1 (RY: vi; LY: iv)Adonaisaid to Moshe,
2 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘If someone makes a clearly defined vow toAdonaito give him an amount equal to the value of a human being,
3 the value you are to assign to a man between the ages of twenty and sixty years is to be fiftyshekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds], with the sanctuaryshekelbeing the standard,
4 if a woman, thirtyshekels.
5 If it is a child five to twenty years old, assign a value of twentyshekels for a boy and ten for a girl;
6 if a baby one month to five years of age, fiveshekels for a boy and three for a girl;
7 if a person past sixty, fifteenshekels for a man and ten for a woman.
8 If the person is too poor to be evaluated, set him before thecohen, who will assign him a value in keeping with the means of the person who made the vow.
9 “‘If the vow is for the value of an animal of the kind used when people bring an offering toAdonai, all that a person gives of such animals toAdonaiwill be holy.
10 He is not to exchange or replace it by substituting a good animal for a bad one or vice versa; if he does make such a substitution, both the original animal and the one replacing it will be holy.
11 If the animal is an unclean one, such as may not be used in an offering toAdonai, he must set it before thecohen;
12 and thecohenis to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by you thecohenwill stand.
13 But if the person making the vow wishes to redeem the animal, he must add one-fifth to your valuation.
14 “‘When a person consecrates his house to be holy forAdonai, thecohenis to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by thecohenwill stand.
15 If the consecrator wishes to redeem his house, he must add one-fifth to the value you have set on it; and it will revert to him.
(RY: vii, LY: v)
16 “‘If a person consecrates toAdonaipart of a field belonging to his tribe’s possession, you are to value it according to its production, with five bushels of barley being valued at fiftyshekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds].
17 If he consecrates his field during the year ofyovel, this valuation will stand.
18 But if he consecrates his field after theyovel, then thecohenis to calculate the price according to the years remaining till the nextyovel, with a corresponding reduction from your valuation.
19 If the one consecrating the field wishes to redeem it, he must add one-fifth to your valuation, and the field will be set aside to revert to him.
20 If the seller does not wish to redeem the field, or if [the treasurer for thecohanim] has already sold the field to someone else, it can no longer be redeemed.
21 But when the purchaser has to vacate the field in theyovel, it will become holy toAdonai, like a field unconditionally consecrated; it will belong to thecohanim.
(LY: vi)
22 “‘If he consecrates toAdonaia field which he has bought, a field which is not part of his tribe’s possession,
23 then thecohenis to calculate its value according to the years remaining until the year ofyovel; and the man will on that same day pay this amount; since it is holy toAdonai.
24 In the year ofyovelthe field will revert to the person from whom it was bought, that is, to the person to whose tribal possession it belongs.
25 “‘All your valuations are to be according to the sanctuaryshekel[two-fifths of an ounce], twentygerahs to theshekel.
26 “‘However, the firstborn among animals, since it is already born as a firstborn forAdonai, no one can consecrate — neither ox nor sheep — since it belongs toAdonaialready.
27 But if it is an unclean animal, he may redeem it at the price at which you value it and add one-fifth; or if he does not redeem it, it is to be sold at the price at which you value it.
28 However, nothing consecrated unconditionally which a person may consecrate toAdonaiout of all he owns — person, animal or field he possesses — is to be sold or redeemed; because everything consecrated unconditionally is especially holy toAdonai.(LY: vii)
29 No person who has been sentenced to die, and thus unconditionally consecrated, can be redeemed; he must be put to death.
30 “‘All the tenth given from the land, whether from planted seed or fruit from trees, belongs toAdonai; it is holy toAdonai.
31 If someone wants to redeem any of his tenth, he must add to it one-fifth.
(Maftir)
32 “‘All the tenth from the herd or the flock, whatever passes under the shepherd’s crook, the tenth one will be holy toAdonai.
33 The owner is not to inquire whether the animal is good or bad, and he cannot exchange it; if he does exchange it, both it and the one he substituted for it will be holy; it cannot be redeemed.’”
34 These are themitzvotwhichAdonaigave to Moshe for the people of Isra’el on Mount Sinai.
Haftarah B’chukkotai: Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 16:19–17:14
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah B’chukkotai: Yochanan (John) 14:15–21; 15:10–12; 1 Yochanan (1 John)
Hazak, hazak, v’nit’chazek!
Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!