When you Choose Shabbat, you choose to learn that every Shabbat is different and special. This week we read from Parashat Ki Tissa (כִּי תִשָּׂא), aka Ki Thissa or Ki Tisa, is the 21st weekly Torah portion in the annual cycle of Torah readings. This week we also celebrate Purim, a holiday that famously celebrates the Jewish people’s victory over Haman and the anti-Semites of the day. They wanted to kill all Jews and with Queen Esther’s intervention, the Jews were allowed to fight back and stand up to their enemies. With G-d’s help, not only did they succeed in fighting back, but they also established themselves as a power to be reckoned with, eventually leading to the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.
According to Wikipedia, Ki Tissa (כִּי תִשָּׂא) contains 7,424 Hebrew letters, 2,002 words, 139 verses and makes up 245 lines of a Torah scroll, making it the longest of the weekly Torah portions in the Book of Exodus (Exodus 30:11 through 34:35). Ki Tissa includes the incident of the “Golden Calf”, famously depicted in the Cecil B. DeMille 1956 classic film, “The Ten Commandments”.
Rabbi Michael D Klein of Temple Torat Emet offers his insights on this week’s Torah reading, Ki Tissa for Shabbat March 15, 2025 aka 15 Adar 5785:
“There is a blessing that we often recite to our congregants when celebrating a major birthday or anniversary. We say, “May you count many more days but even more importantly, may each of your days be celebrated by involving yourself in tasks that count”.
This week’s Sedra Ki Thissa begins by counting each individual by collecting a half-shekel and then counting the coins. Why such an indirect method of conducting a census? First, it shows that rich or poor, every person’s contribution is equal in G-d’s eyes. Secondly, it is an efficient method of accounting since whomever donated the half-shekel was saying that they wanted to be included in Klal Yisroel by virtue of their desire to contribute to the welfare of all. We contribute to each other by helping out in good times and G-d forbid, bad times. There is a strange tradition in our faith that we never count people directly, whether it is for a census or a minyan. Tradition shares that this is associated with the outbreak of plague. Thus, we always need to be there for each other and we are especially counted by how much we do for others.
Also, in this Torah portion are the specifications for mixing and producing incense which was used in the holy rituals of the Kohain in offering sacrifices on behalf of the people. For this to occur, the people had to bring the sacrifice and but the ingredients for the incense were secured by the leaders of the tribes, some from faraway places. The people had an active role just like in the counting of the census. There is a particular spice, galbanum, that by itself has an unpleasant odor but mixed in the correct proportions with other spices actually enhances their aroma. The Sages point out that this is a paradigm for including sinners in our midst during prayer and even the Kol Nidre emphasizes this sense of inclusiveness as being crucial to the sincerity of our prayers.
The lesson to be learned is clear. The census and the mixture of spices emphasizes that all must be included in the prayers we say. To exclude any person is to deny them the opportunity to seek forgiveness and closeness to G-d. This is also expressed in the lesson of Shushan Purim when the message of overcoming the existential threat of Haman was transmitted by Mordecai and Esther and shared throughout all the communities of Persia where Jews resided. In order for the Jewish communities to thrive, effort and outreach must be made to include as many of our people as possible. This should always be one of the main goals of any Jewish community”.
Questions for Discussion:
- Many of the spices used in the Sanctuary were from faraway locations. How do you suppose they Israelites were able to get them?
- Why are the names of the builders (Betzalel and Oholiav) so significant?
- Why does the Torah reiterate the observance of Shabbat ?
- Why is the narrative of the sin of the golden calf included as part of this Sedra?
Rabbi Michael D. Klein attended Yeshiva College of South Florida and served as Torah Reader, Hebrew teacher, Chazzan and spiritual leader of various synagogues throughout South Florida. In January 2015 he became Ritual Director, Bnai/Bnot Mitzvah instructor and 7th grade Hebrew instructor for Temple Torat Emet of Boynton Beach. In October 2019 he was accepted into an accelerated track and received his smicha from Yeshiva Adath Wolkowisk and has been the Rabbinic leadership of Temple Torat Emet since August 2020. In September of 2022 he was appointed Rabbinic and Spiritual Advisor of the Florida Region of FJMC.
Choose Shabbat; choose to celebrate, to light candles, sing songs and learn a little Torah.
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