Two Minute Torah Podcast

Ki Tisa 5770 by Rabbi Charles Savenor

Parshat Ki Tisa contains one of the most challenging episodes in the Torah. Only weeks after leaving Egypt and hearing God's voice at Sinai, the Israelites do the unfathomable. They make an idol, the egel hazahav, the golden calf.

Chapter 32 begins with: "And the nation saw that Moses was late." The text uses the word "boshesh" to inform us that Moses was delayed in returning from his commune with God.

How late was he? The Midrash tells us that the verb boshesh contains a clue, for it can be read as "bo shesh," or he came six hours late.

The Hebrew word boshesh has another connotation besides being late, namely booshah, shame. Everett Fox, a contemporary scholar and translator of the Torah, merges these ideas when he translates boshesh as "shamefully late." That the Hebrew root for being late and shame share the same letters underscores the sheer embarrassment associated with the Israelites' transgression.

Why do we hear about this episode? The Midrash tells us that God permitted this event to take place to teach us something for all time.

At Passover we declare that the redemption commences with disgrace and ends with praise. Our commentators explain that this "disgrace" refers to our ancestors' years of slavery, experimentation with idolatry and missteps on their way to the Promised Land. By contrast, through repentance and great effort, the Israelites reach Israel, an event that evokes joy, praise of God and celebration.

The Torah is not a history book, rather the religious and moral code of our people. This week's parsha teaches us that embarrassment does not need to be a roadblock. As long as we learn from the experience and have the courage to move forward, a joyous new beginning awaits us.