Ki Tisa 5771 Volume XVIII Number 23 Toras Aish Thoughts From Across the Torah Spectrum the Talmud warned King Herod not to destroy the old RABBI BEREL WEIN until the new has already been erected. Wein Online The world oftentimes believes that the destruction of the old is somehow a necessary he Torah reading of this week is naturally prerequisite to construct the new. The Torah comes to dominated by the description of the tragedy of the teach us that the old Shabat already observed by the TGolden Calf and its consequences. But the story of People of Israel even before the granting of the Torah to the Golden Calf in the parsha is preceded by teachings Israel at Mount Sinai will definitely outlive and regarding the sanctity of the Shabat. The rabbis outperform the shiny new Golden Calf that is now being attributed the presence of this Shabat subject in the worshipped so avidly. parsha as a further indication that even the construction Golden Calves come and go but the eternity of of the Mishkan cannot take precedence over the Shabat and Torah remain valid for all times and sanctity of Shabat. circumstances. This reflection is buttressed in the Torah But there is another insight that is available by its repetition of the sanctity of Shabat many times in here as well. The dangers of Golden Calves, false gods, these parshiyot that mark the conclusion of the book of apparently shining and enticing ideals that only lead to Shemot. Our Mishkan is built only with Shabat and eventual disaster, is something that is always present in never in contravention of Shabat. © 2011 Rabbi Berel Jewish society. In our long history as a people there is a Wein- Jewish historian, author and international lecturer long list of Golden Calves that have led us astray and at offers a complete selection of CDs, audio tapes, video tapes, great cost to us. DVDs, and books on Jewish history at www.rabbiwein.com. Paganism, Hellenism, false messianism, For more information on these and other products visit Marxism, secularism, nationalism, humanism and www.rabbiwein.com unbridled hedonism, just to identify some of these RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN Golden Calves, have all exacted a terrible toll from us over our history. The Shabat and its holiness and its Shabbat Shalom enforced withdrawal from the mundane and impious ew out for yourself [from yourself] two tablets of world have always stood as the bulwark of defense stone (Exodus 34:1). This week's biblical portion against these Golden Calves. Hof Ki Tisa gives us a most profound insight into The Shabat is our first and strongest line of the real purpose of both the Sanctuary and the Torah, defense against the sea of falseness and evil that as well as the true meaning of God's presence in the constantly threatens to engulf us. Without Shabat we world. These deep theological truths can best be are doomed and lost. With Shabat we are strong and explained by contrasting the two verbs of re'iya (seeing) eternal. There are not many things in history that are and shemiya (listening, or more correctly, internalizing). that simple to discern but the saving grace of Shabat for The portion Yitro (Exodus 18:1) opens with the Jewish society is one of these really no-brainers. words, "And Yitro / Jethro internalized (Vayishma Yitro) This is why later in the Chumash in parshat all that God had done for Moses and for Israel..." until Vayakhel the admonition regarding the laws of Shabat he could declare, "Now I know that the Lord is greater is again repeated in conjunction with a further review of than all the gods..." (Ex. 18:11), and, according to a the construction of the Mishkan. The Torah wishes to major view in the Midrash, he even converted to emphasize that short of human life itself, no cause no Judaism. matter how seemingly noble takes precedence over the We have already shown (in our commentary on sanctity of the Shabat. Mishpatim) how the Israelites, in contrast, seem to be For all human causes, no matter how noble, inured by the more superficial experience of "seeing" contain dross with its gold. The Shabat in its eternity rather than "internalizing". Even after they say, "we shall and God-given holiness is likened to the World to internalize" and enter into the Covenant, the nation Come, eternal and everlasting. For many times in our quickly reverts to only "seeing the Lord of Israel", with rush to build, we destroy, and in our desire to Nadab, Abihu and the elders even degenerating to accomplish great things we trample upon nobility and "gazing upon the Lord, and eating and drinking" (Ex. moral righteousness. The great sage, Baba ben Buta in 24:10-11). 2 Toras Aish and crucial difference: These tablets will be the work of TORAS AISH IS A WEEKLY PARSHA Moses, not of God. Religious leaders and the Jewish NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTED VIA EMAIL AND THE nation will be God's partners in the development of the WORLD WIDE WEB AT HTTP://AISHDAS.ORG. Torah in the form of the Oral Law. FOR MORE INFO EMAIL [email protected] The Jewish nation will become the tablets of The material presented in this publication was collected from publicly available electronic mail, computer archives and the stone, with the words showing through on both sides UseNet. It is being presented with the permission of the respective (Ex. 30:15). Moses must hew out these stones "for authors. Toras Aish is an independent publication, and does not himself and from himself," from the God within him. And necessarily reflect the views of any given synagogue. even the Hebrew word for stone, "even," is a contraction TO DEDICATE THIS NEWSLETTER PLEASE CALL of av and ben, father and son, Knesset Yisrael, the 973-472-0180 OR EMAIL [email protected] historic House of Israel. God is in words, not objects or God wants His words to be ingested within the "houses," God is in ideas and ideals, not in any specific hearts and minds of the Israelites, rather than for His individual. And these Divine messages must be "Persona" (as it were) to be "perceived" - or thought to expressed by Israel and then the world. © 2011 Ohr be perceived - by their eyes alone. Torah Institutions & Rabbi S. Riskin Indeed, even before the Revelation at Sinai, RABBI DOVID SIEGEL God told Moses: "Behold, I am coming to you in the thickness of a cloud in order that the nation may Haftorah internalize that which I speak with you" (Ex. 19:9). his week's haftorah reveals to us Hashem's Similarly, "...and Moses drew near to the nebulous mist, indescribable love for His people and our where only there is God" (Ex. 20:18). This is why, Tinseparable relationship with Him. The setting is throughout the Bible, the Sanctuary is identified with a one of massive spiritual decline in which most of the cloud and a mist. And alas, it is the obsessive desire of Jewish nation was involved in some facet of idolatry. the nation to "see" God, to objectify and limit Him to After three years of severe famine and drought Hashem some external, finite and physical entity that leads instructed Eliyahu Hanavi to appear before the Jewish directly to the sin of the Golden Calf. Unfortunately, the King Achav. This wicked leader together with his Israelites still don't understand. They seek an icon; an idolatrous wife were gravely at fault for the Jewish entity called God which will visually and physically be in people's decline. Eliyahu faithfully fulfilled his mission the midst of rather than merely within the hearts and and, at the risk of his life, challenged Achav and his minds of the nation. idolatrous prophets to a crucial demonstration at Mount God explains that what they want is impossible; Carmel. Eliyahu, the only known remaining prophet of God will send human leaders, messenger-angels, Hashem represented Hashem while the other prophets informed by His spirit, who will lead them (Ex. 33:1-11). represented their false deities. Each would attempt to And Moses then makes a logical and important request: offer a sacrifice and whoever received a response from "Teach me (and through me, the nation) that I (we) may above would be proven the real prophet. After several know - may cleave to, internalize and become united futile attempts of the false prophets Eliyahu stepped with (Your ways/Your attributes/ Your inner character forward to prove, once and for all, the authenticity of traits) so that we may become informed by Your spirit, Hashem. Eliyahu filled a ditch with water, thoroughly so that You may truly dwell within us." drenched his altar and offered his bullock to Hashem. God agrees to do this, explaining that in the Hashem responded in a miraculous fashion and sent unique morality, compassion and loving-kindness of the afire which received the sacrifice, consumed the altar nation, it will become clear that God is specifically within and even dried the water in the ditch. This clear Israel (Ex. 33:14-17). Moses then asks (perhaps as a demonstration convinced the Jewish people that concession to the nation), "Can I not see (with my eyes) Hashem was the exclusive power of the world and after your glory?" to which God responds, "No mortal can see this experience they forsook their idolatrous ways. Me and live"; but God will reveal His inner spiritual traits, This incredible experience is unparalleled in all and these must lead the Jews in their quest for God, in of Jewish history.