²⁸ Then Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: ²⁹ “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, saying: Whoever brings the sacrifice of his fellowship offerings to Adonai is to present his offering to Adonai out of the sacrifice of his fellowship offerings. ³⁰ With his own hands he is to bring Adonai’s offerings by fire. He is to present the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before Adonai. ³¹ The kohen is to burn up the fat as smoke on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons. ³² The right thigh you are to give to the kohen for a contribution out of the sacrifices of your fellowship offerings. ³³ The one among Aaron’s sons who offers the blood of the fellowship offerings and the fat is to have the right thigh for a portion. ³⁴ For the breast of the wave offering and the thigh contribution I have taken from Bnei-Yisrael out of the sacrifices of their fellowship offerings and have given them to Aaron the kohen and to his sons as their portion forever from Bnei-Yisrael.”

³⁵ This is the anointed portion of Aaron and the anointed portion of his sons out of the offerings of Adonai made by fire, on the day when he presented them to serve Adonai in the office of kohen. ³⁶ Adonai commanded these to be given to them from Bnei-Yisrael on the day that he anointed them. It is their portion forever throughout their generations.

³⁷ This is the Torah of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the ordination offering, and the sacrifice of fellowship offerings, ³⁸ which Adonai commanded Moses at Mount Sinai, on the day He commanded Bnei-Yisrael to present their offerings to Adonai, in the wilderness of Sinai.

Consecration of the Kohanim

8 Then Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Take Aaron and his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams and the basket of matzot. ³ Then assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.”

⁴ So Moses did as Adonai commanded him. When the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, ⁵ Moses said to the congregation, “This is what Adonai has commanded to be done.”

⁶ Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. ⁷ He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash on him, clothed him with the robe, put the ephod on him, and tied the skillfully decorated sash of the ephod around him and fastened it on him. ⁸ He then placed the breastplate on Aaron, and inside the breastplate he put the Urim and the Thummim. ⁹ He set the turban on his head, and on front of the turban he set the golden plate, the holy crown, just as Adonai commanded Moses. ¹⁰ Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the Tabernacle and all that was in it, and so consecrated them. ¹¹ He sprinkled the oil on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils, the basin with its stand, to consecrate them. ¹² He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him. ¹³ Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with tunics, tied sashes on them, and fastened headbands on them, as Adonai had commanded Moses.

¹⁴ Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. ¹⁵ Moses then slaughtered it, took the blood and dabbed it onto the horns of the altar with his finger, and so purified the altar. Then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it, to make atonement for it. ¹⁶ He then took all the fat that was on the innards, the cover of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and burned it up as smoke on the altar. ¹⁷ But the bull and its hide, its flesh and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as Adonai had commanded. ¹⁸ He then presented the ram of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. ¹⁹ Then Moses slaughtered it and splashed the blood around on the altar. ²⁰ After he cut the ram into its pieces, Moses burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. ²¹ He washed the innards and the legs with water. Then Moses burned the whole ram up in smoke on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Adonai, as Adonai had commanded Moses.

²² Then he presented the second ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. ²³ Moses slaughtered it, took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the great toe of his right foot. ²⁴ Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet. Then Moses splashed the blood around on the altar. ²⁵ He took the fat, the fat tail, and all the fat that was on the innards, as well as the cover of the liver, the two kidneys with their fat and the right thigh. ²⁶ Then out of the basket of matzah that was before Adonai, he took one matzah cake, one cake of oiled bread and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. ²⁷ He put all these in Aaron’s hands and in the hands of his sons, and waved them for a wave offering before Adonai. ²⁸ Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them up in smoke on the altar with the burnt offering. They were a consecration for a soothing aroma. It was an offering by fire to Adonai. ²⁹ Moses took the breast and waved it for a wave offering before Adonai. It was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, just as Adonai commanded Moses.

³⁰ Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him. So he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

³¹ Moses then said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and eat it there, along with the bread that is in the basket of ordination, as I commanded, saying: ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ ³² What remains of the meat and of the bread you shall burn with fire.

³³ You are not to go out from the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are fulfilled, for he will be filling your hands for seven days. ³⁴ What has been done this day, Adonai has commanded to be done, in order to make atonement for you. ³⁵ You are to stay at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days, and keep Adonai’s command, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded.” ³⁶ Thus Aaron and his sons did all the things that Adonai commanded through Moses.

Parashat Shemini

Kohanim Begin Their Ministry

9 Now it happened on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel. ² Then he said to Aaron, “Take a calf from the herd for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before Adonai. ³ You are to speak to Bnei-Yisrael, saying: Take a male goat for a sin offering, along with a calf and a lamb, both yearlings without blemish, for a burnt offering, ⁴ plus a bull and a ram for fellowship offerings, to sacrifice before Adonai, along with a grain offering mixed with oil. For today Adonai appears to you.”

⁵ So they brought what Moses commanded before the Tent of Meeting, and the entire congregation drew near and stood before Adonai. ⁶ Moses said, “This is what Adonai commanded that you shall do, so that the glory of Adonai may appear to you.”

A Spiritual Family Begins

³¹ Then His mother and brothers come. Standing outside, they sent word to Him, summoning Him. ³² A crowd was sitting around Him, and they tell Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” ³³ Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” ³⁴ Looking at those sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Storytelling Opens Hearts

4 Again Yeshua began to teach by the sea. A large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the crowd was by the sea on the land. ² He began teaching them many things by parables, and in His teaching, He said to them: ³ “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to spread some seed. ⁴ It happened that as he sowed, some fell beside the road; and the birds came and ate it up.

⁵ “Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it didn’t have much soil. It sprang up immediately, because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ But when the sun came up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

⁷ “Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

⁸ “And others fell into the good soil and were producing fruit, springing up and increasing. They yielded a crop, producing thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” ⁹ And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁰ When Yeshua was alone, those around Him with the Twelve started asking Him about the parables. ¹¹ And He told them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those who are outside, everything is in parables,^[a] so that

¹³ He said to them, “Don’t you grasp this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ These are the ones beside the road where the word is sown. Whenever they hear, satan comes quickly and takes away the word that has been sown in them.

¹⁶ “These are the ones sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. ¹⁷ And they have no root in themselves but last only a short while. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.

¹⁸ “And others are the ones sown among the thorns. They have heard the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of the world, the seduction of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²⁰ “And those are the ones sown on the good soil. They hear the word and accept it and produce fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

Reaping What You Sow

²¹ He also was saying to them, “Is a lamp put under a basket or a bed? No, shouldn’t it be placed on a lampstand? ²² For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nor anything kept secret except that it would come to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” ²⁴ Then He continued, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you; and more will be added to you. ²⁵ For whoever has, to him more will be given. And whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”