Behaalotecha (When you set up the lamps) and you say to him, when וְ אמַ רְ ת spoke to Moses saying, 2 Speak to Aaron יהוה Numbers 8:1 And the lamps, the seven lamps will cast their light forward in front of the menorah. 3 את־ you light יהוה And Aaron did so; he lit its lamps so as to give light in front of the menorah as commanded Moses. 4 And this is how the menorah was made: it was beaten gold from the shaft to the את־ את־ Moses was shown, so he made את־ יהוה flowers, beaten work: according to the pattern which the menorah. Question: Why is this passage regarding the Menorah placed immediately after the long narration of the offerings of the tribal leaders? Aaron was bothered that every tribe, represented by its leader, had a role in dedicating the new Tabernacle, while he and his tribe comforted him by saying that his service was יהוה ,of Levi were excluded. Consequently greater than theirs because he would prepare and kindle the Menorah. (Chumash) Question: Why was the Menorah singled out for Aaron’s consolation instead of other more fortunate rituals, such as the Yom Kippur service, which must be performed exclusively by the Kohen Gadol? The kindling in this passage refers to a later Menorah, that of the miracle of ,was showing Aaron that his role was greater than that of the leaders יהוה .Chanukah because there would be a time when the Temple service would be discontinued by the Syrian-Greeks and the Torah would be on the verge of being forgotten. Only the faith and heroism of the Hasmoneans, a family of Aaron's priestly descendants, would succeed in driving out the enemy, purifying the Temple, and once more kindling the Menorah, after a comforted Aaron by telling him that his family יהוה tragic interruption of many years. Thus would one day save the nation. The offerings of the tribal leaders were great and impressive, but they were temporary. Aaron's contribution would be eternal. (Chumash) The Hasmoneans, a family of Aaron's priestly descendants The Purification and Dedication of the Levites the Levites from among the Children of Israel and את־ spoke to Moses saying, 6 Take יהוה And 5 .them אתם cleanse is demanding with those closest to Him, His יהוה ?Question: Why were the Levites purified servants needed purification and atonement. (Chumash) sin [purification] water on them and חַטָּ את And this is how you will cleanse them: Sprinkle the 7 have them shave their whole body and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. Question: Why were the Levites asked to cleanse themselves in this way? Since [the Levites] were submitted in atonement for the firstborn who had practiced idolatry when they worshipped the golden calf, which is called “sacrifices to the dead”-and one afflicted with tzara’at is considered dead-they required shaving like those afflicted with tzara’at. They sprinkled them with cleansing water: from the ashes of the red cow, so as to cleanse them from contamination by those who were in contact with the dead. (Chumash) Ancient earthen vessel that could have been used by Moses and his brother, Aaron, to hold the ashes of the red heifer as they worshipped in the Tabernacle 8 Then let them take a young bull with his grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil and another the Levites before the Tabernacle of את־ for sin [offering]. 9 And you will bring לְחַטָּ את young bull :whole assembly of the Children of Israel את־ the Congregation: and you will gather together the their את־ and will put the Children of Israel :יהוה the Levites before את־ And you will bring 10 from מֵ את for an offering יהוה the Levites before את־ hands on the Levites: 11 And will offer Aaron .יהוה the service of את־ the Children of Israel, that they may execute Question: Why did the people of Israel lay their hands on the heads of the Levites? Leaning upon a human being denotes that the person leaned upon is elevated to a position of distinction, as when Moses leaned upon Joshua (27:23). Thus, the Israelites leaned upon the heads of the Levites to represent their assumption of an exalted position. (Chumash) the את־ their hands on the heads of the bulls: and you will offer את־ And the Levites will lay 12 to make atonement for ליהוה and the other for a burnt offering to וְ את־ [sin [offering חַטָּ את one for a אתם the Levites before Aaron and before his sons and offer את־ the Levites. 13 And you will set the Levites from among the את־ In this way you will separate 14 .ליהוה them for an offering to Children of Israel: and the Levites will be Mine. 15 And after that the Levites will go in to do the אתם them and offer אתם the Tabernacle of the Congregation: and you will cleanse את־ service of them for an offering. 16 For they are entirely given to Me from among the Children of Israel; I them for Myself instead of the firstborn that opens every womb from all the אתם have taken Children of Israel. 17 Because all the firstborn of the Children of Israel are Mine, both man and them apart for אתם beast. On the day that I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set .the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the Children of Israel את־ Myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites as a gift for Aaron and his sons from among the Children of את־ And I have given 19 the duties of the Children of Israel in the Tabernacle of the Congregation and to את־ Israel to do make atonement for the Children of Israel: so that there will be no plague among the Children of Israel when the Children of Israel come near the sanctuary. Numbers ?את יהוה Question: Who replaced the first born of the sons of Israel to minister to chapter 8:5-26 is one of the most beautiful chapters concerning the anointing and separation Children of Israel to replace the firstborn of the Children of Israel and in את Levites from את of leaves no doubt that the את and the placement of the יהוה verse 8:18 as the only ministers to Y'shua as ministers in the Tabernacle את service are an extension of את Levites and their .Father יהוה Father. That is what the Levite High Priest does, he ministers to יהוה before Hebrews 5:10 tells us that Y'shua is our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek and 1 John 2:1 concerning our sin, we have an advocate before Father, Y'shua the righteous. (C-MATS) 20 And Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the Children of Israel did according to all Moses concerning the Levites, so did to them the Children of Israel. 21 את־ יהוה that commanded them as an אתם And the Levites were purified and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 And after that the ;יהוה offering before their service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation before Aaron and את־ Levites went in to do spoke to Moses יהוה Moses concerning the Levites. 23 And את־ יהוה his sons: as had commanded This is it that belongs to the Levites: from 25 years old and upward they shall go in זֹאת saying, 24 to wait upon the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation: Question: Why does this verse say twenty-five years of age instead of thirty years of age to serve in the Tabernacle? The census of the Levites counted them only from the age of thirty, for it was at that age that they actually began to serve. Our verse refers to a five-year period of apprenticeship beginning at the age of twenty-five. The sense of our verse is that from the age of twenty-five, a Levite may volunteer to assist his fellow Levites; when he becomes thirty, he is assigned to a specific task. This implies an educational lesson: Someone who has not shown indications of success after five years of study has only a slim chance of attaining his goal. (Chumash) 25 And from the age of 50 years they will stop performing this work and will serve no more: 26 their brothers in the Tabernacle of the Congregation who are doing their את־ But shall minister duties but they will not work. So you will do for the Levites regarding their duties. Question: What does the fifty year old Levite do after he retires? A fifty-year-old Levite is forbidden only to bear the holy Tabernacle artifacts on his shoulder, but he continues to perform the rest of the Levite service, such as singing, closing the Temple gates, and loading the wagons, as implied by the next verse, which says that he serves in the Tent of Meeting. (Chumash) The Sinai Desert spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the first month of the second יהוה Numbers 9:1 And year after they came out of the land of Egypt saying The Second Passover .the Passover at its appointed time את־ Let also keep the Children of Israel 2 say Passover must be celebrated at its appointed time? The stress יהוה Question: Why does on the appointed time, and its repetition in the next verse teaches that the offering must be brought in its designated time, even under circumstances that might seem to require its postponement.