹³ You are to offer a burnt offering by fire to Adonai as a pleasing aroma: thirteen young bulls from the herd, two rams, and fourteen year-old male lambs without defect, ¹⁴ their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah with each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths with each of the two rams, ¹⁵ and one tenth with each of the fourteen lambs, ¹⁶ plus one male goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offering.

¹⁷ “On the second day, you are to offer twelve young bulls from the herd, two rams, and fourteen year-old male lambs without flaw, ¹⁸ with their grain and drink offerings, with the bulls, rams, and lambs as appropriate by their number according to the regulations, ¹⁹ plus one male goat as a sin offering, as well as the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

²⁰ “On the third day, offer eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen year-old male lambs without defect, ²¹ with their grain and drink offerings, with the bulls, rams, and lambs the number specified, ²² and a 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, and fourteen year-old male lambs without flaw, ²⁴ their grain offerings and drink offerings with the bulls, rams, and lambs by their number according to the regulations, ²⁵ and one male goat as a sin offering and the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

²⁶ “On the fifth day, nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen male one year old lambs without defect, ²⁷ with their grain and drink offerings by their number as specified, ²⁸ and one goat for 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, and fourteen male lambs a year old without defect, ³⁰ with the bulls, rams, and lambs, their grain and drink offerings according to those numbers specified, ³¹ and one goat for a sin offering with the regular burnt offering and its grain and drink offerings.

³² “On the seventh day, seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs without defect a year old, ³³ plus their grain and drink offerings, for the bulls, rams, and lambs according to the numbers specified, ³⁴ in addition to one male goat for a sin offering and the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

³⁵ “On the eighth day there shall be for you an assembly. You are to do no regular work. ³⁶ You are to offer to Adonai a burnt offering, a fire offering, a pleasing aroma, one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old without defect, ³⁷ and their grain and drink offerings, with the bull, ram, and lamb corresponding to their number according to the regulations, ³⁸ and a goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

³⁹ “You are to prepare these for Adonai at your moadim in addition to your vow and freewill offerings, along with your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offering, and fellowship offerings.”

⁴⁰ So Moses told Bnei-Yisrael all that Adonai commanded Moses.

⁴⁶ Now the hand of Adonai was on Elijah, so he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Whisper at the Cave

19 Then Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, “So let the gods do to me and worse if by this time tomorrow I don’t make your life like the life of one of them.” ³ Frightened, he got up and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, he left his servant there. ⁴ But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom bush. He prayed that he might die. “It’s too much!” he said. “Now, Adonai, take my life! For I’m no better than my fathers.”

⁵ Then he lay down and slept under the broom bush. Then behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Get up, and eat.” ⁶ So he looked, and to his surprise, there by his head was a cake baked on the hot stones and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. ⁷ Then the angel of Adonai came again a second time, touched him and said. “Get up and eat, because the journey is too much for you.” ⁸ So he arose and ate and drank, and in the strength of that meal forty days and forty nights went to Horeb, the mountain of God.

⁹ When he arrived there at the cave, he spent the night there. Then behold, the word of Adonai came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ “I have been very zealous for Adonai-Tzva’ot,” he said, “for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and slain Your prophets with the sword—and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it!”^[a]

¹¹ Then He said, “Come out and stand on the mount before Adonai.”^[b] Behold, Adonai was passing by—a great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and shattering cliffs before Adonai. But Adonai was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but Adonai was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake a fire, but Adonai was not in the fire. After the fire there was a soft whisper of a voice. ¹³ As soon as Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Then all of a sudden, a voice addressed him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ “I have been very zealous for Adonai-Tzva’ot,” he said, “for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and slain Your prophets with the sword—and I alone am left, and they are seeking to take my life!”

¹⁵ Then Adonai said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram, ¹⁶ and anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ It shall come to pass that whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will slay; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will slay. ¹⁸ Yet I have preserved seven thousand in Israel whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouth has not kissed him.”

Calling of Elisha

¹⁹ So he departed from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Then Elijah crossed over to him and threw his mantle on him. ²⁰ So he left the oxen and ran after Elijah saying, “Let me please kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.”^[c]

“Come back,” he said to him. “For what have I done to you?” ²¹ So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the oxen’s yoke gear, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, went after Elijah and became his attendant.