Sivan 25, 5765 / July   2, 2005

Sivan 23, 5771 / June 25, 2011

Sivan 23, 5774 / June 21, 2014

Sivan 23, 5777 / June 17, 2017

Sivan 21, 5780 / June 13, 2020

(V.26:15) Wall Planks for the Holy Place

Readings:

Reader 1*  Amen. ¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Speak the sons of Israel and let them take for Me a portion; from every man whose heart motivates him you shall raise My contribution.³ "This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, ⁴ blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, ⁵ rams' skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, ⁶ oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. ⁸ "Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. ⁹ "According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.

Reader 2*  Amen. ¹⁰ "They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. ¹¹ "You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. ¹² "You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. ¹³ "You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ "You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ "The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. ¹⁶ "You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. ¹⁷ "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. ¹⁸ "You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ "Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. ²⁰ "The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. ²¹ "You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. ²² "There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

Reader 3*  Amen. ²³ "You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. ²⁴ "You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it. ²⁵ "You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. ²⁶ "You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet. ²⁷ "The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. ²⁸ "You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. ²⁹ "You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. ³⁰ "You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

Reader 4*  Amen. ³¹ "Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. ³² "Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. ³³ "Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower-- so for six branches going out from the lampstand; ³⁴ and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers. ³⁵ "A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. ³⁶ "Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. ³⁷ "Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. ³⁸ "Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold. ³⁹ "It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. ⁴⁰ "See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.

Reader 5*  Amen. ^26:1 "Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. ² "The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have the same measurements. ³ "Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another. ⁴ "You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. ⁵ "You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other. ⁶ "You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit. ⁷ "Then you shall make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all. ⁸ "The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have the same measurements. ⁹ "You shall join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ "You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. ¹¹ "You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it will be a unit. ¹² "The overlapping part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ "The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it.

Reader 6*  Amen. ¹⁴ "You shall make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above. ¹⁵ "Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. ¹⁶ "Ten cubits shall be the length of each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board. ¹⁷ "There shall be two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ "You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side. ¹⁹ "You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards, two sockets under one board for its two tenons and two sockets under another board for its two tenons; ²⁰ and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, ²¹ and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board and two sockets under another board. ²² "For the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards. ²³ "You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear. ²⁴ "They shall be double beneath, and together they shall be complete to its top to the first ring; thus it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners. ²⁵ "There shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board and two sockets under another board. ²⁶ "Then you shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the rear side to the west. ²⁸ "The middle bar in the center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. ²⁹ "You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ "Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain.

Reader 7*  Amen. ³¹ "You shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. ³² "You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also being of gold, on four sockets of silver. ³³ "You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies. ³⁴ "You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies. ³⁵ "You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side. ³⁶ "You shall make a screen for the doorway of the tent of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver. ³⁷ "You shall make five pillars of acacia for the screen and overlay them with gold, their hooks also being of gold; and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.

Isaiah 66:1-24

Reader 8*  Amen. ¹ Thus says Yahweh, "Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? ² For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being," declares Yahweh. "But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.

Reader 9*  Amen. ³ But he who kills an ox is like one who slays a man; he who sacrifices a lamb is like the one who breaks a dog's neck; he who offers a grain offering is like one who offers swine's blood; he who burns incense is like the one who blesses an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations, ⁴ so I will choose their punishments and will bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight." ⁵ Hear the word of Yahweh, you who tremble at His word: Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for My name's sake, have said, 'Let Yahweh be glorified, that we may see your joy.' But they will be put to shame.

Reader 10*  Amen. ⁶ A voice of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple, the voice of Yahweh who is rendering recompense to His enemies. ⁷ Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy. ⁸ Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons. ⁹ "Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?" says Yahweh. "Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?" says your God. ¹⁰ "Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her; be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her, ¹¹ that you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, that you may suck and be delighted with her bountiful bosom." ¹² For thus says Yahweh, "Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees. ¹³ As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Then you will see this, and your heart will be glad, and your bones will flourish like the new grass; and the hand of Yahweh will be made known to His servants, but He will be indignant toward His enemies.

Reader 11*  Amen. ¹⁵ For behold, Yahweh will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. ¹⁶ For Yahweh will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those slain by Yahweh will be many. ¹⁷ Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, following one in the center, who eat swine's flesh, detestable things and mice, will come to an end altogether," declares Yahweh. ¹⁸ "For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.

Reader 12*  Amen. ¹⁹ "I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Rosh, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. ²⁰ Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to Yahweh, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem," says Yahweh, "just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of Yahweh. ²¹ I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites," says Yahweh. ²² "For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me," declares Yahweh, "So your offspring and your name will endure. ²³ And it shall be from Head-of-the-month to Head-of-the-month and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me," says Yahweh. ²⁴ "Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind."

Psalm 57    (To be sung.)    For the choir director; set to Al-tashheth.
                                                                                           A Mikhtam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

¹ Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by. ² I will cry to God Most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me. ³ He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth. ⁴ My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword. ⁵ Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. ⁶ They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they dug a pit before me; they themselves have fallen into the midst of it. Selah. ⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! ⁸ Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. ⁹ I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. ¹⁰ For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds. ¹¹ Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth.

Hebrews 9:1-28

Reader 13*  Amen. ¹ Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. ² For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. ³ Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, ⁴ having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; ⁵ and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail. ⁶ Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, ⁷ but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

Reader 14*  Amen. ⁸ The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, ⁹ which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, ¹⁰ since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. ¹¹ But when Messiah appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; ¹² and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ¹⁵ For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Reader 15*  Amen. ¹⁶ For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. ¹⁷ For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. ¹⁸ Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. ¹⁹ For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying, "THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU." ²¹ And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. ²² And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. ²³ Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Messiah did not enter a holy place made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; ²⁵ nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶ Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. ²⁷ And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, ²⁸ so Messiah also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.