Miryam's Space

This week’s parashah is Ki tisa, which literally means “when you lift up”.one of my favorites to leyn from the Torah. I am in love with its message about second chances, In despair and disappointment  over that little rebellious thing called the Golden calf, Moses’ becomes driven to go up to the mountain and plead “hareini et c’vodecha!” And G!d places Moshe in the cleft of the rock and we receive a new covenant based upon the 13 middot of love and compassion. 

Wondrously I found multiple connections to someone in my own family whose name is featured in this parashah

My beloved  Grandpa’s Hebrew name was  Betzalel who is introduced here are the chief artisan of the mishkan,, and he was chosen as an artist of the mishkan because of Chochma lev, wisdom of the heart. My grandpa was not an artist, he was a CPA, an accountant -also he was wise of heart. Lest you think that’s not a connection

“You shall lift up the heads of the Israelites to count them in a census” Exodus 30:11

So why are we lifting up the heads of the Israelites – in order to count them. And why are we counting them so many times?. Sforno says something fascinating “the need to count human beings stems from the fact that human beings are not the same each time,” I love the idea of lifting up to count, and to recount b/c of the possibility of change

And as I looked for a common thread I realized that my grandpa lifted me up so many times, ki tisa,

 and in his eyes I always counted. 

So, a name, and counting. Another connection is that of second chances. AS Moshe gets a second chance, so our family

His father a refugee from the Kossack draft, his father fled to America, then brought his wife to join. Our families did not give up, life in Romania was so harsh, they came here, where this country gave them all a second chance. He carved out for his family a beautiful life in this new world, and crafted a mishkan for our family based on love and kindness and righteous acts. He persisted through the great depression, courted my Grandma long distance while he went to college, education drawing them out of poverty.

Fourth connection

Also in this parashah is the text for V’shamru – the children of Israel shall keep Shabbat , as a sign of the covenant between G!d and Israel forever, because on six days G!d rested, but on the seventh, Shavat vayinafash, G!d re-souled

And that each Shabbat, every Saturday, my brother and I were dropped off at Grandma and Grandpa’s house -which was an oasis of love.On Shabbat –he would walk home from shul singing, but he couldn’t afford to rest for the entire day. He supported his aging mother, his brother’s family, and assisted my own. But I think that his Shabbat was enough time for him to “nafash” re-soul, for  was a living embodiment of the middot, , loving compassionate, full of grace,

One more thread of connection to this parashah is the k’toret hasamim – the incense.  My grandparents home always smelled amazing, the aromas of baking and cooking helped to create that oasis. It’s known that smell is the sense most intimately connected to memory and emotion. And I’ve passed on the home cooking bug to all 3 of my children.

So Moshe carved two tablets like the ones he smashed, emboldened perhaps by his failure the first time up the mountain, he experiences G!d’s cavod.  He returns from this second chance with a new covenant, his face radiant – keren ohr, rays of light shining from his face. My Grandfather’s face was often radiant with wisdom of the heart!  A blessing: may we know we count for our own chochma lev, valuing that G!d given essence whether our talent is numbers or art or music May the righteous acts we perform be the k’toret hasamim .And may we find in doing them we are lifted up ki tisa – beyond our worries into  perspective and compassion, and may our faces shine knowing we are loved.