24 Av, 5777

You are children of the LORD your God. You shall not gash yourselves or shave the front of your heads because of the dead.

For you are a people consecrated to the LORD your God: the LORD your God chose you from among all other peoples on earth to be His treasured people.

You shall not eat anything abhorrent.

These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat;

the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, the mountain sheep,

and any other animal that has true hoofs which are cleft in two and brings up the cud—such you may eat.

But the following, which do bring up the cud or have true hoofs which are cleft through, you may not eat: the camel, the hare, and the daman—for although they bring up the cud, they have no true hoofs—they are unclean for you;

also the swine—for although it has true hoofs, it does not bring up the cud—is unclean for you. You shall not eat of their flesh or touch their carcasses.

These you may eat of all that live in water: you may eat anything that has fins and scales.

But you may not eat anything that has no fins and scales: it is unclean for you.

You may eat any clean bird.

The following you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture;

the kite, the falcon, and the buzzard of any variety;

every variety of raven;

the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, and the hawk of any variety;

the little owl, the great owl, and the white owl;

the pelican, the bustard, and the cormorant;

the stork, any variety of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

All winged swarming things are unclean for you: they may not be eaten.

You may eat only clean winged creatures.

You shall not eat anything that has died a natural death; give it to the stranger in your community to eat, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people consecrated to the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, published by JPS
Copyright: JPS, 1985

Psalms 113

Hallelujah. O servants of the LORD, give praise; praise the name of the LORD. Let the name of the LORD be blessed now and forever. From east to west the name of the LORD is praised. The LORD is exalted above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who, enthroned on high, sees what is below, in heaven and on earth? He raises the poor from the dust, lifts up the needy from the refuse heap to set them with the great, with the great men of His people. He sets the childless woman among her household as a happy mother of children. Hallelujah.

Psalms 114

When Israel went forth from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange speech, Judah became His -holy one, Israel, His dominion. The sea saw them and fled, Jordan ran backward, mountains skipped like rams, hills like sheep. What alarmed you, O sea, that you fled, Jordan, that you ran backward, mountains, that you skipped like rams, hills, like sheep? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flinty rock into a fountain.

Psalms 115

Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to Your name bring glory for the sake of Your love and Your faithfulness. Let the nations not say, “Where, now, is their God?” when our God is in heaven and all that He wills He accomplishes. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot touch, feet, but cannot walk; they can make no sound in their throats. Those who fashion them, all who trust in them, shall become like them. O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. O you who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. The LORD is mindful of us. He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron; He will bless those who fear the LORD, small and great alike. May the LORD increase your numbers, yours and your children’s also. May you be blessed by the LORD, Maker of heaven and earth. The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He gave over to man. The dead cannot praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence. But we will bless the LORD now and forever. Hallelujah.

Psalms 116

I love the LORD for He hears my voice, my pleas; for He turns His ear to me whenever I call. The bonds of death encompassed me; the torments of Sheol overtook me. I came upon trouble and sorrow and I invoked the name of the LORD, “O LORD, save my life!” The LORD is gracious and beneficent; our God is compassionate. The LORD protects the simple; I was brought low and He saved me. Be at rest, once again, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. You have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I shall walk before the LORD in the lands of the living. I trust [in the LORD]; out of great suffering I spoke and said rashly, “All men are false.” How can I repay the LORD for all His bounties to me? I raise the cup of deliverance and invoke the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people. The death of His faithful ones is grievous in the LORD’s sight. O LORD, I am Your servant, Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have undone the cords that bound me. I will sacrifice a thank offering to You and invoke the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the house of the LORD, in the midst of Jerusalem. Hallelujah.

Psalms 117

Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples, for great is His steadfast love toward us; the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Hallelujah.

Psalms 118

Praise the LORD, for He is good, His steadfast love is eternal. Let Israel declare, “His steadfast love is eternal.” Let the house of Aaron declare, “His steadfast love is eternal.” Let those who fear the LORD declare, “His steadfast love is eternal.” In distress I called on the LORD; the Lord answered me and brought me relief. The LORD is on my side, I have no fear; what can man do to me? With the LORD on my side as my helper, I will see the downfall of my foes. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in mortals; it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in the great. All nations have beset me; by the name of the LORD I will surely cut them down. They beset me, they surround me; by the name of the LORD I will surely cut them down. They have beset me like bees; they shall be extinguished like burning thorns; by the name of the LORD I will surely cut them down. You pressed me hard, I nearly fell; but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and might; He has become my deliverance. The tents of the victorious resound with joyous shouts of deliverance, “The right hand of the LORD is triumphant! The right hand of the LORD is exalted! The right hand of the LORD is triumphant!” I shall not die but live and proclaim the works of the LORD. The LORD punished me severely, but did not hand me over to death. Open the gates of victory for me that I may enter them and praise the LORD. This is the gateway to the LORD— the victorious shall enter through it. I praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my deliverance. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our sight. This is the day that the LORD has made— let us exult and rejoice on it. O LORD, deliver us! O LORD, let us prosper! May he who enters be blessed in the name of the LORD; we bless you from the House of the LORD. The LORD is God; He has given us light; bind the festal offering to the horns of the altar with cords. You are my God and I will praise You; You are my God and I will extol You. Praise the LORD for He is good, His steadfast love is eternal.

Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, published by JPS
Copyright: JPS, 1985

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that Yochanan had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. Herod said, “Yochanan I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.

On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” And they did so, and had them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “Yochanan the immerser. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”

And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and Yochanan and Yaakov and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Yeshua, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Yeshua was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Yeshua answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Yeshua rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Yeshua said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Yeshua, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

Yochanan answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Yeshua said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples Yaakov and Yochanan saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Yeshua said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Yeshua said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Yeshua said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

(ESV)