"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Who chose us from among all peoples by giving us Your Torah.

Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the Torah."

Reader 1*  Amen. ¹ Now it came about in 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 calf, a bull, for a sin offering and a ram for an elevation offering, both without defect, and offer them before Yahweh. ³ Then to the sons of Israel you shall speak, saying, 'Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both one year old, without defect, for an elevation offering, ⁴ and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before Yahweh, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today Yahweh will appear to you.'" ⁵ So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before Yahweh. ⁶ Moses said, "This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded you to do, that the glory of Yahweh may appear to you." ⁷ Moses then said to Aaron, "Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your elevation offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as Yahweh has commanded." ⁸ So Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering which was for himself. ⁹ Aaron's sons presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood and put some on the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ¹⁰ The fat and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver of the sin offering, he then offered up in smoke on the altar just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ¹¹ The flesh and the skin, however, he burned with fire outside the camp.

Reader 2*  Amen.  ¹² Then he slaughtered the elevation offering; and Aaron's sons handed the blood to him and he sprinkled it around on the altar. ¹³ They handed the elevation offering to him in pieces, with the head, and he offered them up in smoke on the altar. ¹⁴ He also washed the entrails and the legs, and offered them up in smoke with the burnt offering on the altar. ¹⁵ Then he presented the people's offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and slaughtered it and offered it for sin, like the first. ¹⁶ He also presented the elevation offering, and offered it according to the ordinance. ¹⁷ Next he presented the grain offering, and filled his hand with some of it and offered it up in smoke on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning. ¹⁸ Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings which was for the people; and Aaron's sons handed the blood to him and he sprinkled it around on the altar. ¹⁹ As for the portions of fat from the ox and from the ram, the fat tail, and the fat covering, and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver, ²⁰ they now placed the portions of fat on the breasts; and he offered them up in smoke on the altar. ²¹ But the breasts and the right thigh Aaron presented as a wave offering before Yahweh, just as Moses had commanded. ²² Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. ²³ Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Then fire came out from before Yahweh and consumed the elevation offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Reader 3*  Amen. ^10:1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded them. ² And fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them, and they died before Yahweh. ³ Then Moses said to Aaron, "It is what Yahweh spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.'" So Aaron, therefore, kept silent. ⁴ Moses called also to Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel, and said to them, "Come forward, carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to the outside of the camp." ⁵ So they came forward and carried them still in their tunics to the outside of the camp, as Moses had said. ⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, so that you will not die and that He will not become wrathful against all the congregation. But your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which Yahweh has brought about. ⁷ You shall not even go out from the doorway of the tent of meeting, or you will die; for Yahweh'S anointing oil is upon you." So they did according to the word of Moses. ⁸ Yahweh then spoke to Aaron, saying, ⁹ "Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die-- it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations-- ¹⁰ and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, ¹¹ and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which Yahweh has spoken to them through Moses."

Reader 4*  Amen.  ¹² Then Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Take the grain offering that is left over from Yahweh's offerings by fire and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy. ¹³ You shall eat it, moreover, in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons' due out of Yahweh's offerings by fire; for thus I have been commanded. ¹⁴ "The breast of the wave offering, however, and the thigh of the offering you may eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you; for they have been given as your due and your sons' due out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. ¹⁵ The thigh offered by lifting up and the breast offered by waving they shall bring along with the offerings by fire of the portions of fat, to present as a wave offering before Yahweh; so it shall be a thing perpetually due you and your sons with you, just as Yahweh has commanded." ¹⁶ But Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up! So he was angry with Aaron's surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar, saying, ¹⁷ "Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place? For it is most holy, and He gave it to you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Yahweh. ¹⁸ "Behold, since its blood had not been brought inside, into the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I commanded." ¹⁹ But Aaron spoke to Moses, "Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their elevation offering before Yahweh. When things like these happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of Yahweh?" ²⁰ When Moses heard that, it seemed good in his sight.

Reader 5*  Amen. ^11:1 Yahweh spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, ² "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth. ³ Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. ⁴ Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these, among those which chew the cud, or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you. ⁵ Likewise, the shaphan, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you; ⁶ the rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you; ⁷ and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud, it is unclean to you. ⁸ You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you. ⁹ These you may eat, whatever is in the water: all that have fins and scales, those in the water, in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. ¹⁰ But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you, ¹¹ and they shall be abhorrent to you; you may not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall detest. ¹² Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales is abhorrent to you. ¹³ These, moreover, you shall detest among the birds; they are abhorrent, not to be eaten: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, ¹⁴ and the kite and the falcon in its kind, ¹⁵ every raven in its kind, ¹⁶ and the ostrich and the owl and the sea gull and the hawk in its kind, ¹⁷ and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl, ¹⁸ and the white owl and the pelican and the carrion vulture, ¹⁹ and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

Reader 6*  Amen.  ²⁰ 'All the winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. ²¹ Yet these you may eat among all the winged insects which walk on all fours: those which have above their feet jointed legs with which to jump on the earth. ²² These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, and the devastating locust in its kinds, and the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds. ²³ But all other winged insects which are four-footed are detestable to you. ²⁴ By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, ²⁵ and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. ²⁶ Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof, or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean. ²⁷ Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, ²⁸ and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you. ²⁹ Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole, and the mouse, and the great lizard in its kinds, ³⁰ and the gecko, and the crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand reptile, and the chameleon. ³¹ These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening. ³² Also anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead becomes unclean, including any wooden article, or clothing, or a skin, or a sack-- any article of which use is made-- it shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean. ³³ As for any earthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean and you shall break the vessel. ³⁴ Any of the food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean. ³⁵ Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you.

Reader 7*  Amen.  ³⁶ 'Nevertheless a spring or a cistern collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean. ³⁷ If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean. ³⁸ Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you. ³⁹ Also if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. ⁴¹ Now every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable, not to be eaten. ⁴² Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all fours, whatever has many feet, in respect to every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are detestable. ⁴³ Do not render yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean. ⁴⁴ For I am Yahweh your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. ⁴⁵ For I am Yahweh who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'" ⁴⁶ This is the law regarding the animal and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth, ⁴⁷ to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.

Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the Torah."

______________________

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Who selected good prophets, delighting in their words which were spoken truthfully.

Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,

and the prophets of truth and righteousness."

1 Kings 8:56-61

Reader 8*  Amen.  ⁵⁵ And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: ⁵⁶ "Blessed be Yahweh, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant. ⁵⁷ "May Yahweh our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us, ⁵⁸ that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. ⁵⁹ "And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before Yahweh, be near to Yahweh our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires, ⁶⁰ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God; there is no one else. ⁶¹ "Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to Yahweh our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day."

2 Samuel 6:1-7

Reader 9*  Amen.  ¹ Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of Yahweh of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim. ³ They placed the ark of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. ⁴ So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. ⁵ Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before Yahweh with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals. ⁶ But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. ⁷ And the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God.

Psalm 76    (To be sung.)    For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.

¹ God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel. ² His tabernacle is in Salem; His dwelling place also is in Zion. ³ There He broke the flaming arrows, the shield and the sword and the weapons of war. Selah. ⁴ You are resplendent, more majestic than the mountains of prey. ⁵ The stouthearted were plundered, they sank into sleep; and none of the warriors could use his hands. ⁶ At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse were cast into a dead sleep. ⁷ You, even You, are to be feared; and who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry? ⁸ You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still ⁹ When God arose to judgment, To save all the humble of the earth. Selah. ¹⁰ For the wrath of man shall praise You; With a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself. ¹¹ Make vows to Yahweh your God and fulfill them; Let all who are around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared. ¹² He will cut off the spirit of princes; He is feared by the kings of the earth.

Mark 7:1-23

Reader 10*  Amen.  ¹ The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, ² and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; ⁴ and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) ⁵ The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?" ⁶ And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. ⁷ but in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.' ⁸ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." ⁹ He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death'; ¹¹ but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is korban (that is to say, given to God),' ¹² you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; ¹³ thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."

Reader 11*  Amen.  ¹⁴ After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵ there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. ¹⁶ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." ¹⁷ When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. ¹⁸ And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purging all foods?" ²⁰ And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, ²² deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Rock of Ages, righteous throughout all generations.

You are the faithful God, promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,

for all Your words are true and righteous.

Faithful are You, Yahweh our God, and faithful are Your words,

for no word of Yours shall remain unfulfilled;

You are a faithful and merciful God and King.

Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."