Weekly Torah Readings: Sh’mini
(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)
Sh’mini
The LORD to Appear
9.1. And it happened on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2. And he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young calf for a sin offering and a ram without blemish for a burnt offering and offer them before the LORD*. 3. And to the children of Israel you will speak saying, Take for yourselves a he goat for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering, 4. also a bull and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD* and a grain offering mixed with oil, for today the LORD* will appear to you.”
9:5. And they brought what Moses commanded before the Tent of Meeting and the whole congregation drew near and stood before the LORD*. 6. And Moses said, “This is the thing that the LORD* commanded that you should do and the glory of the LORD* will appear to you.”
9:7. And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people: and offer the offering of the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD* commanded.” 8. Aaron therefore went to the altar and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. 9. And the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it on the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar, 10. but the fat, the kidneys, and the lobe above the liver of the sin offering, he burned upon the altar, as the LORD* commanded Moses. 11. And the flesh and the hide he burned with fire outside the camp. 12. And he slew the burnt offering and Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him, which he sprinkled all around on the altar. 13. And they presented the burnt offering to him, with the pieces of it and the head, and he burned them on the altar. 14. And he washed the innards and the legs and burned them on the burnt offering on the altar.
9:15. And he brought the people’s offering and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it and offered it for sin, as for the first. 16. And he brought the burnt offering and offered it according to the manner. 17. And he brought the grain offering and took a handful of it and burned it on the altar, besides the morning’s burnt offering. 18. He also slew the bull and the ram for an offering of peace offering, which was for the people. And Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him, which he sprinkled all around on the altar, 19. and the fat of the bull and the ram, the rump and that which covered the innards, the kidneys, and the lobe above the liver. 20. And they put the fat on the breasts and he burned the fat on the altar. 21. And Aaron waved the breasts and the right shoulder for a wave offering before the LORD*, as Moses commanded. 22. Then Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offering.
The LORD’s* Appearance
9:23. And Moses and Aaron went in the Tent of Meeting, and came out and blessed the people, then the glory of the LORD* appeared to all the people. 24. And a fire came out from before the LORD* and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar and all the people saw it, and they shouted and fell on their faces.
Unauthorized Service
10.1. And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each of them took his fire-pan and put fire in it and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before the LORD*, which He commanded them not to do. 2. And fire went out from the LORD* and devoured them, and they died before the LORD*. 3. Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what the LORD* said, saying, “I shall be sanctified through those who come near Me, and I shall be honored before all the people.” And Aaron held his peace.
10:4. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel and said to them, “Come near, carry your brothers out of the camp from in front of the Sanctuary.” 5. So they went near and carried them in their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.
10:6. And Moses said to Aaron and to Elazar and to Itamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads or tear your clothes, lest you die and lest wrath come upon all the people, but let your brothers, the whole House of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD* has kindled. 7. And you will not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD* is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.
10:8. And the LORD* spoke to Aaron saying, 9. “Do not drink wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, lest you die! It will be a statute forever throughout your generations, 10. so you can put a difference between holy and unholy and between unclean and clean 11. and so you can teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD* has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”
10:12. And Moses spoke to Aaron and to Elazar and Itamar, his sons that were left, “Take the grain offering that remains of the offerings of the LORD* made by fire and eat it without leaven beside the altar, for it is most holy, 13. and you will eat it in the Holy Place, because it is your share and your sons’ share of the offerings of the LORD* made by fire, for so I am commanded. 14. And the breast of the wave offering and heave leg you will eat in a clean place; you, your sons and your daughters with you, for they are your share and your sons’ share, given from the offerings of peace offering of the children of Israel. 15. They will bring the heave leg and the wave breast with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the LORD*, and it will be yours and your sons’ with you, by a statute forever, as the LORD* has commanded.”
10:16. And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering and, behold, it had already been burned; and he was angry with Elazar and Itamar, the sons of Aaron who were left alive saying, 17. Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the Holy Place, seeing it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD*? 18. Behold, its blood was not brought in within the Holy Place. You should indeed have eaten it in the Holy Place, as I commanded.”
10:19. And Aaron said to Moses, “See, they have today offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD* and such things have befallen me, and if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted in the LORD’s* sight?” 20. And Moses listened and it was well pleasing in his sight.
Clean and Unclean Animals Listed
11.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, 2. “Speak to the children of Israel saying, These are the animals which you will eat among all the animals that are on the earth. 3. You will eat whatever among the animals divides its hoof and is cloven footed and brings up the cud. 4. Nevertheless you will not eat these that bring up the cud or those that divide the hoof: the camel, because it brings up the cud, but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. 5. And the rock badger, because it brings up the cud, but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. 6. And the hare, because it brings up the cud, but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. 7. And the swine, though it divides the hoof and is cloven footed, yet it does not bring up the cud; it is unclean to you. 8. You will not eat their flesh, and you will not touch their carcass; they are unclean to you.”
11:9. And Aaron said, “You will eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas and in the rivers, those you will eat. 10. And all that do not have fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters and of any living thing that is in the waters, they will be an abomination to you. 11. They will be even an abomination to you; you will not eat of their flesh, but you will have their carcasses in abomination. 12. Whatever has no fins or no scales in the waters, that will be an abomination to you.
11:13. “And these are those which you will have in abomination among the fowls: they will not be eaten, they are an abomination; the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, 14. the kite, the falcon after its kind, 15. every raven after its kind, 16. the ostrich, the falcon, the seagull, the hawk after its kind, 17. the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18. the swan, the pelican, the fish hawk, 19. the stork, the heron after its kind, the lapwing, and the bat.
11:20. “All winged swarming things that creep, going upon all four, will be an abomination to you. 21. Yet you may eat these of every flying creeping thing that goes upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth, 22. even these of them you may eat; the locust after its kind, the bald locust after its kind, the beetle after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. 23. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, will be an abomination to you.
11:24. “And for these you will be unclean: whoever touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening. 25. And whoever bears anything of their carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 26. The carcasses of every beast that divides the hoof and is neither cloven footed, nor chews the cud, are unclean to you: everyone who touches them will be unclean. 27. And whatever goes upon its paws among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean to you: whoever touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening. 28. And he who bears their carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening: they are unclean to you.
11:29. “These also will be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, the mouse, the tortoise after its kind, 30. the ferret, the chameleon, the lizard, the snail, and the mole. 31. These are unclean to you among all that creep: whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until the evening. 32. And upon whatever any of them when they are dead, does fall, it will be unclean, whether it is any vessel of wood or raiment or skin or sack, whatever vessel it is, in which any work is done, it must be put into water and it will be unclean until the evening, so it will be cleansed. 33. And every earthen vessel into which any of them falls, whatever is in it will be unclean and you will break it. 34. Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which water comes will be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every vessel will be unclean. 35. And everything whereupon any part of their carcass falls will be unclean, whether it is oven, or ranges for pots, they will be broken down, they are unclean, and will be unclean to you. 36. Nevertheless a fountain or pit, in which there is plenty of water, will be clean, but that which touches their carcass will be unclean. 37. And if any part of their carcass falls upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it will be clean. 38. But if any water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it will be unclean to you.
11:39. “And if any beast of which you may eat dies, he that touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening. 40. And he that eats of its carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening, he also who bears its carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 41. And every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth will be an abomination; it will not be eaten. 42. Whatever goes upon the belly and whatever goes upon all four or whatever has more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, you will not eat them, for they are an abomination. 43. You will not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps, neither will you make yourselves unclean with them, that you would be defiled thereby. 44. For I AM the LORD* your God! You will therefore sanctify yourselves and you will be holy, for I AM holy. Neither will you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. 45. For I AM the LORD* Who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You will therefore be holy, for I AM holy! (1 Pe. 1:16)
11:46. “This is the teaching for the beasts and for the fowl and for every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps upon the earth, 47. to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.”
Next week’s Torah readings: Tazria/M’tsora