Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShavua, Parsha Ki Tisa is being sponsored by Dov and Lauren Greenberg and family of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated for the safety of the Chayalim, as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael.. To the Greenberg family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShavua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to subscribe, and hopefully to sponsor a Parshat HaShavua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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As Moshe was receiving the Laws regarding the Mishkan, the 40th day came and the B’nei Yisrael panicked when Moshe didn’t descend from Har Sinai when they thought he would. They concluded that he was gone, that something happened to him, that he would never return. They sought another intermediary — a replacement Moshe to intercede with Hashem. Ergo, the Eigel Zahav (the golden calf). As Hashem was completing his recitation to Moshe concerning the building of the Mishkan, the laws concerning the oil for the Menorah and for the Priestly garments; perhaps, simultaneously, the B’nei Yisrael was in a panic over Moshe’s failure to return, and were handing jewelry over for the eigel at that very moment.
Perhaps we could say that Hashem’s abrupt change and call to Moshe threatening the nation’s extinction over their making and worship of the Eigel Zahav could be understood in American NFL pro-football terms: The Quarterback”Audibled over center.” Audible according to Wikipedia means:
A tactic used by quarterbacks in American football to change a play at the line of scrimmage.
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin provides a context regarding their panic and fear at what they thought was Moshe’s disappearance, and the resultant eigel zahav, in his sefer, “Unlocking the Torah Text,” on Sefer Shemos (page 266) :
Rooted at the base of Sinai, the Jews grow restive [Adjective: impatient of control, restraint, or delay, as persons; restless; uneasy] as they wait for Moshe to return from the mountain’s summit. Turning to Aaron, they demand, “Rise up, make for us gods who will go before us, for Moshe — this man who brought us out of the land of Egypt — we do not know what has become of him.” [Rabbi Goldin citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 32, posuk 1]
The sin of the golden calf remains…, according to Rabbinic thought, a seminal transgression that continues to affect Judaism in countless ways through the centuries. [Rabbi Goldin citing Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 102a]
It seems, that even upon reaching Har Sinai, segments of Am Yisrael still lacked Emunah and doubted Hashem. Chabad.org provides a commentary on the continuing doubt and miscalculation regarding Moshe’s return:
After 49 days of travel, on the 50th day, the sixth (or the seventh) of Sivan, G-d gave them the Torah. [Chabad.org notes: There is an opinion among the sages that the Torah was given on the seventh of Sivan. However the accepted opinion is that it was given on the sixth.]
Standing at the foot of Mount Sinai, they witnessed G-d’s glory descend upon the mountain, and they heard the Ten Commandments. The next day, G-d commanded Moses to ascend the mountain for 40 days, where He would teach him all the laws and present him with the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were carved.2 Moses took leave of his people, promising to return in 40 days.
When Moses told the people 40 days, he meant 40 full days—nights and days. And since Moses left in the morning, that first day was not included in the count. However, the Jews miscalculated, and expected Moses to return on the 16th of Tammuz. In vain the Jews waited for Moses on the 16th, and when he didn’t show, they began to worry. The biblical commentator Rashi [Chabad.org citing Rashi on Sefer Shemos, Perek 32, posuk 1] describes how Satan made the sky grow dark and caused a feeling of gloominess to descend upon the camp, further unnerving the people.
As this was happening, the erev rav [“mixed multitude”] — a ragtag group of Egyptian outcasts [Chabad.org citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 12, posuk 38] who had tagged along with the Jews when they left Egypt, and who were insincere in their commitment to G-d — convinced the people that Moses was dead and that they needed a new leader. Terrified, the Jewish people gathered around Aaron, Moses’ brother, and demanded that he make them a new leader. [The commentators note that, at this point, the people only wanted a new leader in place of Moses, not a new G-d.] Aaron told them to go home and collect their wives’ jewelry and bring it back to him. Crazed, the men ripped off their own jewelry and threw it into a fire. And out of the fire a golden calf emerged.
Referring back to Parshat Beshalach, we have Rabbi Dovid Feinstein’s perspective in his Sefer, “Kol Dodi” regarding why Hashem led Am Yisrael through the desert (pages 111 – 112) :
To understand why Hashem found it best to do things in this way, …consider the deep spiritual darkness in which the Jews lived at the time and how weak was their appreciation of Hashem’s power in the world. To attain each new level of awareness they had to overcome two centuries of exposure to Mitzri idol worship and denial of Hashem. Each realization was so hard won that they could not be expected to go any further on their own.
….Every step of the way, they doubted that Hashem was capable of doing more than He had shown until then.
Hashem, on His side, chose not to show the Jews too much of His power [all] at once, in order to introduce them gradually to a new way of looking at the world — that every minute detail of everything that happens is under His control. But that learning process would take time and require carefully measured doses. This is why Hashem arranged for them to leave with Pharaoh’s consent. The function of the plagues was to demonstrate conclusively — even to Pharaoh — that Hashem controls every aspect of “nature.” This process came to a climax at the Splitting of the Sea [Y’bahku Hamayim]…
Also, from Parshat Beshalach, we cite from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin from his Sefer “Growth Through Torah” regarding the freedom to recognize Hashem’s Command over every detail of nature and the world’s existence (page 173) :
We see from this that even though in actuality a person is free, he is not really considered free unless he personally feels free. To be truly free, one must feel free and that is up the person. A person who worries and feels insecure is a person who is imprisoned even though he is not behind bars and noone will harm him. A person has a great deal of control over their thoughts if he works on it. The greater one’s mastery over their thoughts, the greater freedom one will experience in life.
Coming back to Rabbi Goldin’s sefer, “Unlocking the Torah Text,” on Sefer Shemos (pages 268, 270 – 271) :
…The fundamental question: how could the Jews turn their backs so quickly on all that they recently experienced and learned? Forty days earlier, amidst the thunder and lightning of Revelation: Hashem’s declarations concerning His “oneness” were crystal clear.
How could these words now be totally ignored?
A powerfully insightful approach to the behavior of the Jews at the foot of Har Sinai can be gleaned from… the Rambam in his “Guide to the Perplexed.” [He] develops the principle that human behavior does not change abruptly and that a people cannot journey immediately from one extreme to the other: “It is not in man’s nature to be reared in slavery… and then ‘wash his hands’ and suddenly be able to fight the descendants of giants [the inhabitants of the land of Canaan].” [Rabbi Goldin citing Moreh Nevuchim 3:22]
The Rambam goes on to explain that the full transformation of the Jews eventually requires a forty-year period of wandering and “schooling” in the wilderness — a period during which they acquire the traits necessary for successful nationhood. [Rabbi Goldin again citing Moreh Nevuchim 3:22]
Abrupt events, no matter how miraculous and awe-inspiring, do not carry the power to make fundamental changes to human nature. True behavioral change is gradual. In spite of all that they had seen and experienced, the Jews standing at the foot of Har Sinai were unable to make the leap beyond their idolatrous origins.
In his work, the Beis Halevi, Rabbi Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveichik offers an approach. The Jews know that the ritual service will be performed by a specific individual, Aaron, and will be conducted in a specific location, the Mishkan. They, therefore believe that they have the right to create their own “Tabernacle” as they see fit. They fail to realize, however, that each detail of the Mishkan is purposeful, filled with Divinely ordained mystery and meaning. [Rabbi Goldin citing Beis Halevi, Sefer Shemos, Parshat Ki Tisa]
Other commentaries, including the Ramban, Ibn Ezra and Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch… say [that] the Jews are not attempting to replace Hashem. They are, instead, attempting to replace Moshe. Deeply frightened by Moshe’s apparent disappearance [their fear exaggerated, the Rabbis say, by an error they make in computing the days of Moshe’s absence — [Rabbi Goldin citing Talmud Bavli Shabbos 89a], the people feel unable to approach Hashem without the benefit of the only leader they have known. They therefore demand of Aaron that he create a new “leader.”
The sin of the Jews, says Rabbi Hirsch, lies in the “erroneous idea that man can make a ‘Moshe’ for himself…” Thw grave error in their thinking is their belief that in order to bridge the unimaginable chasm between man and the Divine, an intermediary is required. This suggestion is diametrically opposed to the fundamental belief of the Jews in man’s ability to forge his own direct and personal relationship with Hashem. Rabbi Hirsch maintains that while the nation’s initial intent is not idolatrous, they quickly… descend into idol worship.
In our times, the nation of Israel seems continually plagued, and often hamstrung (adjective: having been made powerless or useless; thwarted), perhaps not unlike our ancestors at the foot of Har Sinai, by the miscalculations and “erroneous ideas” of certain factions of our people, political leadership, as well as military high command echelons whose first allegiance (noun: loyalty or devotion to some person, group, cause) still seems to be to a flawed, defective ideology, agenda and mindset (noun: a fixed attitude, disposition or mood) which is lacking proper Emunah in Hashem and, thus, is counterproductive to Israel’s security, as well as military and national morale.
Additionally, an unrepresentative Judicial system dominated by agendized lawyer societies, agendized media and academia, as well as segments of the people with similar allegiance, agenda and mindset as above continue to put themselves and their own distorted ideology before the security, welfare and survival of their brethren, of Am Yisrael and the Kedusha of Eretz Yisrael.
These sectors lack the wisdom of Torah and an inability to review history and lack the flexibility to be open to ideas and concepts which would add to the good, the welfare and security of the nation of Israel.
B’Ezrat Hashem that these segments finally see the light and gain wisdom, insight and knowledge as was given to Bezalel, Oholiav and, as Rashi says; “others who are wise of heart among you.”
May our government and military bring about the total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” collaborators and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.”
May we see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May we see our Chayalim totally eradicate Hamas, Islamic Jihad, those so-called “civilians(sic)” who collaborated on 7 October, as well as Hezbollah, the Houthies, the Mullahs of Iran and all their terror accomplices B’Yad Hashem and mandated by a government secure in it’s foremost service of, and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Esrat Hashem