Parashah 36: B'ha'alotkha ·When you light· 8:1-12:16
8
1 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron [Light-bringer], and tell him, ‘When you light the menorah ·lamp· candles, the seven menorah ·lamp· candles shall give light in front of the menorah ·lamp·.’ ”
3 Aaron [Light-bringer] did so. He lit its menorah ·lamp· candles to light the area in front of the menorah ·lamp·, as Adonai enjoined Moses [Drawn out]. 4 This was the workmanship of the menorah ·lamp·, beaten work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was beaten work: according to the pattern which Adonai had shown Moses [Drawn out], so he made the menorah ·lamp·.
5 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 6 “Take the Levites [Descendants of United with] from among the children of Israel [God prevails], and cleanse them. 7 You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of habitual sin ·missing the mark· cleanzing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves. 8 Then let them take a young bull, and its meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and another young bull you shall take for a habitual sin ·miss the mark· offering. 9 You shall present the Levites [Descendants of United with] before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel [God prevails]. 10 You shall present the Levites [Descendants of United with] before Adonai. The children of Israel [God prevails] shall lay their hands on the Levites [Descendants of United with], 11 and Aaron [Light-bringer] shall offer the Levites [Descendants of United with] before Adonai for a wave offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel [God prevails], that it may be theirs to do the service of Adonai.
12 “The Levites [Descendants of United with] shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a habitual sin ·miss the mark· offering, and the other for a burnt offering to Adonai, to make atonement for the Levites [Descendants of United with]. 13 You shall set the Levites [Descendants of United with] before Aaron [Light-bringer], and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Adonai. 14 Thus you shall separate the Levites [Descendants of United with] from among the children of Israel [God prevails], and the Levites [Descendants of United with] shall be mine.
(2) 15 “After that, the Levites [Descendants of United with] shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting: and you shall cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering. 16 For they are wholly given to me from among the children of Israel [God prevails]; instead of all who open the womb, even the firstborn of all the children of Israel [God prevails], I have taken them to me. 17 For all the firstborn among the children of Israel [God prevails] are mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery], I sanctified them for myself. 18 I have taken the Levites [Descendants of United with] instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel [God prevails]. 19 I have given the Levites [Descendants of United with] as a gift to Aaron [Light-bringer] and to his sons from among the children of Israel [God prevails], to do the service of the children of Israel [God prevails] in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel [God prevails]; that there be no plague among the children of Israel [God prevails], when the children of Israel [God prevails] come near to the sanctuary.”
20 Moses [Drawn out], and Aaron [Light-bringer], and all the congregation of the children of Israel [God prevails] did so to the Levites [Descendants of United with]. According to all that Adonai enjoined Moses [Drawn out] concerning the Levites [Descendants of United with], so the children of Israel [God prevails] did to them. 21 The Levites [Descendants of United with] cleansed sin ·err (the standard goal)· from themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron [Light-bringer] offered them for a wave offering before Adonai; and Aaron [Light-bringer] made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 After that, the Levites [Descendants of United with] went in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron [Light-bringer], and before his sons: as Adonai had enjoined Moses [Drawn out] concerning the Levites [Descendants of United with], so they did to them.
23 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 24 “This is that which belongs to the Levites [Descendants of United with]: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting; 25 and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve no more, 26 but shall minister with their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to perform the duty, and shall do no service. You shall do thus to the Levites [Descendants of United with] concerning their duties.”