The New Jew: A Field Guide

הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר שֶׁל נִיסָן

THE THIRTEENTH OF NISSAN

Hebrew

זֹאת חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בְּיוֹם הִמָּשַׁח אֹתוֹ
מֵאֵת נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל קַעֲרֹת כֶּסֶף
שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה מִזְרְקֵי־כֶסֶף שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר
כַּפּוֹת זָהָב שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה: שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמֵאָה
הַקְּעָרָה הָאַחַת כֶּסֶף וְשִׁבְעִים הַמִּזְרָק
הָאֶחָד כֹּל כֶּסֶף הַכֵּלִים אַלְפַּיִם וְאַרְבַּע־
מֵאוֹת בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ: כַּפּוֹת זָהָב שְׁתֵּים־
עֶשְׂרֵה מְלֵאֹת קְטֹרֶת עֲשָׂרָה עֲשָׂרָה
הַכַּף בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ כָּל־זְהַב הַכַּפּוֹת
עֶשְׂרִים וּמֵאָה: כָּל־הַבָּקָר לָעֹלָה שְׁנֵים
עָשָׂר פָּרִים אֵילִם שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר כְּבָשִׂים
בְּנֵי־שָׁנָה שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר וּמִנְחָתָם וּשְׂעִירֵי
עִזִּים שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר לְחַטָּאת: וְכֹל בְּקַר
זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה פָּרִים
אֵילִם שִׁשִּׁים עַתֻּדִים שִׁשִּׁים כְּבָשִׂים
בְּנֵי־שָׁנָה שִׁשִּׁים זֹאת חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ
אַחֲרֵי הִמָּשַׁח אֹתוֹ: וּבְבֹא מֹשֶׁה אֶל־אֹהֶל
מוֹעֵד לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ וַיִּשְׁמַע אֶת־הַקּוֹל
מִדַּבֵּר אֵלָיו מֵעַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת אֲשֶׁר עַל־אֲרֹן
הָעֵדֻת מִבֵּין שְׁנֵי הַכְּרֻבִים וַיְדַבֵּר אֵלָיו:
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: דַּבֵּר אֶל־
אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ אֶת־הַנֵּרֹת
אֶל־מוּל פְּנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה יָאִירוּ שִׁבְעַת
הַנֵּרֹת: וַיַּעַשׂ כֵּן אַהֲרֹן אֶל־מוּל פְּנֵי
הַמְּנוֹרָה הֶעֱלָה נֵרֹתֶיהָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה
אֶת־מֹשֶׁה: וְזֶה מַעֲשֵׂה הַמְּנֹרָה מִקְשָׁה
זָהָב עַד־יְרֵכָהּ עַד־פִּרְחָהּ מִקְשָׁה הִוא
כַּמַּרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר הֶרְאָה יְהוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה כֵּן
עָשָׂה אֶת־הַמְּנֹרָה:

Sephardi

Zot chanukat hamizbe'ach b'yom himashach oto
me'et nesi'ei Yisrael ka'arot kesef
shteim esreh mizrekei-kesef shneim asar
kapot zahav shteim esreh: sh'loshim ume'ah
hake'arah ha'achat kesef veshiv'im hamizrak
ha'echad kol kesef hakeilim alpayim ve'arba-
me'ot b'shekel hakodesh: kapot zahav shteim-
esreh mele'ot ketoret asarah asarah
hakaf b'shekel hakodesh kol-zehav hakapot
esrim ume'ah: kol-habakar la'olah shneim
asar parim eilim sheneim-asar k'vasim
b'nei-shanah shneim asar uminchatam use'irei
izim shneim asar l'chatat: v'chol bakar
zevach hashelamim esrim vearba'ah parim
eilim shishim atudim shishim k'vasim
b'nei-shanah shishim zot chanukat hamizbe'ach
acharei himashach oto: uvevo Moshe el-ohel
mo'ed ledaber ito vayishma et-hakol
midaber elav mei'al hakaporet asher al-aron
ha'edut mibein sh'nei hakeruvim vaydaber elav:
vaydaber Adonai el-Moshe leimor: daber el-
Aharon v'amarta elav beha'alotkha et-hanerot
el-mul p'nei hamenorah ya'iru shiv'at
hanerot: vaya'as ken Aharon el-mul p'nei
hamenorah he'elah nerotehah ka'asher tzivah Adonai
et-Moshe: v'zeh ma'aseh hamenorah mikshah
zahav ad-yereikhah ad-pirchah mikshah hi
kamar'eh asher her'ah Adonai et-Moshe ken
asah et-hamenorah:

English

These are the combined totals of the offerings that were brought by the leaders of the tribes of Israel for the dedication of the altar, on the day it was anointed and for the following eleven days: twelve silver plates, twelve silver dishes, and twelve gold spoons. Each silver plate weighed one hundred and thirty shekel (approximately 5.5 lbs), and each basin weighed seventy shekel (approximately 3 lbs). The silver of all the vessels together weighed two thousand four hundred shekel of the holy shekel (approximately 101.5 lbs). They also brought twelve golden spoons filled with incense, each spoon weighing ten shekels of the holy shekel (approximately 6.7 ounces). The gold spoons weighed a total of one hundred and twenty shekel (approximately 5 lbs). The cattle brought for the burnt-offerings were a total of twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve lambs that were less than a year old, together with their flour-offerings, and twelve young male goats as sin-offerings. The cattle brought for the peace-offerings were a total of twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty lambs that were less than a year old. These were the offerings of the leaders of the tribes for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed. When Moses would come to the Tent of Meeting to speak with God, he would hear the voice of God speaking to him from between the two cherubim that were above the cover of the Ark of Testimony, and God spoke only to him. The Lord spoke to Moses and gave him instructions to tell Aaron. Speak to Aaron and tell him: When you kindle the lamps of the menorah the seven lamps shall shine toward the center of the menorah. Aaron did so; he lit the lamps with their wicks facing toward the center of the menorah, just as the Lord commanded Moses. This is the making of the menorah: it was not made of separate pieces joined together; rather, it was hammered from one solid piece of gold. Every part of it was hammered—from its base to its ornamental flower. In accordance with the form that the Lord had shown Moses when he was on Mount Sinai, that is how the menorah was made.

הַשַּׁבָּת שֶׁלִּפְנֵי פֶּסַח

THE SHABBAT BEFORE PESACH

On the Shabbat before Pesach it is customary to say the following after Minchah:

Hebrew

עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם,
וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִשָּׁם
בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה, וְאִלּוּ לֹא
הוֹצִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת
אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם, הֲרֵי אָנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ
וּבְנֵי בָנֵינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה
בְּמִצְרָיִם.1 וַאֲפִילוּ כֻּלָּנוּ חֲכָמִים
כֻּלָּנוּ נְבוֹנִים כֻּלָּנוּ יוֹדְעִים אֶת
הַתּוֹרָה, מִצְוָה עָלֵינוּ לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת
מִצְרַיִם, וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת
מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח.

Sephardi

Avadim hayinu lefar'oh bemitzrayim,
vayotzi'einu Adonai Eloheinu misham
b'yad chazakah uvizro'a netuyah, ve'ilu lo
hotzi hakadosh baruch hu et
avoteinu mimitzrayim, harei anu uvaneinu
uvnei vaneinu meshubadim hayinu lefar'oh
bemitzrayim.1 va'afilu kullanu chachamim
kullanu nevonim kullanu yod'im et
haTorah, mitzvah aleinu lesaper bitzi'at
Mitzrayim, vechol hamarbeh lesaper bitzi'at
Mitzrayim harei zeh meshubach.

English

We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord, our God, took us out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then the Egyptian empire would have remained powerful and we, our children, and our children's children, would still be enslaved to a Pharaoh in Egypt.1 Therefore, even if we are all wise, we are all understanding, and we all know the Torah, we still have the mitzvah to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Everyone who discusses the Exodus from Egypt at length, is praiseworthy.

Hebrew

מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן
עֲזַרְיָה וְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְרַבִּי טַרְפוֹן,
שֶׁהָיוּ מְסֻבִּין בִּבְנֵי בְרַק, וְהָיוּ
מְסַפְּרִים בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם כָּל אוֹתוֹ
הַלַּיְלָה, עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ תַלְמִידֵיהֶם
וְאָמְרוּ לָהֶם: רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, הִגִּיעַ זְמַן
קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שֶׁל שַׁחֲרִית.

Sephardi

Ma'aseh berabbi Eliezer v'rabbi
Yehoshua v'rabbi Elazar ben
Azaryah v'rabbi Akiva v'rabbi Tarfon,
shehayu mesubin bivnei Verak, vehayu
mesaprim bitzi'at Mitzrayim kol oto
halailah, ad sheba'u talmideihem
ve'amru lahem: rabboteinu, higi'a zeman
keriat Shema shel shacharit.

English

Everyone should discuss the Exodus from Egypt, even someone whose ancestors were not slaves in Egypt, such as a Kohen, Levite, or a convert. We see this from the story of Rabbi Eliezer (a Levite), Rabbi Yehoshua (a Levite), Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah (a Kohen), Rabbi Akiva (a descendant of a convert), and Rabbi Tarfon (a Kohen), who were gathered at a Seder in B'nei Brak and were discussing the Exodus from Egypt at length, all that night, until, in the morning, their students came and told them, “Our masters! The time has come to recite the morning Shema!”