WRJ Voices: Ki Tisa

Ki Tisa, this week’s Torah portion, is the one I dedicated in “The Torah: A Women's Commentary.” That is because it was the portion on the day I was born. I thought that would be a great starting point for my d'var. I read the portion and did a little research; no such luck. Although this parashah deals with a lot of stuff, this was not going to be about me!

Earlier in Exodus, Moses ascended Mount Sinai. We are now in Chapter 30 and the people are getting restless, and they are pretty sure Moses is not coming back. Meanwhile, Moses is really busy up on Mount Sinai listening to a litany from God of what he should tell the people when he descends the Mount. He is given instructions for taking a census included counting the women (that's a good thing). According to Torah, the women did give their gold jewelry to help create the Golden Calf (that's a bad thing!). In the midst of explaining to Moses how to build the Tabernacle and dress the priests, God goes off on a new tangent. “Speak to the Israelite people and say: Nevertheless, you must keep My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the ages, ...he who profanes it shall be put to death ...six days may work be done, but on the seventh day”, etc. God then “gave Moses the two tablets of the Pact, stone tablets inscribed with the finger of God.”

Back at the foot of Mount Sinai, Aaron is dealing with the beginnings of a mutiny. The people want him to make them a god. Aaron immediately acquiesces, asks everyone for their gold and the people comply. He takes the gold, casts a mold, and proclaims it as the god who brought them out from Egypt. They build an altar and proclaim a festival of Adonai. The people bring burnt offerings and sacrifices. They eat and drink and dance. Personally, I always thought this was a brilliant move on the part of Aaron. He seemed to be giving Moses more time to finish whatever it was that he was doing on Mount Sinai. I found it interesting that in The Women's Commentary, on page 501, it says, For the Rabbis, this incident functions as a “fall” story (akin to how the Garden of Eden story in Chapter 3 functions.) There are different takes on the same incident.

The more I read, the more I began to take a new position on what was going on during those 40 harrowing days when Moses was on Mount Sinai and he and God began to write what would become the story of the Jewish people. This is a story about patience or often the lack thereof. Little did they know that 40 days was nothing compared to the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness that lies before them. Even though a generation of them would never see the Promised Land, they had to teach their children and live their lives for so many of those years.

Savlanut, patience, is the first Hebrew word I taught my grandchildren. I use it with them often and they often say it to me. Maybe that was why the Israelites had to spend those 40 years in the desert. They had to lose their stiff-necked attitude and learn to listen and work and learn together.

The same can be said of our sisterhoods and women's groups. We often push our new members to do more than they can understand or what they are ready to do. We want our long-time members to stay involved at a level which may no longer be reasonable. We need to find a happy medium between all in and all out. I am currently the Corresponding Secretary of both my sisterhood and my district. In the district that puts me on the Executive Committee, in my sisterhood it does not; this works for me and them.

May the light of your Shabbat candles warm your hearts and the hearts of those you love. Savlanut...spring will come!

Diane Kaplan has been an active member of Temple Israel Sisterhood in Minneapolis for over 40 years. She is a former WRJ Board Member after serving for 12 years. Diane has served in many capacities on the board and is particularly proud to have been the Co-chair of WRJ’s Centennial Celebration.