Ki Tisa

Hi,

This week's portion is "Ki Tisa."

The portion begins with instructions for a military census, telling Moshe to collect a half-shekel per male of military age. By using a collection for this purpose rather than a direct count, Moshe establishes the principle that we don't count Jews in a normal manner, separating them one by one from the whole, and this is a practice followed to this day.

Moshe was then instructed regarding creation of a "Kiyyor," the copper sink which was used in the Mishkan. The Kohanim washed their hands and feet with the Kiyyor before entering the Mishkan.

Gd gave Moshe the list of ingredients for the oil employed in anointing the Kohanim and the Mishkan. Gd also gave him the list of ingredients for the daily Ketoret (incense).

Gd appointed Betzalel and Ahaliav as lead craftsmen. The Jews were then reminded to keep Shabbat even during the building of the Mishkan.

The Torah then reverts to the storyline of the Jews in the desert:

After Gd's declaration of the Ten Commandments, Moshe ascended Mount Sinai. After 39 days, the Jews grew concerned that Moshe was not going to come back to them. Some commentators understand that Moshe had told the Jews he would be there for 40 days, and that the Jews erred by including the day he had ascended. Others understand that the Jews had no 40-day deadline, but simply lost patience waiting for Moshe.

The Jews asked Aharon to bring them a replacement leader, just as Aharon had brought them Moshe originally. Aharon stalled them, but they ended up building an altar and a golden calf, and celebrating. The consensus of most commentators is that this was not expected to be a true idol, but only a Moshe-like intermediary between them and Gd.

Gd told Moshe, on Sinai, about the golden calf. Moshe pleaded for the lives of the Jews, and then he descended and saw the calf for himself. Moshe smashed the tablets on which the Ten Commandments had been inscribed.

Moshe punished the creators and worshippers of the calf, and he then turned to Gd and pleaded for the lives of the rest of the Jews. He put his own life on the line, saying it would be better for Gd to erase him if Gd would erase them. Moshe also mentioned that the nations would assume Gd had killed the Jews because He couldn't bring them into Israel. Moshe also blamed Gd for giving the Jews a wealth of gold and leaving them leaderless in the desert in Moshe’s absence.

Gd agreed to let the Jews live. He taught Moshe the 13 Divine attributes of mercy, as a means of appealing to Gd whenever needed.

Gd told Moshe to make a second set of Tablets himself. Gd visibly distanced Himself from the Jews at this point, moving His manifestation outside the camp. The portion ends with a physical sign of the new distance between HaShem and the Jews – the Jews were now unable to bear the glow of Moshe's face after Moshe communicated with Gd, and so Moshe donned a veil when addressing the people.

Have a great day,
Mordechai