When You Take a Census

Ki Tisa
Exodus 30:11-34:35

Summary of the Parasha:

• Moses takes a census of the Israelites and collects a half-shekel from each person (30:11-16)
• God tells Moses to construct a water basin and to prepare anointing oil and incense for the ordination of the priests.  Bezalel and Oholiab, skilled artisans, are assigned to make objects for the priests and the Tabernacle. (30:17-37:11)
• The Israelites are instructed to keep Shabbat as a sign of their covenant with God.  God gives Moses the two tablets of the Pact. (31:12-18)
• The Israelites ask Aaron to build them a Golden Calf.  Moses implores God not to destroy the people and then breaks the two tablets of the Pact on which the Ten Commandments are written when he sees the idol.  God punishes Israelites by means of a plague. (32:1-35)
• Moses goes up the mountain with a blank set of tablets for another 40 days so that God will again inscribe the Ten Commandments.  Other laws, including the edict to observe the Pilgrimage Festivals, are also revealed. (34:1-28)
• Moses comes down from the mountain with a radiant face. (34:29-35)

Questions for your Shabbat Table:

1. One of the rules explained is that decorations in our holy places should not include images of people.  What kinds of images do you see in your sanctuary or chapel?
2. While the Israelites waited for Moses, they got nervous and asked Aaron to make an idol for them to worship.  Why do you think it was easier for them to pray to something they could see?
3. It says that when Moses came down from the mountain, he had a "radiant" face.  What do you think that looks like?  Why do you think his face looked that way?

Time for your weekly Torah cartoon!

Looking Your Very Best

Parshat Tetzaveh
Exodus 27:20 - 30:10

In this portion, Moses is further told to instruct the Israelites to bring olive oil for lighting the lamps of the Tabernacle. The lamps, which are to be the responsibility of Aaron and his sons, are to burn from evening to morning for all time. Moses is told to ordain Aaron and his sons as priests.

The priests are to be adorned in special clothes. All the priests are to wear four garments - linen breeches, tunics, sashes, and turbans. In addition to these four articles, the High Priest (Aaron) is to wear a special robe of pure blue decorated at the hem with pomegranates and golden bells. Over this robe, the ephod - an apron-like layer woven of gold, blue, purple, and crimson - is to be worn. The breastplate, inlaid with precious stones and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, is to be worn by the High Priest over the ephod. The eighth special item in the High Priest's dress is a gold plate engraved with the words "Kodesh LaYHVH" (Holy to Adonai) that is to be tied with a blue cord to the front of his turban.

The priests are to be ordained in a special ceremony which first involves washing, dressing, and anointing them with oil, and secondly, the offering of various sacrifices. These ceremonies are to be repeated for seven days.

The priests are to bring offerings twice daily to the altar in the Tabernacle. Further, they are to burn incense on an altar to be constructed especially for that purpose.

(Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden)

Questions for your Shabbat table:

• The word tetzaveh means to "instruct" or to "command" - why do you think the Torah is so specific in the descriptions of the Tabernacle (in last week's portion) and the dress code for the priests (in this week's portion)?
• In ancient days, being a Kohein - a priest - was a major Jewish job. What are some of today's Jewish jobs?
• According to the descriptions in the Torah (and this portion), the priests had very elaborate and fancy clothes to wear. What are some of your favorite outfits to wear when you want to dress up? For what special occasions do you wear those clothes?
• Read the descriptions of the priestly clothing. How are they similar to how we adorn our Torah scrolls?

M-M-M-Mishkan

Parshat Terumah
Exodus 25:1 - 27:19

In this portion, God instructs Moses to accept gifts from the Israelites. These are to be used in constructing a sanctuary so that God can dwell among the people. Acceptable gifts include precious metals and stones; tanned skins; blue, purple, and crimson yarns and linen; and special oils and spices.

God shows Moses the pattern according to which the mishkan (the Tabernacle) and its contents are to be made. First to be made is an Ark of acacia wood, overlaid both inside and out with gold. The Ark is to be fitted with gold rings and gold covered poles to make it portable. The tablets of the law (which God will give Moses) are to be kept in the Ark. Two gold cherubim are to be placed facing each other over the cover of the Ark.

The Ark is to be house in the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle, called the Holy of Holies.

God describes the construction of the Tabernacle to Moses in great detail. The entire structure is to be portable, with a wooden framework, and walls of richly covered fabric.

Inside the Tabernacle, next to the Holy of Holies, is to be a second room called the Holy place, which will contain a table overlaid in gold with the bread of display set on it, and a seven-branched menorah also wrought of gold work.

In the court of the Tabernacle, an altar is to be constructed with horns of copper at each corner, and the courtyard itself is to be 100 cubits long by 50 cubits wide, fenced in with fine twined linen on silver filleted poles with hooks of silver and sockets of brass.

(Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden)

Questions for your Shabbat table:

• Terumah, the name of this week's portion, refers to the "gifts" that the Israelites were each supposed to contribute to the building of the Tabernacle. What is the best gift you ever received? What is the most important gift you have ever given? What made each gift so special?
• During the building of the ark, each person was supposed to contribute something to the project. Why do you think this was mandatory? How would the project be different if everyone could choose whether or not they wanted to participate?
• The mishkan, the Tabernacle, was the special worship place the Israelites built in the wilderness. What is your family's worship place? What makes it special? What is it like to go to synagogue?
• The mishkan is a special place for God to dwell, and it was decorated very beautifully in order to honor God. How would you design a beautiful synagogue today? What would you include? Are there elements found in the description of the mishkan that are reflected in the sanctuary in your synagogue?
  
  

This week's Torah cartoon:

Laying Down the Law

Parshat Mishpatim
Exodus 21:1 - 24:18

In this portion, Moses sets before the Israelites the following groups of rules:

1. The rules concerning slaves: The Israelites are permitted to retain slaves, but they must always bear the dignity of the slave in mind. Hebrew slaves are to be freed after six years of service, or immediately if their owner willfully injures them. A slave who does not wish to leave a master shall have an ear pierced and remain a slave for life.
2. Certain crimes are punishable by death: Among these are murder, kidnapping, and insulting one's parents.
3. The laws detailing the responsibilities incurred by the owner of an ox: The owner of an ox which is known to have previously injured or killed another person or animal is to be punished along with the animal. The owner of an ox which causes death or injury just once does not incur punishment, although the ox must be stoned or sold in restitution for its actions.
4. Rules and penalties for theft and lending.
5. Certain laws pertaining to the Israelites remaining a holy people are presented. Among these are reminders not to curse God and to dedicate to God firstborn sons and cattle and the first fruits of a tree. Other laws pertaining to holiness including prohibitions against eating flesh torn by wild beasts and against boiling a kid in its mother's milk.
6. In the Sabbatical year, the land is to lie fallow or rest. The commandment to rest on the seventh day follows.
7. The observance of the three festivals - the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of the Harvest (Shavuot), and the Feast of the Ingathering (Sukkot) - is prescribed. All males are commanded to present themselves before God at those times.

In addition, the principle of just restitution for damages is stated (lex talionis, an "eye for an eye," etc.). The slavery of the Israelites in Egypt is recalled to remind the people not to mistreat strangers, widows, and orphans in their midst.

God tells Moses than an angel will lead the Israelites through the desert to Canaan. God promises to destroy all the peoples whose path the Israelites cross, so that the Israelites will not be tempted to worship the gods of other nations.

Moses repeats all the rules to the people and then writes them all down. Offerings are made to seal the covenant with God and the people accept the law saying, "All the things the Lord has commanded we will do."

The mountain is covered by the presence of God (the cloud) for six days. On the seventh day, God calls Moses to ascend and Moses goes up the mountain and remains there for 40 days and nights.
(Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden)

For your Shabbat table:

• This portion describes many different laws that the Israelites should follow. One of them tells us to behave for our parents and not insult them. Have you ever used mean or cruel words towards your parents? Why? Were you punished? How did you make it up to them? Why do you think the Torah includes a law that says one must be punished for insulting his/her parents?
• Some of the laws described in Parshat Mishpatim have to do with the responsibilities we have over ourselves and our belongings. What are some of the responsibilities you have?
• Towards the end of this week's portion, it says that the mountain is covered by the presence of God, which is described as a cloud. How do you picture God? If you were in God's presence, what would that be like?
• There are 613 commandments found in the Torah (in addition to the Ten Commandments we read in last week's Torah portion) - of those 613, 248 are "positive" (which means they tell you what to do - Keep the Shabbat...) and 365 are "negative" (which tell you what NOT to do - Do not murder, do not covet...). Which do you think are more effective - positive or negative commandments? Are one type easier to obey than others?

This week's Torah cartoon:

God's Top Ten

Parshat Yitro
Exodus 18:1 - 20:23

Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, brings Moses' wife and two sons to Moses in the desert. After observing how Moses settles disputes among the Israelites, Jethro advises him to delegate chiefs to judge all except the most difficult of cases. Moses follows Jethro's advice, and Jethro returns to his own land in Midian.

On the third new moon after the Exodus, the people enter the wilderness of Sinai and encamp by Mount Sinai. God tells the people through Moses that if they obey God's teachings, they will be for God a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation." The people respond as one, saying, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do."

After the Israelites wait a period of three days for purification, God appears to them in a cloud of smoke and fire on the mountain and proclaims the Ten Commandments.

The people fear that they will die if they hear God speak or if they speak to God themselves; so they ask Moses to be God's spokesperson in the future. God tells Moses to remind the Israelites that they themselves had heard God speak. Therefore they are to hold fast in their resolve to worship no idols. God commands them to build an altar of earth and to bring sacrifices.
(Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kaden)

For your Shabbat table:

• Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, suggests that he set up a system for judging disputes so that Moses does not have to decide everything. We don't always get along with the people around us, and it isn't always easy to solve problems.  How do you resolve a problem you might have with a friend or classmate? Is it easier to find a solution when there is a third person helping you resolve a difference?
• Through Moses, God tells the Israelites that if they obey his laws, they will become a "holy nation." Why is it important to follow rules? What does it mean to be holy?
• The Israelites receive the Ten Commandments during Parshat Yitro - why do you think we have a set of ten when there are a total of 613 commandments? Does this mean those ten are the most important?
• One of the Ten Commandments is to "honor your father and mother" - what does this mean to you? How do you honor your parents?

Take a closer look at what we can learn about this week's parsha through this video: