Triennial Cycle III: Numbers 17:25-18:32
Humash Etz Hayim, page 869
Maftir: Numbers 28:9-15, page 929
Haftarah: Isaiah 66, page 1219
- (17:25-28) Aaron’s staff is left before the Ark as “a lesson to rebels.”
- (18:1-7) The division of tasks among the Priests and Levites.
- (18:8-20) Neither Israelites nor the priests will be given any territory in the land. Instead, they will be supported by donations and shares of sacrifices.
- (18:21-32) The Levites receive the tithe, 10% of the harvest. They are then to give 10% of their portion, a tithe of a tithe, also known as terumah, to the priests.
Drash – David Fishman
Politics and power struggles: rarely do they get more dramatic than the confrontation between Moses and his rival Korach along with his named co-conspirators Dathan and Abiram. What is the nature of their argument? Are there merits to their claims? And when G-d intervenes, what does Moses do? The echoes of this ancient debate are as modern as this week’s news.