Parsha Ki tissa Exodus 30:11 - 34:35

This week's portion contains the story of the Golden Calf.  

Moses goes up the mountain to have a little "face time" with God and to receive the 10 Commandments.  That was all very exciting for Moses.  But meanwhile, back at the encampment... time seems to drag as they wait for "that guy," their leader, Moses, to return. He's been their leader since leaving Egypt.  He has made sure they had food, water and shelter and he's the one who intercedes with the God that made the Exodus possible.  But as hours turn to days, insecurity erupts. If and when is Moses returning to them?

Aaron is left at the base of the mountain vamping as well as he can until Moses's return.  But in this case Aaron has about as much power and influence as a HALL MONITOR!

Faced with this churning mass of humanity, and no estimated time of return for Moses, he hatches a plan. A statue of a calf made of gold... gold melted down from possessions brought out of Egypt.

But what IS this golden calf?  Is it a god?  Is it a representative of a god, either the God of the Israelites or some Egyptian god?  Is it a "place saver" or some kind of "Moses decoy" to keep the people busy until Moses returns? Are they truly being evil, are they really praying to a pagan image, or are they just insecure and need a transitional object while Moses is out of sight?

However you interpret it... the calf sets off a chain of events.  God isn't happy.  Moses isn't happy... to say the least. God is ready to leave them all to rot.  Moses breaks the tablets.  

But eventually, cooler heads prevail.  

We are left with a "formula" that we still use today.  Uttering the 13 Attributes of God, listed below, helps to placate God, reminding God to treat us with compassion and not destroy or abandon us.  And the words we chant during the High Holidays remind US how fortunate we are to have such a caring, giving and forgiving God.

If we, as Jews believe that we have been created in the image of God, then it stands to reason that each of us is capable of compassion and forgiveness.

God's 13 Attributes - 

1. Adonai — compassion before a person sins;
2. Adonai — compassion after a person has sinned;
3. El — mighty in compassion to give all creatures according to their need;
4. Rachum — merciful, that humankind may not be distressed;
5. Chanun — gracious if humankind is already in distress;
6. Erech appayim — slow to anger;
7. Rav chesed — plenteous in mercy;
8. Emet — truth;
9. Notzer chesed laalafim — keeping mercy unto thousands;
10. Noseh avon — forgiving iniquity;
11. Noseh peshah — forgiving transgression;
12. Noseh chatah — forgiving sin;
13. Venakeh — and pardoning.

These are the attributes of a patient God

In many synagogues If you look at the artwork over the Aron Kodesh … you will see inscribed the Hebrew words, Da Lifnei Mi Attah Omed, “Know Before Whom You Stand.” Let us always remember that we stand before a God who is more than willing to meet us half way, A God who continues to wait patiently, through the millennia if necessary, for us to return to him, and to embrace his teachings as he embraces us.  Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Rose