Parashat Tazria

Niddah Rest for New Mothers

12 Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying: ² “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, instructing: If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she will be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her niddah she will be unclean. ³ In the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin is to be circumcised. ^{[a] 4} She must wait during the blood of purification for 33 days.^[b] She is not to touch any holy thing, nor come into the Sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. ⁵ But if she bears a female child, then she will be unclean for two weeks, as in her niddah, and she is to wait in the blood of purification for 66 days.

⁶ “When the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring to the kohen, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, a year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove, for a sin offering. ⁷ He is to present it before Adonai and make atonement for her. Then she will be cleansed from the discharge of her blood. This is the Torah for her who gives birth, whether to a male or a female child. ⁸ If she cannot afford a lamb, then she is to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons,^[c] one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the kohen will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.”

Tza’arat: Supernatural Skin Disease

13 Then Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying: ² “When a man has a swelling on the skin of his body or a scab or a bright spot, and it becomes the plague-mark of tza’arat in his flesh, then he should be brought to Aaron the kohen, or to one of his sons, the kohanim. ³ The kohen is to examine the plague of tza’arat on his skin, and if the hair in the plague has turned white, and the appearance of the plague is deeper than the body’s skin, it is the plague of tza’arat. Thus the kohen should examine him and pronounce him unclean. ⁴ If the bright spot is white in the skin of his body, but its appearance is not deeper than the skin and its hair has not turned white, then the kohen is to isolate the infected person for seven days. ⁵ The kohen should examine him on the seventh day, and behold, if he sees the plague has not spread in the skin, then the kohen is to isolate him for seven more days.

⁶ “The kohen is to examine him again on the seventh day, and behold, if the plague has faded and has not spread in the skin, then the kohen should pronounce him clean. It is a scab. He is to wash his clothes, and be clean. ⁷ But if the scab spreads on the skin, after he has shown himself to the kohen for his cleansing, he is to show himself to the kohen once again. ⁸ The kohen is to examine him, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then the kohen should pronounce him unclean. It is tza’arat.

⁹ “When one has a plague of tza’arat, he is to be brought to the kohen. ¹⁰ The kohen is to examine him, and behold, if there is a white swelling in the skin and it has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling, ¹¹ it is a chronic tza’arat in the skin of his flesh, and the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. He is to isolate him, for he is unclean.

¹² “Suppose the tza’arat breaks out above the flesh, and so far as it all appears in the eyes of the kohen, covers all the skin of the infected person from his head to his feet. ¹³ Then the kohen will see, and behold, if the tza’arat has covered all of his body, he is to pronounce him clean of the plague. Since it has all turned white, he is clean. ¹⁴ But whenever raw flesh appears upon him, he will be unclean. ¹⁵ The kohen is to examine the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean—it is tza’arat. ¹⁶ Or, if the raw flesh changes and turns white, then he must come to the kohen. ¹⁷ The kohen is to examine him, and behold, if the plague has turned white, then the kohen shall pronounce him clean of the plague. He is clean.^[d]

¹⁸ “When the body has a boil on its skin and it has healed, ¹⁹ but in the place of the boil there is a white swelling or a bright reddish-white spot, then it should be shown to the kohen. ²⁰ The kohen is to examine it, and behold, if its appearance is lower than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. It is a plague of tza’arat that has broken out within the boil. ²¹ But if the kohen examines it and sees there are no white hairs within, and if it is not deeper than the skin but is faded, then the kohen is to isolate him seven days. ²² If it spreads in the skin, then the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. It is a plague. ²³ But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread, it is merely the scar from the boil—the kohen is to pronounce him clean.

²⁴ “Or suppose the body has a burn from fire on its skin, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white, or white. ²⁵ Then the kohen is to examine it, and behold, if the hair in the bright spot has turned white and its appearance is deeper than the skin, it is tza’arat. It has broken out in the burning, and the kohen is to pronounce him unclean—it is the plague of tza’arat. ²⁶ But if the kohen examines it and sees there is no white hair in the bright spot, and it is not lower than the skin but is faded, then the kohen is to isolate him seven days. ²⁷ The kohen is to examine him on the seventh day. If it has spread in the skin, then the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of tza’arat. ²⁸ If the bright spot stays in its place, and has not spread in the skin but is faded, it is the swelling from the burn, and the kohen should pronounce him clean, for it is merely a scar from the burn.

²⁹ “When a man or woman has a plague on the head or on the chin, ³⁰ then the kohen is to examine the plague, and behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the kohen is to pronounce him unclean. It is a scab—tza’arat of the head or the chin. ³¹ If the kohen examines the plague of the scab, and behold its appearance is no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair within, then the kohen is to isolate the person infected with the scab for seven days. ³² On the seventh day the kohen is to examine the plague, and behold, if the scab has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it, and the appearance of the scab is no deeper than the skin, ³³ then he shall be shaved, but he is not to shave the scab. The kohen is then to isolate the one who has the scab for seven more days. ³⁴ On the seventh day, the kohen is to examine the scab, and behold, if the scab has not spread in the skin and its appearance is no deeper than the skin, then the kohen should pronounce him clean. He is to wash his clothes, and be clean. ³⁵ But if the scab spreads in the skin after his cleansing, ³⁶ then the kohen is to examine him, and behold, if the scab has spread in the skin, the kohen may not look for the yellow hair, he is unclean. ³⁷ But if he sees the scab is stopped and black hair has grown in it, the scab is healed, and he is clean. The kohen shall pronounce him clean.

³⁸ “Suppose a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body—bright white spots. ³⁹ Then the kohen is to examine them, and behold, if the bright spots on the skin of their body are a dull white, it is a harmless rash broken out in the skin. He is clean.

Baldness is Clean

⁴⁰ “If a man’s hair has fallen from his head, he is bald. He is clean. ⁴¹ Or if the borders of his face become bald, his forehead is bald. He is clean. ⁴² But if on the baldhead or bald forehead, there is a reddish-white plague, it is tza’arat breaking out in his baldhead or bald forehead. ⁴³ Then the kohen is to examine him, and behold, if the rising of the plague is reddish-white on his bald head or bald forehead, like the appearance of tza’arat in the skin of the flesh, ⁴⁴ he is a man with tza’arat. He is unclean. The kohen shall definitely pronounce him unclean—his plague-mark is on his head.

Unclean! Unclean!

⁴⁵ “The one with tza’arat who has the plague-mark should wear torn clothes, the hair of his head is to hang loose, he is to cover his upper lip and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ ⁴⁶ All the days during which the plague is on him he will be unclean. He is unclean. He is to dwell alone. Outside of the camp will be his dwelling.

⁴⁷ “Also when a garment has a mark of tza’arat on it—whether it is a woolen or a linen garment, ⁴⁸ whether it is woven or textured, linen or wool, leather, or anything made from leather— ⁴⁹ or if the mark is greenish or reddish within the garment or in the leather, or in the weaving or the texture, or in anything made from leather, it is the plague of tza’arat, and should be shown to the kohen. ⁵⁰ The kohen is to examine the plague and isolate it for seven days. ⁵¹ Then he is to reexamine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the weaving, the texture or the leather, whatever the use for the leather may be, the plague is a destructive mildew. It is unclean. ⁵² He is to burn the garment or the weaving, or the texture, wool or linen, or anything of leather, in which the plague resides, for it is a destructive mildew. It is to be burned in the fire.

⁵³ “If the kohen examines it, and behold, the plague has not spread in the garment, either in the weaving, the texture, or in anything made of leather, ⁵⁴ the kohen should command that they wash the thing which has the mark, and he is to isolate it seven more days.

⁵⁵ “Then the kohen is to reexamine it, after the mark has been washed, and behold, if the mark has not changed its color and has not spread, it is unclean. You are to burn it in the fire, whether the rot is inside or outside. ⁵⁶ If the kohen looks, and sees the mark has faded after it has been washed, then he is to tear it out of the garment, or the leather, or weaving, or texture. ⁵⁷ But if it appears again in the garment, either in the weaving, the texture, or in anything made of leather, it is spreading. You are to burn with fire whatever has the mark. ⁵⁸ The garment, or weaving, or texture, or whatever leather item it is that you have washed, if the mark has departed from it, is to be washed a second time, and will become clean.”

⁵⁹ This is the Torah for a mark of tza’arat in a garment of wool or linen, either in the weaving, the texture, or in anything of leather, to pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean.

John Seeks Confirmation from Prison

¹⁸ John’s disciples reported to him about all these things. Calling two of his disciples, ¹⁹ John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the One who is to come, or should we look for another?”

²⁰ When they appeared before Him, the men said, “John the Immerser sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?’”

²¹ At this very hour He was healing many of diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits; and He granted sight to many who were blind. ²² And answering, He said to them, “Go report to John what you saw and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, those with tzara’at are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them. ^{[a] 23} Blessed is he who is not led to stumble because of Me.”

²⁴ And after John’s messengers left, He began to speak about John to the crowds. “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ No? So what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine garments? Look, those who wear finery and live in luxury are in the palaces of kings! ²⁶ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, even more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is the one about whom it is written,

²⁸ I say to you, there is no one greater than John among those born of women; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹ And when all the people heard, even the tax collectors, they affirmed God’s justice, because they had been immersed with John’s immersion. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and Torah lawyers, not having been immersed by John, declared God’s purpose invalid for themselves.

³¹ “So then, to what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to each other, saying,

³³ “For John the Immerser has come not eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking. and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

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Yeshua Sends Out the Seventy

10 Now after these things, the Lord assigned seventy^[a] others and sent them out by twos before Him into every town and place where He Himself was about to go. ² And He was telling them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beg the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

³ “Go forth! Look, I am sending you as lambs in the midst of wolves. ⁴ Do not be burdened with a money belt, travel bag, or shoes; and do not greet anyone along the way. ⁵ Whatever home you enter, first say, “Shalom be on this home.” ⁶ If a son of shalom is there, your shalom will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷ And remain in this same home, eating and drinking the things they offer, for the worker is deserving of his wage. Do not keep moving from house to house.

⁸ “Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what they set before you. ⁹ Then heal the sick in that town, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But if you enter a town and they do not welcome you, then go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town sticking to our feet, we wipe off as a witness to you. But know this! The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom^[b] on that day than for that town.

¹³ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have turned long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ Yet it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the Judgment than for you! ^{[c] 15} And you, Capernaum? You won’t be lifted up to heaven, will you? No, you will go down as far as Sheol. ¹⁶ The one who listens to you hears Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me, and the one who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

Returning with a Good Report

¹⁷ Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Master, even the demons submit to us in Your name!”

¹⁸ And Yeshua said to them, “I was watching satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Behold, I have given you authority to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names have been written in the heavens.”^[d]

²¹ In that very hour, He was overjoyed in the Ruach ha-Kodesh and said, “I praise You, Father, Master of the universe, that You have hidden these things from the wise and discerning and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was pleasing to You. ²² All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

²³ Then turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! ²⁴ For I tell you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you are seeing yet did not see, and to hear what you are hearing yet did not hear.”

Who Is My Neighbor?

²⁵ Now a certain Torah lawyer stood up to entrap Yeshua, saying, “Teacher, what should I do to gain eternal life?”

²⁶ Then Yeshua said to him, “What has been written in the Torah? How do you read it?”

²⁷ And he replied, “You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”^[e]

²⁸ Yeshua said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But wanting to vindicate himself, he said to Yeshua, “Then who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ Yeshua replied, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was attacked by robbers, who stripped him and beat him. Then they left, abandoning him as half dead. ³¹ And by chance, a kohen was going down that road; but when he saw the man, he passed by on the opposite side. ³² Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the opposite side. ³³ But a Samaritan who was traveling came upon him; and when he noticed the man, he felt compassion. ³⁴ He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then setting him on his own animal, he brought him to a lodge for travelers and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[f] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him. And whatever else you spend, upon my return I will repay you myself.’ ³⁶ Which of these three seems to you a neighbor to the one attacked by robbers?”

³⁷ And he said, “The one who showed mercy to him.”

Then Yeshua said to him, “Go, and you do the same.”

At Home with Miriam and Martha

³⁸ Now while they were traveling, Yeshua entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ She had a sister called Miriam, who was seated at the Master’s feet, listening to His teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving; so she approached Yeshua and said, “Master, doesn’t it concern you that my sister has left me to serve alone? Then tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ But answering her, the Lord said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and bothered about many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary. For Miriam has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”^[g]

Praying Along the Way

11 Now Yeshua was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Master, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

² Then Yeshua said to them, “When you pray, say,

⁵ Then Yeshua said to them, “Which of you has a friend and will go to him in the middle of the night and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶ because a friend of mine has come to me on his journey and I have nothing to set before him.’ ⁷ Then from within he may answer, saying, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even if the friend will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

⁹ “So I say to you, ‘Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.’ ¹¹ What father, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² And if he asks for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Ruach ha-Kodesh^[i] to those who ask Him!”

Crowds Demand a Sign from Heaven

¹⁴ Now Yeshua was driving out a demon, and it was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute one spoke and the crowds were amazed. ¹⁵ But some among them said, “By beelzebul, the ruler of demons, He drives out demons.” ¹⁶ Others, testing Him, were demanding from Him a sign from heaven.

¹⁷ But Yeshua, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a house against a house falls. ¹⁸ Now if satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say by beelzebul I drive out the demons. ¹⁹ But if by beelzebul I drive out demons, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason, they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if by the finger of God^[j] I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

²¹ “When a strong one, fully-armed, protects his own estate, his possessions are safe. ²² But as soon as someone stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, then he takes away the armor that he had trusted in and divides up his plunder. ²³ He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

²⁴ “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places looking for rest. Not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house where I came from.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and settle there. And that man’s last condition becomes worse than the first.”

²⁷ Then as Yeshua was saying these things, a certain woman in the crowd, raising her voice, said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that carried You and the breasts that nursed You!”

²⁸ But He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

²⁹ With the crowds increasing, Yeshua began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, yet no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,^[k] so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise up at the Judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.^[l] And behold, something greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will rise at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation. And indeed, one greater than Jonah is here.

³³ “No one lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on the lampstand so that those entering may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. But when it is sick, your body is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore, watch out that the light in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If then your body is full of light, with no part of it dark, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its gleam.”

Dinner with a Pharisee

³⁷ As He spoke, a Pharisee asked Yeshua to eat with him, so He entered and sat down. ³⁸ But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Yeshua did not do the ritual handwashing before the meal. ³⁹ But the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ Fools! Didn’t He who created the outside also create the inside? ⁴¹ But give as tzedakah those things that are within, and indeed everything is pure to you.

⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees, for you tithe mint, rue, and every garden herb,^[m] yet bypass justice and the love of God. It is necessary to do these things without neglecting the others. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you, for you are like unmarked tombs, and people walk over them without knowing.”

⁴⁵ But answering, one of the Torah lawyers says to Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us too.”

⁴⁶ Then Yeshua said, “Woe to you Torah lawyers as well, for you weigh the people down with burdens hard to carry, yet you yourselves will not touch the burdens with even a finger.

⁴⁷ “Woe to you, for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your own fathers killed! ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers, for indeed they killed them and you are building their tombs.

⁴⁹ “For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and emissaries, and some of them they will kill and persecute, ⁵⁰ so that the blood of the prophets shed since the foundation of the world might be required from this generation— ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the one who perished between the altar and the house of God.^[n] Yes, I tell you, it will be required from this generation.’

⁵² “Woe to you, Torah lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter, and you stood in the way of those entering.”

⁵³ When Yeshua left there, the Torah scholars and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to interrogate Him on many issues, ⁵⁴ plotting against Him to catch Him in His words.

Parashat Metzora

Purification of One with Tza’arat

14 Then Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: ² “This is the Torah of the one with tza’arat in the day of his cleansing. He should be brought to the kohen, ^{[a] 3} and the kohen is to go to the outside of the camp. The kohen is to examine him, and behold, if the mark of tza’arat is healed in one with tza’arat, ⁴ then the kohen is to command that two clean living birds, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop be brought for the one being cleansed. ⁵ The kohen should command them to kill one of the birds in a clay pot over living water. ⁶ As for the living bird, he is to take it, the cedar wood, the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them with the living bird into the blood of the bird that was killed over the living water. ⁷ He is to sprinkle on the one being cleansed from the tza’arat seven times and pronounce him clean, then release the living bird over the open field.

⁸ “The one to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water. Then he should be clean. After that he may come into the camp, but is to dwell outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ Then on the seventh day, he is to shave all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows—he must shave off all his hair. He is to wash his clothes, and bathe his body in water. Then he will be clean.

¹⁰ “On the eighth day he is to take two male lambs without blemish, a one-year-old ewe lamb without blemish, three tenths of a pint of fine flour as a grain offering, mingled with oil, and a pint of oil. ¹¹ The kohen who cleanses him is to set the man who to be cleansed along with those items before Adonai, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ¹² The kohen should then take one of the male lambs, and offer it for a trespass offering, with the pint of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before Adonai.

¹³ “Then he is to slaughter the male lamb in the place where they slaughter the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the Sanctuary area. For the sin offering like the trespass offering belongs to the kohen. It is most holy. ¹⁴ Then the kohen is to take some of the blood of the trespass offering and dab it on the tip of the right ear of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ¹⁵ The kohen should then take some of the pint of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. ¹⁶ He is to dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before Adonai. ¹⁷ Then the kohen should dab some of the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the trespass offering. ¹⁸ From what remains of the oil that is in his hand, the kohen is to dab on the head of the one being cleansed. In this way the kohen will make atonement for him before Adonai.

¹⁹ “The kohen should offer the sin offering and make atonement for the one being cleansed because of his uncleanness. Afterward he is to slaughter the burnt offering. ²⁰ Then the kohen is to present the burnt offering along with the grain offering on the altar. So the kohen should make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

²¹ “If he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he should take one male lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, plus one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering, a pint of oil, ²² two turtledoves or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford. The one should be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.

²³ “On the eighth day he is to bring them to the kohen for his cleansing, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before Adonai. ²⁴ The kohen is to take the lamb of the trespass offering and the pint of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before Adonai. ²⁵ He is to slaughter the lamb of the trespass offering. The kohen is to take some of the blood of the trespass offering and dab it on the tip of the right ear of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶ The kohen should then pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand. ²⁷ He is to sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Adonai. ²⁸ Then the kohen is to dab some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the one being cleansed, also on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the place of the blood of the trespass offering. ²⁹ The rest of the oil that is in his hand the kohen is to dab on the head of the one being cleansed, to make atonement for him before Adonai. ³⁰ He is to offer one of the turtledoves or the young pigeons, from what his hand can afford, ³¹ the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the grain offering. The kohen should make atonement for him being cleansed before Adonai.”

³² This is the Torah for one on who is the mark of tza’arat, who is not able to afford the sacrifice for his cleansing.

Purification of a House

³³ Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: ³⁴ “Suppose you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put a mark of tza’arat in a house in the land you possess. ³⁵ Then the one who owns the house should come and tell the kohen, saying: ‘Something like a mark has appeared in my house.’ ³⁶ The kohen is to order the house emptied before he goes in to examine the mark, so that nothing in the house might be made unclean. Then afterward the kohen is to enter to inspect the house. ³⁷ He is to examine the mark, and behold, if the mark is in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and appears deeper than the wall, ³⁸ then the kohen is to go out of the house to the door and close up the house for seven days. ³⁹ Then the kohen is to come again on the seventh day, and behold, if the mark has spread in the walls of the house, ⁴⁰ then the kohen is to command that they take out the stones which are marked and throw them into an unclean place outside of the city. ⁴¹ He should also have the inside of the house scraped all throughout, and they are to dump the mortar that they scraped off outside of the city into an unclean place. ⁴² They may then take other stones and put them in the place of those stones. Likewise he can take other mortar, and plaster the house.

⁴³ “But suppose the contamination returns, breaking out in the house, after he has pulled out the stones and after he has scraped the house, and it has been re-plastered. ⁴⁴ Then the kohen is to go examine, and behold, if the plague has spread within the house, it is a destructive mildew inside. It is unclean. ⁴⁵ He is to break down the house, its stones, its timber, along with all the house’s mortar, and carry them out of the city into an unclean place.

⁴⁶ “Moreover, whoever goes into the house while it is shut up will be unclean until the evening. ⁴⁷ The one who lies down in the house must wash his clothes, and he who eats in the house must wash his clothes too.

⁴⁸ “But if the kohen comes in, inspects it, and behold, the plague has not spread within the house after it was re-plastered, then he should pronounce the house clean, because the contamination is healed. ⁴⁹ In order to cleanse the house he is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. ⁵⁰ He is to kill one of the birds in a clay pot over living water. ⁵¹ Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet and the living bird, and dip them into the blood of the slain bird as well as the living water, and sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵² He should cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, with the living water, with the living bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet. ⁵³ But he is to let the living bird go out of the city into the open field. So he is to make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

⁵⁴ This is the Torah for any mark of tza’arat—even for a scab, ⁵⁵ or the tza’arat in a garment or for a house ⁵⁶ or for a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot— ⁵⁷ to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean.

This is the Torah of tza’arat.

Purification From Discharges

15 Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: ² “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: When any man has a fluid discharge from his body, because of his discharge he is unclean. ³ This is to be his uncleanness in his discharge. Whether his body flows with his discharge or his body obstructs his discharge, it is his uncleanness.

⁴ “Every bed on which he who has the discharge lies will become unclean, and everything he sits on will be unclean. ⁵ Whoever touches his bed is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ⁶ Whoever sits on anything on which the man who has the discharge sat is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ⁷ Whoever touches the body of the one who has the discharge is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ⁸ Or if the one who has the discharge spits on someone who is clean, then he also is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

⁹ “Any saddle the one who has the discharge rides on will be unclean. ¹⁰ Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until the evening. Whoever carries them is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

¹¹ “Also anyone the person with the discharge touches without rinsing his hands in water should wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

¹² “A clay pot that one with the discharge touches should be broken, and every wooden vessel should be rinsed in water.

¹³ “When the one who has a fluid discharge is cleansed of his issue, then he is to count for himself seven days for his purification and wash his clothes. Then he is to bathe his body in running water, and he will be clean. ¹⁴ On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and come before Adonai at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the kohen. ¹⁵ The kohen is to offer them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the kohen should make atonement for him before Adonai for his fluid discharge.

¹⁶ “If any man has an emission of semen, then he is to bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening. ¹⁷ Every garment and all leather with semen on it are to be washed with water, and will be unclean until the evening. ¹⁸ If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, they should both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the evening.

¹⁹ “If a woman has a discharge, and her discharge from her body is blood, she should be in her niddah seven days. And whoever touches her will be unclean until the evening. ²⁰ Everything that she lies on in her niddah will become unclean. Also everything that she sits on will become unclean. ²¹ Whoever touches her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ²² Whoever touches anything that she sits on is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. ²³ If it is on the bed or on anything where she sits, when he touches it, he will be unclean until the evening. ²⁴ If any man lies with her, so that her niddah gets on him, he will be unclean for seven days and every bed where he lies will be unclean.

²⁵ “Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days not during her niddah or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her niddah all the days of the discharge of her uncleanness should be as in the days of her niddah. She is unclean. ^{[b] 26} Every bed where she lies all the days of her discharge will be like her bed during her niddah, and everything she sits on will become unclean like the uncleanness of her niddah. ²⁷ Whoever touches these things will become unclean and is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.

²⁸ “But if she is cleansed of her discharge, then she is to count off seven days for herself, and after that she will be clean. ²⁹ On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the kohen, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ³⁰ The kohen is to offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. So the kohen will make atonement for her before Adonai for the uncleanness of her discharge.

³¹ “So you are to keep Bnei-Yisrael separate from their uncleanness, so they will not die in their uncleanness by defiling My Tabernacle that is in their midst.”

³² This is the Torah for one who has a discharge or for one who has an emission of semen, which causes him to become unclean, ³³ as well as for her who has her period of niddah, and for the man or woman who has a discharge, or the one who lies with her who is unclean.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘Whoever swears by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the Temple, he is obligated.’ ¹⁷ O fools and blind ones! Which is greater, the gold or the Temple that made the gold holy? ^{[a] 18} And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ ¹⁹ O blind ones! Which is greater, the offering or the altar that makes the offering holy? ^{[b] 20} Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the Temple, swears both by the Temple and by Him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

²³ “Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe^[c] mint and dill and cumin, yet you have neglected the weightier matters of Torah—justice and mercy and faithfulness. It is necessary to do these things without neglecting the others. ²⁴ O blind guides, straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and uncontrolled desire. ²⁶ O blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

²⁷ “Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, you appear righteous to men on the outside, but are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹ “Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the tzaddikim. ³⁰ And you say, ‘If we’d been alive in the days of our forefathers, we wouldn’t have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers! ³³ O snakes, you brood of vipers! How will you escape the condemnation of Gehenna?

³⁴ “Because of this, behold, I’m sending you prophets and wise men and Torah scholars. Some of them you will kill and execute at the stake, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city. ³⁵ And so, upon you shall come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah,^[d] whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. ^{[e] 36} Amen, I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.”

Holy Temple to Be Destroyed

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate! ^{[f] 39} For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, ‘Baruch ha-ba b’shem Adonai. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”^[g]

24 Now when Yeshua went out and was going away from the Temple, His disciples came up to point out to Him the Temple buildings. ² “Don’t you see all these?” He responded to them. “Amen, I tell you, not one stone will be left here on top of another—every one will be torn down!”

An Aside with the Disciples

12 Meanwhile, when thousands of people had gathered, so many that they were trampling one another, Yeshua began speaking first to His disciples, “Be on guard yourselves against the hametz of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² There is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. ³ Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.

⁴ “I say to you, My friends, you should not be afraid of those who kill the body, since after this they have nothing more they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear the One who, after the killing, has authority to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear this One!

⁶ “Aren’t five sparrows being sold for two pennies?^[a] Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ Indeed, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. ⁸ Now I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge him before the angels of God. ⁹ But the one who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who slanders^[b] the Ruach ha-Kodesh will not be forgiven. ¹¹ And when they bring you to the synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, ¹² because the Ruach ha-Kodesh will teach you at that time what is necessary to say.”

A Request from the Crowd

¹³ Then someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ But Yeshua said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ Then He said to them, “Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the material goods he possesses.” ^{[c] 16} And Yeshua told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man produced good crops. ¹⁷ And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do? I don’t have a place to store my harvest!’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do! I’ll tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I’ll store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, ’O my soul, you have plenty of goods saved up for many years! So take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! Tonight your soul is being demanded back from you! And what you have prepared, whose will that be?’ ^{[d] 21} So it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich in God.”

Instructions for the Disciples

²² Then Yeshua said to His disciples, “So I say to you, do not worry about life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens. They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than birds!

²⁵ “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ^{[e] 26} So if you cannot do even something very little, why do you worry about other things? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these. ^{[f] 28} But if God so clothes the grass in the field—which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow—then how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

²⁹ “So do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. ³⁰ For all the nations of the world strive after these things. But your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you. ³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father chose to give you the kingdom.

³³ “Sell your possessions and do tzedakah. Make money pouches for yourselves that do not get old—a treasure in the heavens that never runs out, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

³⁵ “Have your belt strapped on and lamps burning. ³⁶ Be like people waiting for their master to return from a wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately.

³⁷ “Happy are those slaves whose master finds them alert when he comes. Amen, I tell you, he will prepare himself and have them recline at table, and will come and serve them.

³⁸ “And if he comes in the second or even the third watch^[g] and finds them so, they will be happy. ³⁹ But understand this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you don’t expect.”

⁴¹ Then Peter said, “Master, are You telling this parable for us, or for everyone?”

⁴² And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their food portion at the proper time? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whose master finds him so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, his master will put him in charge of all his possessions.

⁴⁵ “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is taking a long time to come,’ and he begins to beat the young slave boys and girls and to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. And he will cut him in two and assign him a place with the unfaithful.

⁴⁷ “That slave who knew his master’s will but did not prepare or act according to his desire will be harshly whipped. ⁴⁸ But the one who did not know and did things worthy of a beating will be whipped lightly. From everyone given much, much will be required; and from the one for whom more is provided, all the more they will ask of him.

⁴⁹ “I came to pour out fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! ⁵⁰ But I have an immersion to endure,^[h] and how distressed I am until it is finished!

⁵¹ “Do you suppose that I have come to bring shalom on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵² From now on there will be five in one house in opposition, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father,

mother against daughter and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”^[i]

Lessons for the Crowds

⁵⁴ Then He also was saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, instantly you say, ‘A rainstorm is coming’—and so it is. ⁵⁵ And when a south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It will be a scorcher’—and so it is. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! The surface of the earth and sky you know how to interpret yet you don’t know how to interpret this present time? ⁵⁷ Why can’t you judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ For while you are going with your accuser to the authorities, make an effort to come to a settlement with him—so he doesn’t drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer of the court, and the officer of the court throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid back the last little bit.”^[j]

13 Now there were some present at the same time who told Yeshua about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ² He answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans are worse sinners than the rest of the Galileans because they have suffered these things? ³ No, I tell you! But unless you repent, you all will perish the same way.

⁴ “Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and were killed, do you suppose that they are worse sinners than all the people living in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you! But unless you repent, you all will perish the same way.

⁶ Then Yeshua began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree he had planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. ⁷ So he said to the gardener, ‘Indeed, for three years I‘ve come searching for fruit on this fig tree and found none. Remove it! Why does it use up the ground?’

⁸ “But answering, the gardener said to him, ‘Master, leave it alone for this year also, until I dig around it and apply fertilizer. ⁹ And if it bears fruit, good. But if not, cut it down.’”

Teaching by Example at the Synagogue

¹⁰ Now Yeshua was teaching in one of the synagogues on Shabbat. ¹¹ And behold, there was a woman with a disabling spirit for eighteen years, bent over and completely unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Yeshua saw her, He called out to her and said, “Woman, you are set free from your disability.” ¹³ Then He laid hands on her, and instantly she stood up straight and began praising God.

¹⁴ But the synagogue leader, indignant that Yeshua had healed on Shabbat, started telling the crowd, “There are six days in which work should be done^[k]—so come to be healed on those days and not on Yom Shabbat!”

¹⁵ But the Lord answered him and said, “Hypocrites! On Shabbat doesn’t each of you untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it away to give it drink? ¹⁶ So this one, a daughter of Abraham incapacitated by satan for eighteen years, shouldn’t she be set free from this imprisonment on Yom Shabbat?” ¹⁷ When Yeshua said these things, all His opponents were put to shame; but the whole crowd was rejoicing at all the glorious things done by Him.^[l]

Teaching throughout the Towns and Villages

¹⁸ So Yeshua was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and dropped into his own garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” ^{[m] 20} Again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like hametz, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.

²² And He continued on His journey through the towns and villages, teaching and making His way to Jerusalem. ²³ And someone said to Him, “Master, are only a few being saved?”

Then Yeshua said to them, ²⁴ “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. ²⁵ Once the Master of the household gets up and shuts the door, and you’re standing outside and begin knocking on the door, saying, ‘Master, open up for us,’ then He will say to you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will start to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your company, and You taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Get away from Me, all of you evildoers!’”^[n]

²⁸ “There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. ²⁹ And they will come from the east and west and from the north and south, and they will recline at table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And indeed, some are last who shall be first, and some are first who shall be last.”

A Warning to Move On

³¹ In that hour, some Pharisees came up and said to Yeshua, “Get out and leave from here, because Herod wants to kill You!”

³² But Yeshua said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Indeed, I’m driving out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’ ³³ But I must keep going today and tomorrow because it just can’t be that a prophet would perish outside Jerusalem.

³⁴ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. ³⁵ Look, your house is left to you desolate!^[o] For I tell you, you will never see Me until you say, ‘Baruch ha-ba b’shem Adonai. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’^[p]”