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1 Adonai said to Aaron [Light-bringer], “You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you shall bear the depravity (moral evil) of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the depravity (moral evil) of your priesthood. 2 * Bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi [United with], the tribe of your father, near with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you; but you and your sons with you shall be before the Tent of the Testimony. 3 †
They shall keep your orders, and the duty of the whole Tent; only they shall not come near to the utensils of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they not die, neither they, nor you. 4 ‡
They shall be joined to you, and keep the responsibility of the Tent of Meeting, for all the service of the Tent. A stranger shall not come near to you.
5 § “You shall perform the duty of the sanctuary and the duty of the altar, that there be no more wrath on the children of Israel [God prevails]. 6 Behold, I myself have taken your brothers the Levites [Descendants of United with] from among the children of Israel [God prevails]. They are a gift to you, dedicated to Adonai, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting. 7 You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil. You shall serve. I give you the service of the priesthood as a gift. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
8 Adonai spoke to Aaron [Light-bringer], “Behold, I myself have given you the charge of my wave offerings, even all the holy things of the children of Israel [God prevails]. I have given them to you by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, as a chok ·portion· forever. 9 This shall be yours of the most holy things from the fire: every offering of theirs, even every meal offering of theirs, and every habitual sin ·miss the mark· offering of theirs, and every fault incurring guilt offering of theirs, which they shall render to me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. 10 You shall eat of it like the most holy things. Every male shall eat of it. It shall be holy to you.
11 “This is yours, too: the wave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel [God prevails]. I have given them to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a chok ·portion· forever. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.
12 “I have given to you all the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first fruits of them which they give to Adonai. 13 The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to Adonai, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.
14 “Everything devoted in Israel [God prevails] shall be yours. 15 Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Adonai, both of man and animal shall be yours. * Nevertheless, you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals. 16 You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels [2 oz; 56.7 g] of money, after the shekel of the sanctuary, (the shekel is 0.4 oz; 11.34 g; or called twenty gerahs 20/50 of an oz)
17 † “But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to Adonai. 18 Their meat shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours. 19 All the wave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel [God prevails] offer to Adonai, have I given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, as a chok ·portion· forever. It is a covenant of salt forever before Adonai to you and to your offspring with you.”
20 Adonai said to Aaron [Light-bringer], “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel [God prevails].
(7) 21 “To the children of Levi [United with], behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel [God prevails] for an inheritance, in teshuvah ·complete return· for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting. 22 Henceforth the children of Israel [God prevails] shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear crime deserving peanlty, sin ·missing the goal·, and die. 23 ‡ But the Levites [Descendants of United with] shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, and they shall bear their depravity (moral evil). It shall be a statute forever throughout all your generations. Among the children of Israel [God prevails], they shall have no inheritance. 24 § For the tithe of the children of Israel [God prevails], which they offer as a wave offering to Adonai, I have given to the Levites [Descendants of United with] for an inheritance. Therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel [God prevails] they shall have no inheritance.’ ”
25 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 26 * “Moreover you shall speak to the Levites [Descendants of United with], and tell them, ‘When you take of the children of Israel [God prevails] the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for Adonai, a tithe of the tithe. 27 Your wave offering shall be credited to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the wine press. 28 Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to Adonai of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel [God prevails]; and of it you shall give Adonai’s wave offering to Aaron [Light-bringer] the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts, you shall offer every wave offering of Adonai, of all its best, even the holy part of it out of it.’
(Maftir ·Conclusion·) 30 “Therefore you shall tell them, ‘When you heave its best from it, then it shall be credited to the Levites [Descendants of United with] as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase of the wine press. 31 You may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the Tent of Meeting. 32 You shall bear no crime deserving peanlty, sin ·missing the goal· by reason of it, when you have heaved from it its best. You shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel [God prevails], that you not die.’ ”
Haftarah Korach ·Taking leave· ·Korach [Bald one, Frost]·:
Sh'mu'el Alef / 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22
B'rit Hadashah ·New Covenant·: Luke 18:35-19:28
* 18:2 . Num 18:2 (Num 18:1-7, 18:20-24) (#2b.162): T. “Levites with Aaron and his sons who are Cohenim ·Priests· shall be before the tent of the testimony” (v2) / R. The Cohenim ·Priests· are to stand guard over the Sanctuary continually † 18:3 . Num 18:3 (Num 18:1-7) (#2b.163): The Levites ·tribe of Levi· shall not engage in the service of the Cohenim ·Priests, sons of Aaron· nor the Cohenim ·Priests· in the service of the Levites ·tribe of Levi· T. Directive: Specific duties are assigned to both Cohenim ·Priests· and Levites; namely the Cohenim ·Priests· are from Aaron’s linage and they preform sacrifice offerings in the Tabernacle, whereas the Levites refers to the tribe as a whole and all other duties like building up, breaking down, and moving the Sanctuary, caring for animals, tending the fields, and judging the people’s matters according to Torah ·Teaching· ‡ 18:4 . Num 18:4 (Num 18:1-7) (#2b.164): T. The unauthorized person is not to approach the Tent of Meeting or Holy Place / R. One who is not a Cohen ·son of Aaron, Priest· shall not preform the duties of the Cohenim ·Priests· T. Note: Authorization depends on Levitical heritage (see Num 18:3 OU163) § 18:5 . Num 18:5 (Num 18:1-7, 18:20-24) (#2b.165): T. “Levites with Aaron and his sons who are Cohenim ·Priests· shall keep the charge of the Sanctuary” (v5) / R. The Cohenim ·Priests· are not to cease the watch around the Sanctuary / R. Not to leave the Temple unguarded * 18:15 . Num 18:15 (Num 18:15-16; Ex 22:29-30) (#5.375): T. To redeem the firstborn of your children, giving the Cohen ·Priest· five sheckles of silver / R. To redeem the firstborn of your sons, giving the Cohen ·Priest· five sheckles of silver † 18:17 . Num 18:17 (Num 18:15-19, 18:8) (#8.510): T. Not to redeem the firstborn of an ox, sheep, or goat / R. Not to redeem the firstborn (of a clean animal) ‡ 18:23 . Num 18:23 (Num 18:1-7, 18:20-24) (#2b.166): The Levite shall serve in the Tabernacle § 18:24 . Num 18:24 (Lev 27:30-33; Num 18:19-24) (#8.511): T. To set aside a tenth as a tithe of the land as holy unto Adonai (to be given to and eaten by the Levites [Descendants of United with]) / R. To set apart a tithe of grain for the Levites * 18:26 . Num 18:26 (Num 18:25-29, 18:20-24) (#8.512): T. For the Levites to set apart a tithe unto Adonai from the tithes that they receive from the Israelites tithes to Adonai / R. The Levite must set aside a tenth of his tithe