Parashat Ki Tissa՚ (Ex. 30:11-34:35) פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תִשָּׂא
INTRODUCTION:
Parashat Ki Tissa՚ (Ex. 30:11-34:35) contains the following sidrot:
Seventieth Sidra՚ (continued from the previous parasha), instructions for a census, the bronze basin, the anointing oil, and the incense;
Seventy-First Sidra՚, selecting the artisans, the Shabbath, the two tablets of the Testimony, and the Golden Calf part 1;
Seventy-Second Sidra՚, the golden Calf part 2, the decree, Moses' tent, and Moses' plea;
Seventy-Third Sidra՚, the second tablets and the Divine Glory, and the Covenant;
Seventy-Fourth Sidra՚ (continues into the next parasha), Moses descends from the mountain.
ANALYSIS:
Seventieth Sidra՚ (Ex. 30:11-38 continued from the previous parasha): Instructions for a census, the bronze basin, the anointing oil, and the incense.
Parashat Ki Tissa՚ opens with the instructions for the taking of a census. When a census is taken it is to be of the males aged twenty years and older, and each man must pay a ransom of half a sheqel of silver (about 5.7 grams; there are twenty gerah to the sheqel) as a contribution to YHWH to make atonement for his life to YHWH. If this ransom is not paid then a plague will befall the Children of Israel. The rich man is not to give more and the poor shall not give less. The silver raised by the census is to be donated for the service of the Mishkan.
YHWH then commands the making of a bronze basin with a bronze base. The bronze basin is to contain water and is to be placed between the Mishkan and the altar. The water is for the kohanim to wash their hands and feet whenever they enter the courtyard of the Mishkan before approaching the altar to serve and offer the sacrifices. If the kohanim don't wash their hands and feet when they enter the courtyard of the Mishkan they will die.
Special anointing oil is to be blended from; 500 sheqel of myrrh, 250 sheqel of cinnamon, 250 sheqel of cane, and 500 sheqel of cassia, with a hin (between 3.66 and 7.5 litres) of olive oil. The anointing oil is to be used to anoint the Mishkan, the Ark/Chest of the Testimony, the table and its implements, the menorah and its implements, the incense altar, the altar of the ascent-offering and its implements, as well as the basin and its base; and is to be regard as holy. Once the items have been anointed they become holy of holies, and whatever touches them also becomes holy. The kohanim who officiate in the Mishkan are to be anointed with the oil in order to sanctify them as priests to YHWH. The anointing oil must not be poured upon human flesh (i.e. a non-kohen); anyone who does so is to be cut off from the Children of Israel. Thus it may not be reproduced for mundane use.
Special incense is to be produced for the incense altar consisting of; storax-gum, sheḥeleth[1], galbanum, and frankincense; in equal proportions, salted and pulverised into a fine powder. The incense is not to be reproduced for mundane purposes and can only be used upon the incense altar; anyone who does reproduce the holy incense for their own pleasure is to be cut off from the Children of Israel.
Seventy-First Sidra՚ (Ex. 31:1-32:14): Selecting the artisans, the Shabbath, the two tablets of the Testimony, and the Golden Calf part 1.
YHWH now nominates the artisan who will be responsible for producing and constructing the Mishkan, its vessels, the garments for the kohanim and Kohen Gadol, along with the anointing oil and incense. YHWH nominates Beṣal՚el son of ՚Uri son of Ḥur of the tribe of Judah, whom YHWH has filled with the spirit of God in wisdom, understanding and knowledge in all kinds of mela՚kha (work that is productive or creative). Beṣal՚el was a true artisan for he could work with gold, silver, bronze, the cutting and setting of precious stones, wood carving, and was even able to design objects from his imagination. ՚Aholi՚av son of ՚Aḥisamakh of the tribe of Dan is nominated to be his assistant.
Moses is to tell the Children of Israel that even though they will be undertaking the great and holy task of making the Mishkan and all its accessories, they are not to neglect the keeping of the Shabbath, "for it is a sign between Me and between you throughout your generations, to know that I YHWH sanctify you" (Ex. 31:13). Thus, the holiness of the Shabbath is greater than the holy deed of constructing the Mishkan; consequently, "for it is holy to you" (Ex. 31:14), therefore the Shabbath has to be kept even if the task underhand is one dedicated to YHWH. Whoever profanes the Shabbath is to be put to death, and anyone who does mela՚kha on the Shabbath is to be cut of from the Children of Israel. - Why does the Torah prescribe two distinct punishments for the wilful desecration of the Shabbath; death for profaning and being cut off for performing mela՚kha? Surely performance of mela՚kha on the Shabbath is by nature a profanation of the Shabbath and should also carry the death sustenance? In fact verse 15 does proscribe the death sentence for the performance of mela՚kha on the Shabbath, this is not a textual contradiction but a difference in circumstance. Deuteronomy 19:15 states, "One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity or for any sin, in any sin that he shall sin; at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses shall the matter be established" (Deut. 19:15). In other words if an individual wilfully desecrates the Shabbath and there are two witnesses to the incident whose testimony has been validated by a court of law, then the punishment is death. However, if there are not sufficient witnesses or enough evidence to substantiate the claim; then the punishment is being cut off from the Children of Israel. - Six days we may perform our mela՚kha, but on the seventh day the Shabbath "a ceasing holy to YHWH" (Ex. 31:15). The Shabbath is to be observed in perpetuity as a sign and a covenant between YHWH and the Children of Israel, "for (in) six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day, He ceased and was refreshed" (Ex. 31:17).
"And He gave to Moses when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God" (Ex. 31:18). The original Ten Sayings were not written by Moses but by YHWH Himself!
Moses is on the mountain longer than he should have been. The people assemble against Aaron and say to him, "Arise make us a god who will go before us, for this Moses the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him" (Ex. 32:1). Rather than arguing with them (maybe out of fear), Aaron tells them to bring to him the gold earrings belonging to their wives, sons, and daughters. The people do as Aaron tells them and he forms the gold with a graving-tool making it into a molten calf, furthermore he declares; "These are your gods O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt" (Ex. 32:4). Aaron builds an altar before the calf and declares the morrow as a festival to YHWH. The next day the people rise early in the morning and offer ascent-offerings along with wellbeing-offerings. They then sit down to eat and drink, and soon become licentious. YHWH tells Moses to go down from the mountain, "for corrupt have become your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt" (Ex. 32:7). As an angry father may say to the mother of his child "your child", so YHWH in His anger with Israel pushes ownership of the people onto Moses. YHWH tells Moses that the people have quickly turned aside from the way that He commanded them, for they have made a molten calf and are prostrating themselves before it as well as offering it sacrifices while declaring it to be the god that brought them out of Egypt. YHWH declares to Moses that this people are a stiff-necked people therefore His anger will consume them, but He will make Moses into a great nation. Moses tries to placate the Face of YHWH his God by reasoning with Him. Moses reminds YHWH that Israel is His people whom He brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand. If YHWH was to destroy Israel then the Egyptians would be able to declare that YHWH brought Israel out of Egypt for an evil purpose; in order to kill them in the mountains and wipe them out. Moses asks YHWH to change His mind and to recall Abraham, Isaac and Israel to whom He swore that He would make their offspring as many as the stars of the heavens and the land of Canaan would be an inheritance to their descendants forever. "And YHWH was sorry; concerning the evil, that he spoke to do to His people" (Ex. 32:14).
Seventy-Second Sidra՚ (Ex. 32:15-33:23): The golden Calf part 2, the decree, Moses' tent, and Moses' plea.
Moses descends from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand, "tablets written on both of their sides, on the one side and the other they were written. And the tablets, they were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets" (Ex. 32:15-16). Joshua hears the sound of the people shouting and says to Moses, "The sound of war is in the camp" (Ex. 32:17). Moses responds that it is not the sound of the song of war that can be heard, but just the sound of song. When Moses approaches the camp and sees the calf as well as the people dancing his anger flares up and he throws the tablets smashing them beneath the mountain. Moses takes the calf, burns it with fire, grinds it into a fine powder, scatters it on the surface of the water, and then makes the Children of Israel drink it. Moses turns to Aaron, "What did this people do to you; that you have brought upon it (such) a great sin" (Ex. 32:21). Aaron responds by first trying to mollify Moses, shifting the blame entirely onto the shoulders of the people. Aaron continues with his defence saying that the people asked him to make them a god who will go before them because they did not know what had become of Moses. Aaron explains that he collected the peoples gold, threw it into the fire, and lo and behold the calf came out! Moses sees that the people had become wild, simply because Aaron had let them become that way - Aaron did not stand his ground by simply saying "No!" and thus brought shame on them. Moses stations himself at the entrance of the camp and says, "Whoever is for YHWH (come) to me" (Ex. 32:26); all the Children of Lewi (Moses' own tribe) gather to him. Moses tells them that YHWH, the God of Israel, has commanded each man to girdle his sword and to go through the camp from gate to gate and kill each man his brother, his friend, and those near to him. The Children of Lewi did as Moses commanded them, and on that day approximately three thousand men fell - presumably from those who had participated in the festival held for the golden calf. "Moses said today fill your hands [i.e. consecrate yourselves] for YHWH, even each man against his son and against his brother; to bestow a blessing upon you today" (Ex. 32:29). The next day Moses tells the people that they had committed a great sin, and now he will go up to YHWH to try and make atonement for their sin. Moses returns to YHWH and petitions Him, confessing the sins of the people, and asks YHWH to lift their sin, but if He will not then to blot him out of the book that YHWH has written. YHWH responds, "Whoever sins against me, I shall blot him (alone) out of My book" (Ex. 32:33) - thus one cannot pay for the sins of someone else. YHWH tells Moses to go and to lead the people to Canaan, His messenger will go before them, but He will call them to account for their sin, "And YHWH plagued the people; because they made the calf, that Aaron made" (Ex. 32:35).
YHWH tells Moses that he is to bring the people to the land that He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give to their descendants. YHWH will send a messenger before them, who will drive out the Canaanites and all the other peoples dwelling in the land; a land flowing with milk and honey. However, YHWH will not go up in the midst of the people for they are a stiff necked people; lest He consumes them on the way. When the people heard this evil decree they mourned and from that moment on they stopped wearing their jewellery.
Moses takes the Tent and pitches it for himself far outside the camp and calls it the Tent of Appointed Times, "And it was whoever besought YHWH, would go out to the Tent of Appointed Times, that was outside of the camp" (Ex. 33:7). This Tent is not to be confused with the Mishkan that is later also called the Tent of Appointed Times. Whenever Moses would go out to the Tent all the people would station themselves at the entrance of their tents and would look upon Moses until he entered into the Tent. Whenever Moses entered the Tent the column of cloud would descend positioning itself at the Tent's entrance and YHWH would speak with Moses. Each time the people saw the column of cloud standing at the entrance to the Tent they would rise and prostrate themselves at the entrance of their tents. And when Moses would return to the camp Joshua his attendant would not depart from within the Tent, "And YHWH would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Ex. 33:11).
Moses says to YHWH that He told him to bring this people up, but as of yet He has not let him know whom He will send with him. YHWH also told Moses that He will know him by name, and that he has found favour in His eyes! If this is true, petitions Moses, surely YHWH would let him know His way so that he will know Him. YHWH wants to know if His presence were to go with Moses would he have peace of mind. To which Moses responds, if YHWH's presence does not go with them then He should not bring them up from here. Moses pleads to YHWH for Him to go with them to make them separate from every other people on the face of the earth. YHWH tells Moses that He will do all that he requested, because he has found favour in YHWH's eyes and He has known him by name. Moses asks to see YHWH's Glory, to which YHWH responds, "I will cause to pass all My goodness before you, and I will call out the name of YHWH before you; and I will show favour to whom I show favour, and I will show compassion to whom I show compassion" (Ex. 33:19). However, Moses cannot see YHWH's Face, "for no human can see me and live" (Ex. 33:20). Moses is instructed to station himself on a rock at a place by YHWH and when YHWH's Glory passes by He will place Moses in the cleft of the rock and will cover him with His hand until He has passed by. Then YHWH will remove His hand and Moses will see after YHWH; but not His Face!
Seventy-Third Sidra՚ (Ex. 34:1-26): The second tablets and the Divine Glory, and the Covenant.
Unlike the first set of tablets, which were written by YHWH, the second set of tablets are carved out of the rock and written by Moses at the command of YHWH. The second set is a reproduction of the first set which Moses smashed. YHWH commands Moses to ascend Mount Sinai in the morning and station himself on the top of the mountain. Moses is to ascend alone and no other person or animal is to be found on or near the mountain. Before ascending the mountain Moses carves out a second set of tablets. In the morning Moses ascends the mountain with the tablets in his hands. YHWH descends in the cloud and stations Himself there with Moses, calling out His own name. YHWH passes before Moses' face and proclaims His attributes to him, "YHWH is YHWH, a God compassionate and gracious; long-suffering in anger, and abundant in kindness and truth. Keeping kindness to the thousandth generation, bearing iniquity and transgression and sin; but Who will definitely not clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's' children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation" (Ex. 34:6-7). Moses quickly bows down on the ground and pleads with YHWH that if he Moses has found favour in YHWH's eyes then He will remain amongst the people even if they are stiff-necked, forgive their iniquities and sins, and make them His inheritance.
"Here I cut a covenant, before all your people I will do wonders, such as have not been created in all the earth and among all the nations" (Ex. 34:10). The upholding of the Covenant requires from us that we keep YHWH's commandments. YHWH will drive out the inhabitants of the land of Canaan from before us. We must not cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan lest it be a snare and lead us away from the Torah. We are to pull down their altars, shatter their standing stones, and their ՚Asheroth (sacred trees) we are to cut down. We are not to bow down to another god, "for YHWH - jealous is His name, a jealous God is He" (Ex. 34:14). If we do cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan will end up going a, "whoring after their gods" (Ex. 34:15), by being invited to their religious celebrations, partaking in their religious practices, and then worshipping their gods and offering sacrifices to them. Our sons are not to marry their daughters, because their daughters will go a whoring after their gods and entice our sons to do the same. We are not to make a molten god for ourselves. The Pilgrimage Festival of Maṣṣoth (unleavened bread) we are to keep for seven days during which we are to eat maṣṣoth, "as I commanded you, at the appointed-time the month of the ՚Aviv;[2] for in the month of the ՚Aviv, you went out from Egypt" (Ex. 34:18). The first-opener of a womb belongs to YHWH. The first male opener of the live-stock i.e. oxen and sheep, belongs to YHWH; however, the first-opener of a donkey shall be ransomed with a sheep and if it is not ransomed then its neck shall be broken. Every firstborn of our sons we shall ransom and when ransom our sons we are not to be seen before YHWH empty handed i.e. without an offering. Six days we are to work, but on the seventh day we shall cease even at ploughing time and at harvest time. (The farmer is therefore commanded to keep the Shabbath even at the time of year when he is at his busiest when an extra day's work could mean the difference between success and failure.) We are to observe the Pilgrimage Festival of Shavuՙoth (weeks) for the first-fruits of the wheat harvest, and also the Pilgrimage Festival of the Ingathering at the turning of the year i.e. just before the onset of the winter months. Three times in the year (i.e. for the three pilgrimage festivals) all our males shall be seen before the Lord YHWH God of Israel. He will dispossess nations from before us and will widen our borders and no man shall desire our land (i.e. want to take it away from us). We are not to slaughter the Pesaḥ offering with anything fermented/soured nor is any of it to remain overnight to the morning. The first of the first-fruits of our soil we shall bring to the House of YHWH our God; and we shall not cook a kid in the milk of its mother (a form of fertility rite for an abundant harvest).
Seventy-Fourth Sidra՚ (Ex. 34:27-35 continues into the next parasha): Moses descends from the mountain.
YHWH commands Moses to write down the Ten Sayings for in accordance with them will YHWH cut the covenant with Israel. Moses was with YHWH for forty days and forty nights and he did not need to eat nor drink. When Moses descends from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand, he does not realize that the skin of his face is radiating from having spoken with YHWH. When Aaron and the Children of Israel saw Moses they were afraid to approach him because his face was radiating. Moses calls after them, and Aaron and the princes of the community come back to him; Moses speaks to them. Afterward all the Children of Israel approach Moses, "and he commanded them, all that YHWH had spoken with him on Mount Sinai" (Ex. 34:32). Moses finishes speaking with the people and veils his face. Whenever Moses entered the Tent to speak with YHWH - and would be before His presence - he would remove the veil and when Moses left the Tent he would veil his face.
AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS:
And He gave to Moses when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God. (Ex. 31:18)
Tablets written on both of their sides, on the one side and the other they were written. And the tablets, they were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets. (Ex. 32:15-16)
YHWH first made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants; circumcision being the sign of the covenant. The covenant is enacted through the circumcision at eight days old of all male infants belonging to the family of Abraham. Any male who wants to join the Abrahamic family first needs to take upon himself the sign of the covenant, and any male born into the Abrahamic family who is not circumcised at eight days old and does not correct this when older, "shall be cut off from his people; he has violated My covenant" (Gen. 17:14). By its very nature the covenant between YHWH and Abraham excludes all the other families of mankind. It is a covenant between YHWH and Abraham's descendants whether they are Israelites, Ishmaelites or Edomites (descendants of Esau); for all three peoples are the descendants of Abraham. However, it was through Abraham's son Isaac that YHWH would reconfirm His covenant and establish Isaac's son Jacob as the foundation of His people; calling him Israel. So at Mount Sinai YHWH made a covenant with a single people - Israel and all those who had attached themselves to the Children of Israel; a special covenant between YHWH and Israel.
But what exactly is a covenant?
A covenant is a pact or contract whereby the parties involved have certain obligations towards each other. The parties are well defined within the wording of the text and the terms of the covenant are stipulated while the rewards for keeping the covenant as well as the penalties for breaking it are plainly described.
The covenant between YHWH and Israel has all of the above. The parties are well defined - YHWH and Israel. The terms are stipulated - He will be our God, protect us against nature and enemies, give us the land of Canaan as an inheritance forever, provide us with bounty and great sustenance, and a whole host of other goodies; our obligations are to keep His Torah, seek justice in our dealings with our fellow human beings, worship only Him, and to be loyal to Him - not much when we consider the benefits! And the punishment if we don't keep the covenant; the slow withdrawal of His blessings that he has bestowed upon us, enemies will surround us, persecution, if we still don't heed then exile from our land, and if we still don't heed then terrible persecution in the lands of our Exile until we are no longer a stiff necked people!
There are usually at least two copies of a contract one copy for each of the parties involved, and so it is with the Ten Sayings; two tablets of the Testimony - not one. Most people assume because there were two tablets that the Ten Sayings must have been divided between the two tablets. However, I like to think that the two tablets were exact duplicates of each other; the Ten Sayings written in full on both tablets. Just like any contract there were two duplicate copies - one for YHWH and the other for Israel - both copies kept in the Ark of the Testimony for safekeeping. And like any other contract between a superior and an inferior, the Ten Sayings commence with the declaration of who the superior party is to the contract and their credentials, "I am YHWH your God; who brought you out from the land of Egypt from the house of slavery" (Ex. 20:2). The Ten Sayings are not the entire covenant, but are the underlying themes for the various categories of ordinances, judgments, commandments, and laws contained throughout the Torah, "write for yourself these words; for in accordance with these words I will cut a covenant with you and with Israel" (Ex. 34:27).
All we need to do in order to bring down YHWH's blessings upon us, to bestow upon us a good and fruitful life in our own land unmolested by others - is to keep our part of the contract signed at Mount Sinai over 3,500 year ago, and He will keep His. Not much to ask for!
[1] Hebrew uncertain.
[2] אָבִיב - fresh ears of barley.
Parashat Ki Tissa՚ (Ex. 30:11-34:35) contains the following sidrot:
Seventieth Sidra՚ (continued from the previous parasha), instructions for a census, the bronze basin, the anointing oil, and the incense;
Seventy-First Sidra՚, selecting the artisans, the Shabbath, the two tablets of the Testimony, and the Golden Calf part 1;
Seventy-Second Sidra՚, the golden Calf part 2, the decree, Moses' tent, and Moses' plea;
Seventy-Third Sidra՚, the second tablets and the Divine Glory, and the Covenant;
Seventy-Fourth Sidra՚ (continues into the next parasha), Moses descends from the mountain.
ANALYSIS:
Seventieth Sidra՚ (Ex. 30:11-38 continued from the previous parasha): Instructions for a census, the bronze basin, the anointing oil, and the incense.
Parashat Ki Tissa՚ opens with the instructions for the taking of a census. When a census is taken it is to be of the males aged twenty years and older, and each man must pay a ransom of half a sheqel of silver (about 5.7 grams; there are twenty gerah to the sheqel) as a contribution to YHWH to make atonement for his life to YHWH. If this ransom is not paid then a plague will befall the Children of Israel. The rich man is not to give more and the poor shall not give less. The silver raised by the census is to be donated for the service of the Mishkan.
YHWH then commands the making of a bronze basin with a bronze base. The bronze basin is to contain water and is to be placed between the Mishkan and the altar. The water is for the kohanim to wash their hands and feet whenever they enter the courtyard of the Mishkan before approaching the altar to serve and offer the sacrifices. If the kohanim don't wash their hands and feet when they enter the courtyard of the Mishkan they will die.
Special anointing oil is to be blended from; 500 sheqel of myrrh, 250 sheqel of cinnamon, 250 sheqel of cane, and 500 sheqel of cassia, with a hin (between 3.66 and 7.5 litres) of olive oil. The anointing oil is to be used to anoint the Mishkan, the Ark/Chest of the Testimony, the table and its implements, the menorah and its implements, the incense altar, the altar of the ascent-offering and its implements, as well as the basin and its base; and is to be regard as holy. Once the items have been anointed they become holy of holies, and whatever touches them also becomes holy. The kohanim who officiate in the Mishkan are to be anointed with the oil in order to sanctify them as priests to YHWH. The anointing oil must not be poured upon human flesh (i.e. a non-kohen); anyone who does so is to be cut off from the Children of Israel. Thus it may not be reproduced for mundane use.
Special incense is to be produced for the incense altar consisting of; storax-gum, sheḥeleth[1], galbanum, and frankincense; in equal proportions, salted and pulverised into a fine powder. The incense is not to be reproduced for mundane purposes and can only be used upon the incense altar; anyone who does reproduce the holy incense for their own pleasure is to be cut off from the Children of Israel.
Seventy-First Sidra՚ (Ex. 31:1-32:14): Selecting the artisans, the Shabbath, the two tablets of the Testimony, and the Golden Calf part 1.
YHWH now nominates the artisan who will be responsible for producing and constructing the Mishkan, its vessels, the garments for the kohanim and Kohen Gadol, along with the anointing oil and incense. YHWH nominates Beṣal՚el son of ՚Uri son of Ḥur of the tribe of Judah, whom YHWH has filled with the spirit of God in wisdom, understanding and knowledge in all kinds of mela՚kha (work that is productive or creative). Beṣal՚el was a true artisan for he could work with gold, silver, bronze, the cutting and setting of precious stones, wood carving, and was even able to design objects from his imagination. ՚Aholi՚av son of ՚Aḥisamakh of the tribe of Dan is nominated to be his assistant.
Moses is to tell the Children of Israel that even though they will be undertaking the great and holy task of making the Mishkan and all its accessories, they are not to neglect the keeping of the Shabbath, "for it is a sign between Me and between you throughout your generations, to know that I YHWH sanctify you" (Ex. 31:13). Thus, the holiness of the Shabbath is greater than the holy deed of constructing the Mishkan; consequently, "for it is holy to you" (Ex. 31:14), therefore the Shabbath has to be kept even if the task underhand is one dedicated to YHWH. Whoever profanes the Shabbath is to be put to death, and anyone who does mela՚kha on the Shabbath is to be cut of from the Children of Israel. - Why does the Torah prescribe two distinct punishments for the wilful desecration of the Shabbath; death for profaning and being cut off for performing mela՚kha? Surely performance of mela՚kha on the Shabbath is by nature a profanation of the Shabbath and should also carry the death sustenance? In fact verse 15 does proscribe the death sentence for the performance of mela՚kha on the Shabbath, this is not a textual contradiction but a difference in circumstance. Deuteronomy 19:15 states, "One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity or for any sin, in any sin that he shall sin; at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses shall the matter be established" (Deut. 19:15). In other words if an individual wilfully desecrates the Shabbath and there are two witnesses to the incident whose testimony has been validated by a court of law, then the punishment is death. However, if there are not sufficient witnesses or enough evidence to substantiate the claim; then the punishment is being cut off from the Children of Israel. - Six days we may perform our mela՚kha, but on the seventh day the Shabbath "a ceasing holy to YHWH" (Ex. 31:15). The Shabbath is to be observed in perpetuity as a sign and a covenant between YHWH and the Children of Israel, "for (in) six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day, He ceased and was refreshed" (Ex. 31:17).
"And He gave to Moses when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God" (Ex. 31:18). The original Ten Sayings were not written by Moses but by YHWH Himself!
Moses is on the mountain longer than he should have been. The people assemble against Aaron and say to him, "Arise make us a god who will go before us, for this Moses the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him" (Ex. 32:1). Rather than arguing with them (maybe out of fear), Aaron tells them to bring to him the gold earrings belonging to their wives, sons, and daughters. The people do as Aaron tells them and he forms the gold with a graving-tool making it into a molten calf, furthermore he declares; "These are your gods O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt" (Ex. 32:4). Aaron builds an altar before the calf and declares the morrow as a festival to YHWH. The next day the people rise early in the morning and offer ascent-offerings along with wellbeing-offerings. They then sit down to eat and drink, and soon become licentious. YHWH tells Moses to go down from the mountain, "for corrupt have become your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt" (Ex. 32:7). As an angry father may say to the mother of his child "your child", so YHWH in His anger with Israel pushes ownership of the people onto Moses. YHWH tells Moses that the people have quickly turned aside from the way that He commanded them, for they have made a molten calf and are prostrating themselves before it as well as offering it sacrifices while declaring it to be the god that brought them out of Egypt. YHWH declares to Moses that this people are a stiff-necked people therefore His anger will consume them, but He will make Moses into a great nation. Moses tries to placate the Face of YHWH his God by reasoning with Him. Moses reminds YHWH that Israel is His people whom He brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand. If YHWH was to destroy Israel then the Egyptians would be able to declare that YHWH brought Israel out of Egypt for an evil purpose; in order to kill them in the mountains and wipe them out. Moses asks YHWH to change His mind and to recall Abraham, Isaac and Israel to whom He swore that He would make their offspring as many as the stars of the heavens and the land of Canaan would be an inheritance to their descendants forever. "And YHWH was sorry; concerning the evil, that he spoke to do to His people" (Ex. 32:14).
Seventy-Second Sidra՚ (Ex. 32:15-33:23): The golden Calf part 2, the decree, Moses' tent, and Moses' plea.
Moses descends from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand, "tablets written on both of their sides, on the one side and the other they were written. And the tablets, they were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets" (Ex. 32:15-16). Joshua hears the sound of the people shouting and says to Moses, "The sound of war is in the camp" (Ex. 32:17). Moses responds that it is not the sound of the song of war that can be heard, but just the sound of song. When Moses approaches the camp and sees the calf as well as the people dancing his anger flares up and he throws the tablets smashing them beneath the mountain. Moses takes the calf, burns it with fire, grinds it into a fine powder, scatters it on the surface of the water, and then makes the Children of Israel drink it. Moses turns to Aaron, "What did this people do to you; that you have brought upon it (such) a great sin" (Ex. 32:21). Aaron responds by first trying to mollify Moses, shifting the blame entirely onto the shoulders of the people. Aaron continues with his defence saying that the people asked him to make them a god who will go before them because they did not know what had become of Moses. Aaron explains that he collected the peoples gold, threw it into the fire, and lo and behold the calf came out! Moses sees that the people had become wild, simply because Aaron had let them become that way - Aaron did not stand his ground by simply saying "No!" and thus brought shame on them. Moses stations himself at the entrance of the camp and says, "Whoever is for YHWH (come) to me" (Ex. 32:26); all the Children of Lewi (Moses' own tribe) gather to him. Moses tells them that YHWH, the God of Israel, has commanded each man to girdle his sword and to go through the camp from gate to gate and kill each man his brother, his friend, and those near to him. The Children of Lewi did as Moses commanded them, and on that day approximately three thousand men fell - presumably from those who had participated in the festival held for the golden calf. "Moses said today fill your hands [i.e. consecrate yourselves] for YHWH, even each man against his son and against his brother; to bestow a blessing upon you today" (Ex. 32:29). The next day Moses tells the people that they had committed a great sin, and now he will go up to YHWH to try and make atonement for their sin. Moses returns to YHWH and petitions Him, confessing the sins of the people, and asks YHWH to lift their sin, but if He will not then to blot him out of the book that YHWH has written. YHWH responds, "Whoever sins against me, I shall blot him (alone) out of My book" (Ex. 32:33) - thus one cannot pay for the sins of someone else. YHWH tells Moses to go and to lead the people to Canaan, His messenger will go before them, but He will call them to account for their sin, "And YHWH plagued the people; because they made the calf, that Aaron made" (Ex. 32:35).
YHWH tells Moses that he is to bring the people to the land that He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give to their descendants. YHWH will send a messenger before them, who will drive out the Canaanites and all the other peoples dwelling in the land; a land flowing with milk and honey. However, YHWH will not go up in the midst of the people for they are a stiff necked people; lest He consumes them on the way. When the people heard this evil decree they mourned and from that moment on they stopped wearing their jewellery.
Moses takes the Tent and pitches it for himself far outside the camp and calls it the Tent of Appointed Times, "And it was whoever besought YHWH, would go out to the Tent of Appointed Times, that was outside of the camp" (Ex. 33:7). This Tent is not to be confused with the Mishkan that is later also called the Tent of Appointed Times. Whenever Moses would go out to the Tent all the people would station themselves at the entrance of their tents and would look upon Moses until he entered into the Tent. Whenever Moses entered the Tent the column of cloud would descend positioning itself at the Tent's entrance and YHWH would speak with Moses. Each time the people saw the column of cloud standing at the entrance to the Tent they would rise and prostrate themselves at the entrance of their tents. And when Moses would return to the camp Joshua his attendant would not depart from within the Tent, "And YHWH would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Ex. 33:11).
Moses says to YHWH that He told him to bring this people up, but as of yet He has not let him know whom He will send with him. YHWH also told Moses that He will know him by name, and that he has found favour in His eyes! If this is true, petitions Moses, surely YHWH would let him know His way so that he will know Him. YHWH wants to know if His presence were to go with Moses would he have peace of mind. To which Moses responds, if YHWH's presence does not go with them then He should not bring them up from here. Moses pleads to YHWH for Him to go with them to make them separate from every other people on the face of the earth. YHWH tells Moses that He will do all that he requested, because he has found favour in YHWH's eyes and He has known him by name. Moses asks to see YHWH's Glory, to which YHWH responds, "I will cause to pass all My goodness before you, and I will call out the name of YHWH before you; and I will show favour to whom I show favour, and I will show compassion to whom I show compassion" (Ex. 33:19). However, Moses cannot see YHWH's Face, "for no human can see me and live" (Ex. 33:20). Moses is instructed to station himself on a rock at a place by YHWH and when YHWH's Glory passes by He will place Moses in the cleft of the rock and will cover him with His hand until He has passed by. Then YHWH will remove His hand and Moses will see after YHWH; but not His Face!
Seventy-Third Sidra՚ (Ex. 34:1-26): The second tablets and the Divine Glory, and the Covenant.
Unlike the first set of tablets, which were written by YHWH, the second set of tablets are carved out of the rock and written by Moses at the command of YHWH. The second set is a reproduction of the first set which Moses smashed. YHWH commands Moses to ascend Mount Sinai in the morning and station himself on the top of the mountain. Moses is to ascend alone and no other person or animal is to be found on or near the mountain. Before ascending the mountain Moses carves out a second set of tablets. In the morning Moses ascends the mountain with the tablets in his hands. YHWH descends in the cloud and stations Himself there with Moses, calling out His own name. YHWH passes before Moses' face and proclaims His attributes to him, "YHWH is YHWH, a God compassionate and gracious; long-suffering in anger, and abundant in kindness and truth. Keeping kindness to the thousandth generation, bearing iniquity and transgression and sin; but Who will definitely not clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's' children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation" (Ex. 34:6-7). Moses quickly bows down on the ground and pleads with YHWH that if he Moses has found favour in YHWH's eyes then He will remain amongst the people even if they are stiff-necked, forgive their iniquities and sins, and make them His inheritance.
"Here I cut a covenant, before all your people I will do wonders, such as have not been created in all the earth and among all the nations" (Ex. 34:10). The upholding of the Covenant requires from us that we keep YHWH's commandments. YHWH will drive out the inhabitants of the land of Canaan from before us. We must not cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan lest it be a snare and lead us away from the Torah. We are to pull down their altars, shatter their standing stones, and their ՚Asheroth (sacred trees) we are to cut down. We are not to bow down to another god, "for YHWH - jealous is His name, a jealous God is He" (Ex. 34:14). If we do cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan will end up going a, "whoring after their gods" (Ex. 34:15), by being invited to their religious celebrations, partaking in their religious practices, and then worshipping their gods and offering sacrifices to them. Our sons are not to marry their daughters, because their daughters will go a whoring after their gods and entice our sons to do the same. We are not to make a molten god for ourselves. The Pilgrimage Festival of Maṣṣoth (unleavened bread) we are to keep for seven days during which we are to eat maṣṣoth, "as I commanded you, at the appointed-time the month of the ՚Aviv;[2] for in the month of the ՚Aviv, you went out from Egypt" (Ex. 34:18). The first-opener of a womb belongs to YHWH. The first male opener of the live-stock i.e. oxen and sheep, belongs to YHWH; however, the first-opener of a donkey shall be ransomed with a sheep and if it is not ransomed then its neck shall be broken. Every firstborn of our sons we shall ransom and when ransom our sons we are not to be seen before YHWH empty handed i.e. without an offering. Six days we are to work, but on the seventh day we shall cease even at ploughing time and at harvest time. (The farmer is therefore commanded to keep the Shabbath even at the time of year when he is at his busiest when an extra day's work could mean the difference between success and failure.) We are to observe the Pilgrimage Festival of Shavuՙoth (weeks) for the first-fruits of the wheat harvest, and also the Pilgrimage Festival of the Ingathering at the turning of the year i.e. just before the onset of the winter months. Three times in the year (i.e. for the three pilgrimage festivals) all our males shall be seen before the Lord YHWH God of Israel. He will dispossess nations from before us and will widen our borders and no man shall desire our land (i.e. want to take it away from us). We are not to slaughter the Pesaḥ offering with anything fermented/soured nor is any of it to remain overnight to the morning. The first of the first-fruits of our soil we shall bring to the House of YHWH our God; and we shall not cook a kid in the milk of its mother (a form of fertility rite for an abundant harvest).
Seventy-Fourth Sidra՚ (Ex. 34:27-35 continues into the next parasha): Moses descends from the mountain.
YHWH commands Moses to write down the Ten Sayings for in accordance with them will YHWH cut the covenant with Israel. Moses was with YHWH for forty days and forty nights and he did not need to eat nor drink. When Moses descends from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand, he does not realize that the skin of his face is radiating from having spoken with YHWH. When Aaron and the Children of Israel saw Moses they were afraid to approach him because his face was radiating. Moses calls after them, and Aaron and the princes of the community come back to him; Moses speaks to them. Afterward all the Children of Israel approach Moses, "and he commanded them, all that YHWH had spoken with him on Mount Sinai" (Ex. 34:32). Moses finishes speaking with the people and veils his face. Whenever Moses entered the Tent to speak with YHWH - and would be before His presence - he would remove the veil and when Moses left the Tent he would veil his face.
AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS:
And He gave to Moses when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God. (Ex. 31:18)
Tablets written on both of their sides, on the one side and the other they were written. And the tablets, they were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets. (Ex. 32:15-16)
YHWH first made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants; circumcision being the sign of the covenant. The covenant is enacted through the circumcision at eight days old of all male infants belonging to the family of Abraham. Any male who wants to join the Abrahamic family first needs to take upon himself the sign of the covenant, and any male born into the Abrahamic family who is not circumcised at eight days old and does not correct this when older, "shall be cut off from his people; he has violated My covenant" (Gen. 17:14). By its very nature the covenant between YHWH and Abraham excludes all the other families of mankind. It is a covenant between YHWH and Abraham's descendants whether they are Israelites, Ishmaelites or Edomites (descendants of Esau); for all three peoples are the descendants of Abraham. However, it was through Abraham's son Isaac that YHWH would reconfirm His covenant and establish Isaac's son Jacob as the foundation of His people; calling him Israel. So at Mount Sinai YHWH made a covenant with a single people - Israel and all those who had attached themselves to the Children of Israel; a special covenant between YHWH and Israel.
But what exactly is a covenant?
A covenant is a pact or contract whereby the parties involved have certain obligations towards each other. The parties are well defined within the wording of the text and the terms of the covenant are stipulated while the rewards for keeping the covenant as well as the penalties for breaking it are plainly described.
The covenant between YHWH and Israel has all of the above. The parties are well defined - YHWH and Israel. The terms are stipulated - He will be our God, protect us against nature and enemies, give us the land of Canaan as an inheritance forever, provide us with bounty and great sustenance, and a whole host of other goodies; our obligations are to keep His Torah, seek justice in our dealings with our fellow human beings, worship only Him, and to be loyal to Him - not much when we consider the benefits! And the punishment if we don't keep the covenant; the slow withdrawal of His blessings that he has bestowed upon us, enemies will surround us, persecution, if we still don't heed then exile from our land, and if we still don't heed then terrible persecution in the lands of our Exile until we are no longer a stiff necked people!
There are usually at least two copies of a contract one copy for each of the parties involved, and so it is with the Ten Sayings; two tablets of the Testimony - not one. Most people assume because there were two tablets that the Ten Sayings must have been divided between the two tablets. However, I like to think that the two tablets were exact duplicates of each other; the Ten Sayings written in full on both tablets. Just like any contract there were two duplicate copies - one for YHWH and the other for Israel - both copies kept in the Ark of the Testimony for safekeeping. And like any other contract between a superior and an inferior, the Ten Sayings commence with the declaration of who the superior party is to the contract and their credentials, "I am YHWH your God; who brought you out from the land of Egypt from the house of slavery" (Ex. 20:2). The Ten Sayings are not the entire covenant, but are the underlying themes for the various categories of ordinances, judgments, commandments, and laws contained throughout the Torah, "write for yourself these words; for in accordance with these words I will cut a covenant with you and with Israel" (Ex. 34:27).
All we need to do in order to bring down YHWH's blessings upon us, to bestow upon us a good and fruitful life in our own land unmolested by others - is to keep our part of the contract signed at Mount Sinai over 3,500 year ago, and He will keep His. Not much to ask for!
[1] Hebrew uncertain.
[2] אָבִיב - fresh ears of barley.
