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Kitisa The first two "Aliyot" of Ki Tisah make up a disproportionate long part of the Parasha. This is in accordance with the Halacha (Magen Avraham O.C. 138:4) that a blind or lame man should not be called up to read a section dealing with blind or lame people. Similarly, only a Levi can be called to read the story of the Golden Calf, for only the Levi'im were (as a group) completely innocent of that sin. (Siach Sarfei Kodesh) "The wealthy shall not give more..." (30:15) This is one of the best kept Mitzvot in the Torah.(Iturei Torah) "Behold I have chosen by name Bezalel...." (31:2) The Gemara states that Bezalel (the chief craftsman of the Mishkan) was thirteen years old at the time. Why is this significant? Firstly, because, like writing Tefilin or a Sefer Torah, building the Mishkan required "L'shmah" - the intention to perform the Mitzvah. A boy under the age of 13, however, is legally incapable of having the proper intentions. Also, the Halacha is that a craftsman owns the improvements which he makes in the raw materials (i.e. he has a mechanic's lien) until he is paid or otherwise releases the lien. The Mishkan was, however, required to be public property, and a child is legally incapable of releasing his liens. (R' Velvel Brisker) "And Hashem said to Moshe, 'Go down, for your nation has destroyed....'" (32:7) Rashi comments: Go down for your greatness, for I made you (Moshe) great only in Bnei Yisrael's honor. Based on this, said R' Michel Feinstein, shlita, (Rosh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak; said at the funeral of his uncle, R' Moshe Feinstein), we can understand the following Gemara (Baba Metzia 85): When R' Chiya and R' Chanina were debating, R' Chanina said, "Do you disagree with me, who, if the Torah were forgotten by the Jews, could reconstruct it with my wisdom?!" So what? asked R' Feinstein. Since the Torah was not, in fact, forgotten, of what importance is to us that R' Chanina was so accomplished in "learning" that he could reconstruct the Torah? The answer is that Torah never belongs to the individual. It belongs to all, though it may reside in a R' Chanina. Thus, R' Chanina's greatness is, in fact, a reflection of the entire generation, just as Moshe's greatness spoke of the heights that his generation had reached. When they fell, so did he. (reprinted in l'Torah v'Hora'ah) "Remember this... I [Hashem] will expel the Canaanites..." (34:11) A command to remember a promise implies that its fulfilment is quite distant. Remember this, says Hashem. Before Mashiach comes, such fear will descend upon those who are squatting on the land of Israel, that they will all pick up and leave, thus making room for the "In gathering of the Exiles." ("Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh") It is often said that a specialist is likely to be a doctor from out of town. Various idioms attest to the phenomenon that people are not likely to accept the authority of someone whom they watch grow up from childhood on, and they may be more willing to accept someone of lesser competence who is unknown to them. The famed scholar Rabbi Meir Simchah of Dvinsk was born in Bialystoc. When the position of Rabbi of Bialystoc was vacated, Rabbi Meir Simchah applied for it but was from down. The community of Bialystoc therefore lost the opportunity to have one of the generation's Torah authorities as its Rabbi. Rabbi Meir Simchah reacted to his rejection by commenting, "Why did the Israelis in the desert make the golden calf? If they had erroneously assumed that Moshe had died, why did they not acquired Aron to be their leader? "Apparently," he answered, "Some people prefer to have a cow as their leader rather then someone who is competent but grew up amongst them. They rejected Aron but were able to accept the Golden calf. |
