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Navigating the Bible| Genesis |
| Exodus |
| Leviticus |
| Subjects |
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| Numbers |
| Deuteronomy |
The Lamp |
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| 24:1 | God spoke to Moses, telling him to |
| 24:2 | instruct the Israelites to bring him clear illuminating oil from hand-crushed olives, to keep the lamp burning constantly. |
| 24:3 | Aaron shall light [the lamp] consistently with [this oil]. [It shall burn] before God, from evening to morning, outside the cloth partition in the Communion Tent. This shall be an eternal law for all your generations. |
| 24:4 | He shall consistently kindle the lamps on the pure [gold] menorah before God. |
The Showbread |
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| 24:5 | You shall take the finest grade of wheat flour and bake it into twelve loaves. Each loaf shall contain two-tenths [of an ephah]. |
| 24:6 | Arrange [these loaves] in two stacks, six loaves to each stack. This shall be on the undefiled table which is before God. |
| 24:7 | Place pure frankincense alongside these stacks. This will be the memorial portion [presented as] a fire offering to God. |
| 24:8 | [These loaves] shall consistently be arranged before God each Sabbath. It is an eternal covenant that this must come from the Israelites. |
| 24:9 | The [bread] shall be given to Aaron and his descendants, but since it is holy of holies among God's fire offerings, they must eat it in a sanctified area. This is an eternal law. |
The Blasphemer |
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| 24:10 | The son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man went out among the Israelites and the Israelite woman's son had a quarrel with an Israelite man in the camp. |
| 24:11 | The Israelite woman's son then blasphemed God's name with a curse. The [people] brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan. |
| 24:12 | They kept him under custody until the penalty could be specified by God. |
Penalties for Blasphemy |
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| 24:13 | God spoke to Moses, saying: |
| 24:14 | Take the blasphemer out of the camp, and let all who heard him place their hands on his head. The entire community shall then stone him to death. |
| 24:15 | Speak to the Israelites as follows: Anyone who curses God shall bear his sin. |
| 24:16 | But if one actually blasphemes the name YHVH, he shall be put to death. The entire community shall stone him. Whether he is a proselyte or a native born [Israelite], he shall be put to death. |
| 24:17 | One who takes a human life must be put to death. |
| 24:18 | If one kills an animal, he must pay for it, [the value of] a life for a life. |
| 24:19 | If one maims his neighbor, he must be penalized accordingly. |
| 24:20 | Thus, full compensation must be paid for a fracture or the loss of an eye or a tooth. If one inflicts injury on another person, he must [pay as if the same injury were] inflicted on him. |
| 24:21 | Thus, if one kills an animal, he must pay for it, but if one kills a human being, he must be put to death. |
| 24:22 | There shall be one law for you, for both the proselyte and the native born, for I am God, Lord of you [all]. |
| 24:23 | Moses related [all] this to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer out of the camp, pelting him to death with stones. The Israelites thus did as God had commanded Moses. |
Commentary:
| him Literally, 'you.' |
| clear illuminating oil... See Exodus 27:20. |
| two-tenths... Around one gallon. |
| on the undefiled table See Exodus 25:30. |
| frankincense See Exodus 30:34. This was placed in a bowl; see Exodus 25:29. There were three fingers full (a kometz) of this incense (Yad, Temidim 5:2). |
| alongside (Menachoth 97a; Yad, Temidim 5:2). Literally, 'on.' |
| memorial portion Azkara in Hebrew; see Leviticus 2:9. Only the frankincense was burnt; the breads were eaten by the priests. |
| Egyptian man This was the Egyptian who killed the Israelite (Exodus 2:11) and then took his wife (Rashi). |
| went out This happened at the same time that a man was found gathering wood in Numbers 15:32 (Sifra; Chizzkuni). |
| had a quarrel Since he wanted to camp with the Danites (Sifra; Tanchuma 24). |
| blasphemed (Saadia; Radak, Sherashim; cf. 24:15). Nakav in Hebrew. Or, 'pronounced' (Targum; Rashi). |
| YHVH The Tetragrammaton, which may not be pronounced (see Yad, Avodath Kokhavim 2:7). |
| proselyte However, this is a prohibition for which even a gentile can be put to death, and hence, ger can be translated as 'foreigner.' |
| the value of (obvious from context). |
| penalized accordingly Idiomatically expressed as, 'as he did, so shall be done to him.' |
| full compensation... See Exodus 21:24,25. |
| pay as if... (Rashi; Bava Kama 84a). That is, one must pay the amount a person would to avoid such an injury. |
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