Parshas Ki Sisa

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Ki Sisa. Moshe goes up Har Sinai (the mountain of Sinai) and receives the Luchos (tablets with the Ten Commandments inscribed on them). Before Moshe ascended the mountain he told the B’nai Yisroel (children of Israel) that he would return “at the end of forty days” (as Rashi points out). But the B’nai Yisroel miscalculated when he would return and thought that Moshe died on the mountain and they panicked. The B’nai Yisroel wanted a new leader. So they (except for the tribe of Laivi) went to Ahron & told him to make for them a molten image to fill the void left by Moshe's absence. Ahron told them to collect the gold from their wives and bring it to him. The women were opposed to building this structue they are credited very much so for their actions against it. But still the men still collected the gold. Ahron took the gold and formed a calf. The Jews began dancing and singing, they were so happy.

While this was going on Hashem told Moshe that he better go look and see “your nation that you have brought up….” as the passuk says, then it goes on to explain that these people strayed from the right path (by building a molten calf). When Moshe descended and saw what was going on he smashed the Luchos to pieces. Hashem eventually, made him a new set, and that new set and the pieces of the first set were put into the Aron Kodesh.

We quoted a passuk above that said, “your nation that you have brought up….”. Hashem kept saying “you” and “your” because Hashem was referring to the Airev Rav (who were Egyptians that wanted to convert) that Moshe, -not Hashem, allowed to come along with them. Rabbi Mordechai Katz zt”l points out the obvious question, how could the B’nai Yisroel do this terrible sin after experiencing the awesome wonders of Hashem? It is almost impossible! He answers by saying that it was not so simple. The Airiv Rav suggested that they make a new leader that would replace Moshe, not a new G-d necessarily.

We also have to understand that the Jewish people at that time were on an extremely high level of Kedusha (Holiness) and we don’t necessarily understand their motivations. There is a famous Mishnah in Perkei Avos that teaches us, “Dun Es Kol HaAdam L’Chaf Z’Chus.” This means judge every man favorably, no matter what the scenario may be.

May we all learn from this week’s Parsha and the story of the Chait HaEgel (sin of the calf) to always judge our fellow Jews favorably because we may never know their true intentions! -Amen!

HAVE A GREAT SHABBOS AND WEEKEND!

Stay tuned for next week’s Parsha called, Parshas Vayakhel (VAH-YAH-KAY-L)!