Ki Tissa
The parshah so famous for the incident of the golden calf starts with a poll tax - a shekel to be paid by all of a certain age. It carries on with the observation that the children of Israel are to keep the Sabbath (the "veshamru" from the Shabbat services). It then talks of the golden calf built by the Children of Israel whilst Moses is on Mount Sinai. God gets angry and wants to kill all the people but is placated by Moses (though a number are slaughtered by the Levites). Moses, in his anger at the golden calf, smashes the tablets and receives new tablets, spending another forty days and nights on the mountain.
Ki Tissa – Rachel Bello
Rachel Bello is a holistic registered nurse, public health nurse, consultant, healer and speaker. She is the founder of Golden Path Nurse Company and provides integrative solutions for wellbeing through a balance of Western medicine, complementary alternative medicine and spiritual healing.
In the world of Golden Arches, why do we care about the Golden Calf? This week's parsha illuminates the frailties of humans in our search for wholeness and connection to self, God and one another.
When God finishes speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. The story continues: "Meanwhile, the people began to realize that Moses was taking a long time to come down from the mountain. They gathered around Aaron and said to him, 'Make us an oracle to lead us. We have no idea what happened to Moses the man who brought us out from Egypt.'" (32:1-3). The Israelites' impatience caused God to destroy the Ten Commandments and kill 3000 people.
Before we judge them, let's get a better understanding of who the Israelites were. Imagine this: You were an Israelite slave living in Egypt raised with the story that one day God will send one of your own to save you. Instead, an outsider claiming to be a messenger of God showed up. He did not know your traditions and was not raised in a nice Jewish home - he was raised in the oppressor's house, was a wanted criminal and has a close relationship with a prominent pagan priest, Yitro, Moses' father-in-law.
Nonetheless, some Israelites had faith in Moses and followed him to an unspecified destination in dangerous territory to serve God. In other words, leaving Egypt required an enormous amount of faith in God, Moses and the ultimate vision of freedom, peace and happiness. They were ordinary people who chose to do and be something extraordinary.
Where did they go wrong? Even extraordinary people are susceptible to despair: They waited for Moses. He didn't come on time. "Where is he? He should have been here by now! We already should have met God. Should have, should have, should have..." Does this voice sound familiar to you?
Let's look at the quoted text. "The people began to realize that Moses was taking a long time." In comparison to what? Really. Is there a standard amount of time it should take to receive revelation from God? The Israelites created an imaginary timeline ("he should have been here by now") causing negative mind-chatter to kick in, resulting in the Israelites making decisions out of fear and despair. They searched for the quickest solution to ameliorate that pain.
In a world where information is sent from LA to London in under a second, we are subject to enormous and unhealthy expectations of how quickly things should happen. If Skype does not connect immediately, our subconscious minds panic. Skype is the least of our problems. We spiral out of control when we apply this same standard to our relationships, our health and pursuit of happiness.
We start to treat ourselves and others differently. We become less patient, more critical and hopeless. This increases our anxiety, sadness, isolation and despair. We distract ourselves from these feelings of emptiness with excessive food, excessive work, excessive entertainment, addictions to nicotine, sugar, caffeine, the internet and even unhealthy relationships. When that doesn't work, we turn to some of the most well known products in the world: Xanax, Prozac and Valium. In essence: we create modern Golden Calves.
When we act from the heart rather than from fear, we begin the process of engaging the Divine – we engage the Divine in ourselves, in others and in everything. When the voices of doubt, anxiety, and fear come, don't panic. It's totally normal. At that moment, remember to have compassion for yourself and not to sell short your dreams and well-being for quick fixes.
Some words of advice for avoiding those modern Golden Calves, or Golden Arches for that matter:
- Take your time
- Celebrate your accomplishments
- Spend 5 minutes just breathing
- Pray
- Give thanks
- Spend time in nature
- Have a great vision for authentic wholeness and fulfillment for your relationships, your health, career, education, world peace ... whatever your heart desires.
- Hold your vision and trust your process.
Another Voice - Ira Goldberg
Ira Goldberg is a rabbinical school student at the Levisson Institute in The Netherlands and a member of the steering committee for Limmoed Netherlands. In his free time he is the Strategic Planning Coordinator for the International Criminal Court.
In a parasha full of a tremendous number of things to think and write about, one (among many) things stood out for me as I read through it. At the very beginning of the parasha, God commands Moshe about the half shekel, the making of the copper laver for washing, the anointing oil, and the incense. In the descriptions there is a mention of the holiness of each item and a warning that if they are not performed, not used correctly or created for another purpose, those involved will die or be cut off from their people. In the midst of these texts of holiness and danger, we are told that the anointing oil shall be used to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Covenant and all the special furniture and their utensils so that they will be most holy and to anoint Aaron and his sons to consecrate them to God as priests. Unlike the other instances, anyone who touches the anointed items, rather than dying shall themselves be consecrated.
Perhaps the difference is purpose. The half shekel, incense, the oil and laver are all holy in the sense that they are set apart, consecrated for one single use in a very specific set of circumstances. Aaron and his sons as priests, the Tent of Meeting its furniture and utensils are a permanent presence with the people, but more importantly, for them. The Tent of Meeting and all the people and things that serve in it create the opportunity for meetings: between God and the people, between the people and the ritual, between the people and the torah, even between people and other people. In that space the priests, the ritual, and their implements create holiness, a space apart where, in the meeting, there is a consecration, in the relationships formed between the parties a sanctified bond is created or affirmed. Whoever enters, seeking that relationship, looking for something and touches it in the Tent of Meeting is special, finds something holy, valuable, unique. Today, the spaces of meeting and encounter we create at Limmud and other venues, where those who enter encounter teachers, people, text, image, torah, maybe even the divine, these are holy spaces. All who touch them, who engage in them, are set apart from the ordinary, they too are consecrated.