Rabbis' Blog

Last week I had a short pre Shabbat phone conversation with a friend that went something like this: “OK. Please share with me what this week’s parsha is about, and why I should care.”

Seems quite the challenge to take a document written thousands of years ago and make it relevant to 2022, but it was from the easiest things I did that day because that’s the definition of Torah: It’s an unchanging living document that remains relevant every single day, thousands of years later. Let’s apply the same expectation to this week’s parsha Ki Tisa - a rollercoaster of a narrative found seldom anywhere else in Torah.

It starts off on a high. Moshe received the two tablets from G-d after learning the entire Torah for forty days and nights on Mt. Sinai. These tablets represented the marriage contract between G-d and the Jews, and the relationship was perfect.

Then the Jews miscalculated Moshe’s return and succumbed to the temptation of idolatry by crafting and serving a golden calf a little over a month after experiencing the greatest divine revelation known to humanity. If the spiritual fall from grace was not enough, the Jews faced their gravest existential threat, because G-d was furious and decreed their immediate annihilation.

Ultimately Moshe heroically defended the Jews by smashing the tablets and  secured atonement for the sin. G-d instructed him to prepare another set of tablets and on Yom Kippur the case was closed. Our divine relationship was restored, stronger than ever before. If we survived that crisis, we could survive anything. 

This dramatic story is in fact the script of world history and destiny. In the beginning the world was a perfectly serene and peaceful divine garden. Then temptation and ego led humanity down a road of self indulgence and the world devolved into a chaotic jungle of billions of competing people jockeying for more money, fame or power leaving in their wake so much pain and suffering. Was creation a mistake?

This week’s parsha reveals that every worthwhile endeavor has a high-low-high narrative. Even if it started on a high note it will experience many tough challenges until it ultimately achieves its intended goal and purpose.

Don’t allow the rough and tumble of our world to demoralize you. It is meant to bring us to the era of the ultimate redemption through Moshiach when true peace and tranquility will reign for all. But this peace will be the result of our hard work in navigating the tough realities of life and learning to rise above our subjective temptations to work together in making our world a more divine place. We will own it this time.

Knowing the future is brighter than ever gives us the energy and momentum to do our part in making the end goal a reality. Increase in Torah learning, mitzvah observance and acts of kindness and together we will usher in the era of world perfection with Moshiach.

A gentile once walked past a synagogue as the congregation read this week’s parsha describing the beautiful uniform the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) wore while serving in the Holy Temple. Impressed with the beauty of those glorious vestments, he decided to become Jewish and do whatever it takes to become a Kohen Gadol.

He approached the great sage Shammai and expressed his desire to convert to Judaism to achieve the rank of Kohen Gadol and was understandably rejected. Not to be dissuaded easily, the fellow approached the sage Hillel with the same request. Hillel agreed on condition he would first study the Holy Temple service laws thoroughly before embarking on such a life changing journey.

While studying the relevant chapters in the Torah the gentile noticed the warning “a stranger who performs the service shall die.” He asked Hillel about the definition of “stranger” in the context of the Holy Temple service. “I am a stranger,” said Hillel. “Like most Jews not descended from the Priestly lineage of Aaaron Kohen Gadol.” He got the message and converted to Judaism without conditions.

Although the privilege of performing the Holy Temple service was exclusive to a certain family, they represented every single Jew in their holy work. Here is an interesting example of how this inclusivity played out in the most exclusive element of the service.

While all the Kohanim wore the same white uniform of four garments, only the Kohen Gadol wore an extra pair of four exquisite garments which included a beautiful robe of blue wool. On its bottom hem there were pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson wool, and golden bells. Everything about the uniform was extremely important but few details got the same attention as the noisy bells. Here’s what the Torah says about them: “It shall be on Aaron when he performs the service, and its sound shall be heard when he enters the Holy before the L-rd and when he leaves, so that he will not die.”

What do these noisy bells represent that makes them so crucial to the service, to the point that failure to wear them deserves a direct warning of the death penalty?

There are two types of Jews: those who struggle with Judaism and those who take to it naturally. The naturally pious types approach their divine service with calm, serene silence, impervious to the distractions of the world around them, while those who wrestle with the highs and lows of living Jewishly in a spiritually hostile world typically generate much noise in their battle for religious clarity.

That’s why these noisy bells were so crucial. The holiest Jew could not serve G-d in the holiest place on earth without representing every segment of our nation - even the noisiest strugglers. Because we can only achieve our loftiest goals as a community if we have everyone on board.