|
|
||
HOME
|
|
Drash for Shabbat Ki Tisa/Parah By Barbara Zaslofsky - March 9, 2007 This week's Parshah, Ki Tisa, tells one of the most famous excerpts from Exodus. Ki Tisa is the story of the Israelites' falls from grace with the building of the Golden Calf. It is a wonderful narrative about the triangle of disappointment between God, Moses, and the Jewish people. This story is one that can be pertinent to many aspects of all of our lives and relationships with others. When Moses went up Mount Sinai to bring the Jewish people the Ten Commandments, the people were concerned that he was taking so long to return. They went to Aaron and implored him to make them a god, an idol, because they didn't know what happened to Moses. After they gave Aaron their gold, which was melted and molded into the Golden Calf, the people were joyous. They built an altar, brought offerings and began a celebration. God was extremely angry and told Moses "My anger may blaze forth against them that I may destroy them". Moses pleaded for the lives of his followers and made a commitment to punish the guilty himself. As we all remember Charlton Heston portraying, Moses was so enraged at what he saw that he hurled the tablets containing the Ten Commandments and burned the Golden Calf. He kept his promise to punish the guilty by having about three thousand of them killed that very day. He went up Mount Sinai again and asked God to forgive their sins. As I said earlier, this Parashat tells of a triangle of disappointment. Steven's analogy is that a baseball team's structure forms a partnership. God is the owner, kind of like the Yankee's George Steinbrenner (who by the way thinks he is God), Moses is the manager, and the Jewish people are the players. Normally when there is a major decision to be made, like disciplining players, the owner has the final say. In this story, the manager requests permission to handle the problem and to prove himself trustworthy. One of the interesting occurrences in Ki Tisa is that throughout most of Exodus, the Jewish people are asked to trust in God. In this case, Moses asks God to trust in him and that he will do what is right in dealing out appropriate punishment. Moses pleaded for the lives of the Jewish people, as a manger would try to save a worthwhile player who didn't live up to team expectations. Owners and managers learn to compromise and trust each other to handle their team's actions in a suitable manner, just as God trusted Moses and "renounced the punishment planned for God's people". Each partner's opinions must be taken into consideration in order to build the trust that comprises this part of the triangle. Moses did not forget his promise and did not disappoint God. We have enjoyed being part of Temple Emanu-El's team. Shabbat Shalom.
|
