Old/New Testament

11 (vi) Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, ² “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the land animals: ³ any that has a separate hoof which is completely divided and chews the cud — these animals you may eat. ^4-6 But you are not to eat those that only chew the cud or only have a separate hoof. For example, the camel, the coney and the hare are unclean for you, because they chew the cud but don’t have a separate hoof; ⁷ while the pig is unclean for you, because, although it has a separate and completely divided hoof, it doesn’t chew the cud. ⁸ You are not to eat meat from these or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

⁹ “‘Of all the things that live in the water, you may eat these: anything in the water that has fins and scales, whether in seas or in rivers — these you may eat. ¹⁰ But everything in the seas and rivers without both fins and scales, of all the small water-creatures and of all the living creatures in the water, is a detestable thing for you. ¹¹ Yes, these will be detestable for you — you are not to eat their meat, and you are to detest their carcasses. ¹² Whatever lacks fins and scales in the water is a detestable thing for you.

¹³ “‘The following creatures of the air are to be detestable for you — they are not to be eaten, they are a detestable thing: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, ¹⁴ the kite, the various kinds of buzzards, ¹⁵ the various kinds of ravens, ¹⁶ the ostrich, the screech-owl, the seagull, the various kinds of hawks, ¹⁷ the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, ¹⁸ the horned owl, the pelican, the barn owl, ¹⁹ the stork, the various kinds of herons, the hoopoe and the bat.

²⁰ “‘All winged swarming creatures that go on all fours are a detestable thing for you; ²¹ except that of all winged swarming creatures that go on all fours, you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, enabling them to jump off the ground. ²² Specifically, of these you may eat the various kinds of locusts, grasshoppers, katydids and crickets. ²³ But other than that, all winged swarming creatures having four feet are a detestable thing for you.

²⁴ “‘The following will make you unclean; whoever touches the carcass of them will be unclean until evening, ²⁵ and whoever picks up any part of their carcass is to wash his clothes and be unclean until evening: ²⁶ every animal that has a separate but incompletely divided hoof or that doesn’t chew the cud is unclean for you; anyone who touches them will become unclean. ²⁷ Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, is unclean for you; whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until evening; ²⁸ and whoever picks up its carcass is to wash his clothes and be unclean until evening — these are unclean for you.

²⁹ “‘The following are unclean for you among the small creatures that swarm on the ground: the weasel, the mouse, the various kinds of lizards, ³⁰ the gecko, the land crocodile, the skink, the sand-lizard and the chameleon. ³¹ They are unclean crawling creatures; whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening. ³² Anything on which one of them falls when dead will become unclean — wooden utensil, article of clothing, leather, sacking — any utensil used for work; it must be put in water, and it will be unclean until evening; then it will be clean. (vii) ³³ If one of them falls into a clay pot, whatever is in it will become unclean, and you are to break the pot. ³⁴ Any food permitted to be eaten that water from such a vessel gets on will become unclean, and any permitted liquid in such a vessel will become unclean. ³⁵ Everything on which any carcass-part of theirs falls will become unclean, whether oven or stove; it is to be broken in pieces — they are unclean and will be unclean for you; ³⁶ although a spring or cistern for collecting water remains clean. But anyone who touches one of their carcasses will become unclean. ³⁷ If any carcass-part of theirs falls on any kind of seed to be sown, it is clean; ³⁸ but if water is put on the seed and a carcass-part of theirs falls on it, it is unclean for you.

³⁹ “‘If an animal of a kind that you are permitted to eat dies, whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ A person who eats meat from its carcass or carries its carcass is to wash his clothes; he will be unclean until evening.

⁴¹ “‘Any creature that swarms on the ground is a detestable thing; it is not to be eaten — ⁴² whatever moves on its stomach, goes on all fours, or has many legs — all creatures that swarm on the ground; you are not to eat them, because they are a detestable thing. ⁴³ You are not to make yourselves detestable with any of these swarming, crawling creatures; do not make yourselves unclean with them, do not defile yourselves with them. ⁴⁴ For I am Adonai your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy; and do not defile yourselves with any kind of swarming creature that moves along the ground. (Maftir) ⁴⁵ For I am Adonai, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. Therefore you are to be holy, because I am holy.

⁴⁶ “‘Such, then, is the law concerning animals, flying creatures, all living creatures that move about in the water, and all creatures that swarm on the ground. ⁴⁷ Its purpose is to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’”

Haftarah Sh’mini: Sh’mu’el Bet (2 Samuel) 6:1–7:17 (A); 6:1–19 (S)

Suggested readings for Parashah Sh’mini from the B’rit Hadashah: Mark 7:1–23; Acts 5:1–11; 10:1–35; 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1; Galatians 2:11–16; 1 Kefa (1 Peter) 1:14–16

Parashah 27: Tazria (She conceives) 12:1–13:59

[In regular years read with Parashah 28, in leap years read separately]

12 Adonai said to Moshe, ² “Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘If a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for seven days with the same uncleanness as in niddah, when she is having her menstrual period. ³ On the eighth day, the baby’s foreskin is to be circumcised. ⁴ She is to wait an additional thirty-three days to be purified from her blood; she is not to touch any holy thing or come into the sanctuary until the time of her purification is over. ⁵ But if she gives birth to a girl, she will be unclean for two weeks, as in her niddah; and she is to wait another sixty-six days to be purified from her blood.

⁶ “‘When the days of her purification are over, whether for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or dove for a sin offering to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the cohen. ⁷ He will offer it before Adonai and make atonement for her; thus she will be purified from her discharge of blood. Such is the law for a woman who gives birth, whether to a boy or to a girl. ⁸ If she can’t afford a lamb, she is to take two doves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; the cohen will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

26 When Yeshua had finished speaking, he said to his talmidim, ² “As you know, Pesach is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be nailed to the execution-stake.”

³ Then the head cohanim and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of Kayafa the cohen hagadol. ⁴ They made plans to arrest Yeshua surreptitiously and have him put to death; ⁵ but they said, “Not during the festival, or the people will riot.”

⁶ Yeshua was in Beit-Anyah, at the home of Shim‘on, the man who had had tzara’at. ⁷ A woman who had an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume approached Yeshua while he was eating and began pouring it on his head. ⁸ When the talmidim saw it, they became very angry. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹ “This could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Yeshua, aware of what was going on, said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² She poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. ¹³ Yes! I tell you that throughout the whole world, wherever this Good News is proclaimed, what she has done will be told in her memory.”

¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve, the one called Y’hudah from K’riot, went to the head cohanim ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me if I turn Yeshua over to you?” They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to Y’hudah.^{[a] 16} From then on he looked for a good opportunity to betray him.

¹⁷ On the first day for matzah, the talmidim came to Yeshua and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare your Seder?” ¹⁸ “Go into the city, to so-and-so,” he replied, “and tell him that the Rabbi says, ‘My time is near, my talmidim and I are celebrating Pesach at your house.’” ¹⁹ The talmidim did as Yeshua directed and prepared the Seder.

²⁰ When evening came, Yeshua reclined with the twelve talmidim; ²¹ and as they were eating, he said, “Yes, I tell you that one of you is going to betray me.” ²² They became terribly upset and began asking him, one after the other, “Lord, you don’t mean me, do you?” ²³ He answered, “The one who dips his matzah in the dish with me is the one who will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man will die just as the Tanakh says he will; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him had he never been born!” ²⁵ Y’hudah, the one who was betraying him, then asked, “Surely, Rabbi, you don’t mean me?” He answered, “The words are yours.”