Questions
and Commentary on Parashat
Ki Tissa & Shabbat Para
1. In our parasha,
Israel
sins grievously by worshipping an idol. What is the result or punishment of the
sin of worshipping the molten calf? How do the people respond to this
punishment? Is the relationship between children of Israel and God permanently damaged?
David Nichol
Israel, fresh from a powerful
encounter with the LORD at Sinai, apparently discards the covenant and tosses
aside the LORD's commandments. When the LORD sees the revelry and worship of
the calf by the Israelites, his anger is such that he is about to destroy the
entire people! As the people are worshipping the calf-statue made from their
jewelry and crediting it with bringing them out of Egypt, the LORD (who
actually brought them out of Egypt), speaking to Moses, ironically refers to
them as "your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 32.7)! The LORD is prepared to do away with them and
make a new nation out of Moses instead. Moses manages to convince God not to
destroy the people of Israel,
by pleading, arguing and putting himself on the line on their behalf. He then
returns to deal with the situation. The calf is ground up and the people are
made to drink water contaminated with its ashes. Even then, there is disorder
and chaos in the camp. Moses calls the faithful to him, and the Levites
respond: they pass through the camp with swords, killing three thousand. After
this, God causes a plague on the Israelites, perhaps in order to "blot out"
from his record some of those individuals who had sinned against him (Exodus
32:33).
But was this punishment
sufficient to expiate the guilt of the people for their heinous sin? Though God
agrees not to destroy the people, he tells them that he will lead them to the Promised
Land: "But I will not go in your midst, lest I destroy you on the way" (Exodus 33.3).
Moses and the people realize the import of this statement - their unique
relationship with God as his people is in jeopardy. The people mourn upon
hearing this and strip off their jewelry and fine clothes. As God will not
enter the midst of the people, Moses moves the tent where he meets with God
outside the camp, and whenever he goes to the tent, the people all stood at the
entrances of their tents, and bowed down when the pillar of cloud appeared and
God met with Moses in the tent. Their apparent contrition is the first step
toward repairing the relationship.
Here is where Moses
becomes the mediator par-excellence. He speaks with God, and they reach
an unparalleled intimacy, as Moses actually beholds a measure of God's glory.
As they speak, however, Moses refuses to separate himself from the people.
Their conversation is framed by multiple reminders to God that Israel
is his people and pleas for God's presence to return to them. Everett Fox translates verses 13-15:
So-now--
if I have, pray, found favor in your eyes,
pray let me know your ways,
that I may (truly) know you,
in order that I may find favor in your eyes:
See,
this nation is indeed your people!
[God] said:
If my presence were to go (with you), would I cause you to
rest-easy?
He said to him:
If your presence does not go,
do not bring us up from here!
When God allows Moses to
see a measure of his glory, it is notable that the very image and name of God
is associated with words: ". . . a God compassionate and gracious, slow to
anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, yet he does not remit all
punishment . . ." (Exodus 34:6-7, NJPS).
Immediately after God passes by, Moses bows low and says:
Pray if I have found favor in your eyes,
O my Lord,
pray let my Lord go among us!
Indeed, it is a hard-necked people--
so forgive our iniquity and our sin,
and make-us-your-inheritance!
Exodus 34:9
Moses sees clearly that
if God does not go with Israel
and make Israel
his inheritance, all is lost. As the LORD begins to answer, it is not clear
whether he gives in. It soon becomes clear that he agrees to forgive, as he
signals the normalization of the relationship by resuming the most loving of
his actions toward Israel,
the giving of commandments. Having beheld a measure of God's glory, Moses' face
shines too brightly to behold.
There is a clear parallel
in the talmidim of Yeshua, who are portrayed in the Besorot as
insufferably slow to grasp the nature of his identity and calling and their
implications. In a passage that alludes to the one we have been studying,
Yeshua goes up on a mountain and begins to radiate with glory as Moses
did. Moses and Elijah, the two who spoke
to God at Mount Horeb, and who most epitomize mediating
God's tzedeka (righteousness) and mishpat (justice) to the
unfaithful and stiff-necked, appear and speak with him. Kefa and the other talmidim
who are present play their part and are evidently confused. Despite the
slowness of Yeshua's talmidim to understand the significance of their
teacher and master and their apparent inability to understand his teaching, the
Ruach Hakodesh empowers them and they come to embody his work in
the world. Yeshua himself is a sign of - even the ultimate expression of - God's
dwelling within Israel
despite our sin, both in the wilderness and ever since.
2. What is the significance, and connection, between two
of Moses' encounters with God in this week's Torah portion?
Joshua Brumbach
This week's Torah portion
presents several fascinating topics, including the sin of the golden calf,
observance of Shabbat, the Tabernacle, and the concept of Redemption of the
Firstborn. Yet, what I find most intriguing is two specific encounters Moses
has with the LORD. So what exactly is so amazing about these two encounters?
Immediately following Israel's
sin of the golden calf, God threatens to destroy the Jewish people and make a
new great nation from Moses. What is amazing is the response Moses makes to The
LORD. Moses challenges God and pleads
with The LORD not to do such a terrible thing.
As a human being, with
human weaknesses and pride, Moses could have said, "Ok God, go for it." He
could have allowed God to destroy Israel and make a new nation from
himself. But he didn't. Moses could not allow God to even threaten to do such a
thing. Beginning in Exodus 32:11, Moses pleads with God in one of the most
beautiful sections of the Torah:
The LORD, why must your anger blaze against your own people,
whom you brought out of the land
of Egypt with great power
and a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say "It was with evil intentions that
He led them out, to slaughter them in the hills and wipe them off the face of
the earth?" Turn from your anger! Relent! Don't bring such a disaster on your
people!
And the text says that "The
LORD then changed his mind about the disaster he had planned for his people
(32:14)." How could this be? Would God have really destroyed the Jewish
people?
Moses' encounter with God
in this section displayed his leadership abilities. It evidence of why the LORD
chose him to bring Israel
out of Egypt.
For Moses desperately cared about the survival of the Jewish people. He even
cared about Israel
over himself, and over making for himself a great name and reputation. It
showed his deep relationship with the Divine.
This relationship Moses
had with the LORD, and the passion that burned within him for the survival of
the Jewish people, allowed for the next amazing encounter. After destroying the
previous two tablets, Moses ascended back up the mountain where he cut two new
tablets on which God re-inscribed the "Ten Utterances" (the Ten Commandments).
After which, the Torah tells us, "The LORD descended in a cloud" and revealed
to Moses his Thirteen Midot (Attributes).
Moses was able to
encounter God in one of the most intimate and powerful ways. He was able to do
so out of his relationship with God, and his passion for the Jewish people. Moses
should be a stark witness and example to us today. If we want to experience God
in a miraculous way, than like Moses, we must passionately pursue The LORD and
have a burning desire for the survival of the Jewish people.
Scott Nassau
Luke 10:25-42 - Who is your Neighbor?
Jewish tradition says
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai lamented upon his deathbed about the uncertainty of
his destiny. "There are two ways before me, one leading to Paradise
and the other to Gehinnom, and I do not know by which I shall be taken, shall I
not weep?" (b. Berakhot 28b). Despite his righteous and pious life, he wondered
what would happen when he died.
Years before Rabbi
Yochanan's death, a teacher of the Torah also sought to discover what type of
life inherits Paradise. When he questioned
Yeshua about how he can share in the resurrection of the righteous, Yeshua asks
him what God requires in the Torah. The man replies with quotations from the Ve'ahavta
(Deuteronomy 6:5-9), which he recited daily as part of the Shema, and
from Leviticus 19:18, in
which God commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Yeshua affirms the
teacher's response. Yet, the teacher
wanting to vindicate himself, asks Yeshua to identity his neighbor, so he will
know who he is obligated to love. He likely considers his neighbor anyone who
is Jewish, particularly righteous.
Yeshua responds with a story.
He describes a man beaten
up by robbers and left destitute on the road between Jerusalem
and Jericho. This road was renowned for its danger, since
it ran through rocky terrain with caves where robbers hid. As the man lay by the side of the road, his
ethnicity was indistinguishable with his clothing removed and body disfigured. Therefore,
when the travelers passed by his body, they could not look at his clothes and
determine whether this man was a Jew. Yeshua intentionally keeps his identity
ambiguous, because he is more concerned with who will be a neighbor to this
man. Luke mentions a priest passing along the road "by chance," which indicates
his appearance is fortunate, signaling the arrival of help. Yet, the priest refused to have compassion. Instead,
he chose to avoid him, because he did not want to become ritually unclean. The
Levite also intentionally avoids the man. Even though the community considered
both men righteous, they failed to have compassion upon the distressed
man.
Then a Samaritan arrives.
The Jewish community despised the Samaritans and considered eating with
Samaritans equivalent to eating treyf (unclean food). Yet, the Samaritan
has compassion and sacrifices his own time and money to help. Ironically, the
Samaritan acts as a neighbor to the injured man.
Compassion for others is the fundamental aspect
of what it means to have eternal life. Our external righteousness is useless if
we fail to have compassion for others. Our concern cannot be limited to those
in the Jewish community, but must include all humanity. We are quick to respond
when our own community suffers, but we fail to acknowledge the affliction in
other regions. We in the Messianic community must not only be concerned about Israel, but also active in alleviating the
suffering in places like Sudan
and Rwanda.
We should not ask, "who is my neighbor" but "How can we be a neighbor to
others?"
Parashat
Parashat Ki Tissa & Shabbat Para
1. In our parasha, Israel
sins grievously by worshipping an idol.
What is the result or punishment of the sin of worshipping the molten
calf? How do the people respond to this
punishment? Is the relationship between children of Israel and God permanently damaged?
2. What is the significance, and connection, between two of Moses'
encounters with God in this week's Torah portion?
NEXT WEEK'S READINGS
- PARASHAT KI TISA' - SHABBAT PARA
Exodus
35:1-40:38
Exodus
12:1-20
Ezekiel
45:16-46:18
Matthew
13:1-23
UPCOMING YACHAD NETWORK EVENTS
3rd Annual Young Leaders Shabbaton
Beverly
Hills, CA ● June 8-9, 2007
6th Annual Young Messianic Jewish
Scholars Conference
Beverly
Hills, CA ● June 8-9, 2007
Learning 
