Saturday, May 27, 2023

Sheni Shel Shau'ot - Torah Portion for the Week

Sheni Shel Shavu'ot

SHENI SHEL SHAVU'OT

Second Day of Feast of Weeks — שָׁבוּעוֹת ב

Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17

22 You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes out of the field year by year. 23 You shall eat before Adonai your Elohim, in the place which He chooses to cause His name to dwell, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear Adonai your Elohim always. 24 If the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it because the place which Adonai your Elohim shall choose to set His name there is too far from you, when Adonai your Elohim blesses you, 25 then you shall turn it into money, bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which Adonai your Elohim shall choose. 26 You shall trade the money for whatever your soul desires: for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul asks of you. You shall eat there before Adonai your Elohim, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. 27 You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you. 28 At the end of every three years you shall bring all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall store it within your gates. 29 The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, as well as the foreigner living among you, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Adonai your Elohim may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

15 At the end of every seven years, you shall cancel debts. 2 This is the way it shall be done: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not require payment from his neighbor and his brother, because Hashem’s release has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner you may require it; but whatever of yours is with your brother, your hand shall release. 4 However there will be no poor with you (for Hashem will surely bless you in the land which Adonai your Elohim gives you for an inheritance to possess) 5 if only you diligently listen to Adonai your Elohim’s voice, to observe to do all this commandment which I command you today. 6 For Adonai your Elohim will bless you, as He promised you. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. You will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. 7 If a poor man, one of your brothers, is with you within any of your gates in your land which Adonai your Elohim gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother; 8 but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, which he lacks. 9 Beware that there not be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,” and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing; and he cry to Hashem against you, and it be sin to you. 10 You shall surely give, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because it is for this thing Adonai your Elohim will bless you in all your work and in all that you put your hand to. 11 For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you to surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land. 12 If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 When you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty. 14 You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your wine press. As Adonai your Elohim has blessed you, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Adonai your Elohim redeemed you. Therefore I command you this thing today. 16 It shall be, if he tells you, “I will not go out from you,” because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you, 17 then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for he has been double the value of a hired hand as he served you six years. Adonai your Elohim will bless you in all that you do. 19 You shall dedicate all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock to Adonai your Elohim. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You shall eat it before Adonai your Elohim year by year in the place which Hashem shall choose, you and your household. 21 If it has any defect—is lame or blind, or has any defect whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to Adonai your Elohim. 22 You shall eat it within your gates. The unclean and the clean shall eat it alike, as the gazelle and as the deer. 23 Only you shall not eat its blood. You shall pour it out on the ground like water.

16 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to Adonai your Elohim; for in the month of Abib Adonai your Elohim brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to Adonai your Elohim, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Hashem shall choose to cause His name to dwell there. 3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it. You shall eat unleavened bread with it seven days, even the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste) that you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. 4 No yeast shall be seen with you in all your borders seven days; neither shall any of the meat, which you sacrifice the first day at evening, remain all night until the morning. 5 You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which Adonai your Elohim gives you; 6 but at the place which Adonai your Elohim shall choose to cause His name to dwell in, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at evening, at the going down of the sun, at the season that you came out of Egypt. 7 You shall roast and eat it in the place which Adonai your Elohim chooses. In the morning you shall return to your tents. 8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to Adonai your Elohim. You shall do no work.

9 You shall count for yourselves seven weeks. From the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain you shall begin to count seven weeks. 10 You shall keep the feast of weeks to Adonai your Elohim with a tribute of a free will offering of your hand, which you shall give according to how Adonai your Elohim blesses you. 11 You shall rejoice before Adonai your Elohim: you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, in the place which Adonai your Elohim shall choose to cause His name to dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt. You shall observe and do these statutes.

13 You shall keep the feast of booths seven days, after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and from your wine press. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates. 15 You shall keep a feast to Adonai your Elohim seven days in the place which Hashem chooses, because Adonai your Elohim will bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be altogether joyful. 16 Three times in a year all of your males shall appear before Adonai your Elohim in the place which he chooses: in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths. They shall not appear before Hashem empty. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to Adonai your Elohim blessing which He has given you.