Two Minute Torah Podcast

Ki Tisa 5769 by Dr. Raymond B. Goldstein

Shalom, this is Dr. Ray Goldstein, International President of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Welcome to this installment of Two Minute Torah, a project of KOACH, the College Department of the United Synagogue.

Have you ever met a person who radiates confidence? What about someone who radiates good health? Most of us tend to be drawn to them. We feel good simply being around them and we try to learn from them. Why then do we shy away from people who radiate spirituality?

At the end of Ki Tissa we find Moses attempting to hide his spiritual radiance from the people. At first he is unaware of his glow… keren or panav. The Torah says: the skin of his face was radiant, since he had spoken with him (that is, with God). Aaron and the Israelites saw the radiance and shrank from coming near.

A quick aside: it is the phrase keren or, which can be translated as either rays or horns of light, which provided Michelangelo with the inspiration for his statue of Moses, who has horns emanating from his head. That famous statue became the source of the anti-Semitic characterization of Jews as wearing horns.

In this scene, Moses was radiant from having experienced a truly spiritual and personal encounter with God; his skin was aglow with that spirituality. Like the moon reflects the light of the sun, Moses reflected the divine radiance when he came down the mountain. Yet the people are put off by this appearance. Tradition tells us, Moses takes to wearing a veil when not speaking God’s words.

He wears no veil when in the Tent of Meeting, the Ohel Mo-ade or when speaking to the people to reflect what he has experienced from his interaction with God there in the ohel mo-ade. But at all other times he wears the veil, so people would not be put off by his radiance.

In our kehillot, our communities, there are individuals who are put off by others who radiate the spirituality of Torah and mitzvot. Individuals who possess the very essence of what we as Conservative Jews should strive for in our lives; often make others uncomfortable. Those of our members who should stand as role models, dugmaot, to the rest of us are forced to wear veils to make others comfortable around them. Too often their choice seems to be, “either wear a veil or leave the community.”

The Conservative Jews who have had the opportunity to increase their observance, knowledge and spirituality are often the younger members. These are people who have experienced the formal and informal opportunities to explore Conservative Judaism as a living dynamic way of life. These are the alumni of USY, Schechter day schools, Ramah, Nativ, Koach and United Synagogue’s Conservative Yeshiva.

These people radiate their passion for Conservative Judaism but many others shrink away from them. Instead of basking in that radiance, it is far too often shunned.

Our synagogues must find a place for these people and allow them to ignite in our kehillot, to ignite in each of us, a passion and spirituality that will allow all of us to share in reflecting divine radiance.

Each morning, in the first berakhah before K’riat Sh’ma we chant Or Chadash al tzion ta’ir v’nizkeh chulanu m’hayrah l’oro… Cause a new light to illumine Zion. May we all soon be a portion of its radiance.

May our congregations soon radiate with the new light of those young members of our kehillot and may we all soon remove our veils and be willing to reflect that light.