Summary:
Our portion this week is jam-packed with action! It starts as Moses takes a census of the Israelites and collects a half-shekel from each person. God then 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. The Israelites are instructed to keep Shabbat as a sign of their covenant with God. God gives Moses the two tablets of the Pact. 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 the Israelites by means of a plague. 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. Finally, Moses comes down from the mountain with a radiant face.
Lessons from our Haftarah – 1 Kings 18:1-39
In our Torah portion, the people rebel by creating a Golden Calf which they then worship. In our Haftarah portion, the prophet Elijah battles a foreign cult - the priests of Baal whom the Queen, Jezebel had installed. Both the Torah and haftarah portions are an indictment of idolatry, which didn’t end with the destruction of the Golden Calf but continues throughout history. Both portions are a reminder of God’s presence and strength, even at moments when God seems absent.
Our haftarah tells the story of the great prophet Elijah who seems to appear without any introduction. The mystique surrounding his character is underlined by his sudden appearances and disappearances in the texts. Elijah is the subject of many legends which focus on his wonderous deeds and miracles. The Talmud attempts to downplay this mystique and yet throughout the Talmud when a difficult legal question couldn’t be answered it was routinely left to be solved in the unknown future by Elijah!
The focus on Elijah continues even today when we celebrate a Brit Milah. We set aside a chair for Elijah as a symbol of hope for the future. Each week at Havdalah we invite Elijah to join us in hopes that the new week will bring better fortune. And of course, at the Pesach Seder, we set aside a cup for Elijah. We invite him to join our festivities, symbolizing the hope for a future of freedom for all.
Despite his greatness and the large role he plays in our history Elijah is always portrayed as a commoner. He was known to dress simply even when addressing royalty. He came from the periphery of society and remained a voice for the outsider and the persecuted. It is Elijah the prophet who will announce the coming of the messianic time when the world is perfected.
Elijah serves as a beacon of hope for us, just as he did in ancient days. When we despair at the state of our world, and when we feel that God is absent from our lives, we can remember that Elijah continues to visit us, at every Brit Milah, at every Seder, and each week at Havdalah, as a symbol of hope for the future.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Don Goor