{"id":43310,"date":"2018-07-09T18:50:54","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T15:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-83\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T09:08:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T06:08:18","slug":"wall-83","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-83\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Torah-Exodus-33"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"83","date":"20251223","book":"Exodus","chapter":"33","chapter_main_number":"83","books_group":"Torah","hide_acf":true,"home_image":false,"home_posts":false,"home_posts_title":"","posts_home":[],"posts":[{"order":1,"id":"43316","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"Exodus 33 - Judy Hammond ","post_title":"Exodus 33 - Judy Hammond","slug":"exodus-33-judy-hammond","old_id":"43316","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"83","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"Exodus 33","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"read by Judy Hammond","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/exodus-chapter-33-read-by-judy-hammond","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"33","chapter_main_number":"83","date":"20251223","wall_id":"83"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"105251","color":"#f7e9e9","size":"1","name":"You\u2019d Think An Angel Would Be Enough ","post_title":"You\u2019d Think An Angel Would Be Enough","slug":"youd-think-an-angel-would-be-enough","old_id":"105251","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. He and his daughter studied the Tanach again for her bat mitzvah. Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group. When not studying for 929, Josh works as an in-house lawyer in New Jersey.","short_description":"Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group, and is an in-house attorney in New Jersey. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"83","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"After God rejects them because of their stubbornness, the people realize what they have lost","post_main_content_content":"

After the sin of the golden calf, God tells Moses that an angel of God will now lead the people to the promised land. If God were to dwell amongst the people, then God would end up destroying them because of their stubbornness. <\/span>\u201c<\/b>When the people heard this harsh word, they went into mourning, and none put on finery\u201d (verse 4).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Why did the people react this way? What is the \u201cfinery\u201d that they removed? Rashbam explains that the verse should be taken literally, that the people were so upset with God\u2019s message that they took off their jewelry. Chizkuni adds that it refers to jewelry and fancy clothing from Egypt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Rashi however explains that the text is referring to the crown of Torah that the Israelites had received during the giving of the Torah. Haamek Davar also reads it as a metaphor- the people would no longer seek prophecy. Similarly, Rabbenu Bachya connects the adornments as a metaphor for the divine presence itself. When the divine presence was removed it was as if the people were naked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Malbim takes an innovative approach that the text uses the word \u201c<\/span>am<\/span><\/i>\/nation\u201d to distinguish this group from the larger Israelite group. This smaller group did not participate in the sin of the golden calf and therefore they still had their jewelry to remove. This group was also the group that was ready to receive prophecy and now knew they could not without God\u2019s presence amongst them. The removal of jewelry was also a reaction to the golden calf itself. During the Yom Kippur service, the high priest does not wear the golden additional vestments when he enters the Holy of Holies so as not to \u201cremind\u201d God of the sin when the people eagerly gave their jewelry to the building of the idol. Therefore, removing their jewelry upon hearing this news is a sign of seeking forgiveness and an understanding of what they did.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This also connects with the answer to the first question- why did they react this way? The message from God was not all bad! He still promised to bring them to the land. Recall that the people sinned with the Golden Calf because they thought Moses- God's emissary - was missing. Unlike Aaron, they could not comprehend that God did not need Moses. Now that God informs the people that a messenger will travel in God\u2019s stead, the people finally realize what they have lost. In the last chapter they removed their jewelry to build a replacement for God. In this chapter they remove their jewelry upon hearing that God is giving them a replacement instead of God.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":55881,"alt":"","title":"Jud13-angel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel.png","width":1762,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-275x300.png","medium-width":275,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-768x837.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":837,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-940x1024.png","large-width":940,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel.png","1536x1536-width":1410,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel.png","2048x2048-width":1762,"2048x2048-height":1920,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-1101x1200.png","post_full_size-width":1101,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-385x420.png","home_baner-width":385,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"You\u2019d Think An Angel Would Be Enough","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"After God rejects them because of their stubbornness, the people realize what they have lost","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":55881,"alt":"","title":"Jud13-angel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel.png","width":1762,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-275x300.png","medium-width":275,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-768x837.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":837,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-940x1024.png","large-width":940,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel.png","1536x1536-width":1410,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel.png","2048x2048-width":1762,"2048x2048-height":1920,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-1101x1200.png","post_full_size-width":1101,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Jud13-angel-385x420.png","home_baner-width":385,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"33","chapter_main_number":"83","date":"20251223","wall_id":"83"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"366","name":"Commentators","old_id":"766"},{"term_id":"400","name":"Sin","old_id":"800"},{"term_id":"452","name":"Angel","old_id":"852"},{"term_id":"695","name":"Calf","old_id":"1095"}]},{"order":3,"id":"43358","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"2","name":"God\u2019s Presence is on the Margins ","post_title":"God\u2019s Presence Is On The Margins","slug":"gods-presence-is-on-the-margins","old_id":"43358","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":43209,"post_title":"Jill Jacobs","slug":"jill-jacobs","old_id":"43209","first_name":"Jill ","last_name":"Jacobs ","description":"Rabbi Jill Jacobs is the Executive Director of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. She is a Conservative rabbi and the author of \"Where Justice Dwells: A Hands-On Guide to Doing Social Justice in Your Jewish Community\" and \"There Shall be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition,\" both published by Jewish Lights. \r\nShe holds rabbinic ordination and an MA in Talmud from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she was a Wexner Fellow; an MS in Urban Affairs from Hunter College, and a BA from Columbia University. She is also a graduate of the Mandel Institute Jerusalem Fellows Program. She lives in New York with her husband, Rabbi Guy Austrian, and their two daughters.","short_description":"Rabbi Jill Jacobs is the Executive Director of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":43211,"alt":"","title":"jill jacobs.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jill-jacobs.jpg-e1541167596568.png","width":814,"height":737,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jill-jacobs.jpg-e1541167596568-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jill-jacobs.jpg-e1541167596568-300x272.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":272,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jill-jacobs.jpg-e1541167596568-768x695.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":695,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jill-jacobs.jpg-1024x891.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":891,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jill-jacobs.jpg-e1541167596568.png","1536x1536-width":814,"1536x1536-height":737,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jill-jacobs.jpg-e1541167596568.png","2048x2048-width":814,"2048x2048-height":737,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jill-jacobs.jpg-e1541167596568.png","post_full_size-width":814,"post_full_size-height":737,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jill-jacobs.jpg-e1541167596568-464x420.png","home_baner-width":464,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"83","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"A response to stiff-necked rebelliousness, and the desire for closeness","post_main_content_content":"

The Yom Kippur confessional prayer begins, \u201cWe are no so brazen or stiff-necked to say to you, \u2018We are righteous and have not sinned.\u2019\u201d This preamble is surprising: we could easily launch into the litany of sins without first noting our refusal to profess innocence.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Responding to this question, Rabbi Nathan Sternhartz of Nemirov (1780-1845), a disciple of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, distinguishes between those who deny God altogether, and therefore \u201csay that they are righteous and have not sinned at all, since they reject all of the commandments of the Torah\u201d and those who \u201cfeel the deep pain of sin, such that we still ask for <\/span>teshuvah <\/span><\/i>and forgiveness,\u201d and for whom hope remains. (<\/span>Likkutei Halakhot Orach Chaim<\/span><\/i>, Laws of Tachanun, Chapter 5:5)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

No matter how severe human transgressions may be, those who are willing to do <\/span>teshuvah<\/span><\/i>, and to seek closeness with the Divine, always have the chance for a better future.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Thus, following the Israelites\u2019 greatest act of rebellion to date\u2014the sin of the golden calf\u2014God responds with the most brutal of punishments: the absence of Godself from the community. In contrast to the posture of those who confess on Yom Kippur, the people here <\/span>are <\/span><\/i>so stiff-necked as to have denied God and the divine commandments.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cI will not go in your midst, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I destroy you on your way.\u201d (Exodus 33:3)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This decision aims to protect the people from divine anger. The commentator Sforno (1475-1550) explains, \u201cIf I dwell among you, the punishment for your sins will be greater.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Even so, the total absence of God turns out to be a burden too difficult to bear. Just a chapter later, Moses begs, \u201cIf I have gained Your favor, O Lord, pray, let the Lord go in our midst, even though this is a stiffnecked people.\u201d (Exodus 34:9) The risk of harsh punishment proves less frightening than the absence of the divine presence.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In the meantime, Moses discovers a way to maintain the people\u2019s access to God:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Now Moses would take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp. . . whoever sought the LORD would go out to the Tent of Meeting that was outside the camp. (33:7)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The divine presence may not be readily visible among the people, but remains available on the margins, for those who seek it.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"God\u2019s Presence is on the Margins","tile_main_caption":"The total absence of God turns out to be a burden too difficult to bear: the risk of harsh punishment proves less frightening than the absence of the divine presence.","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"33","chapter_main_number":"83","date":"20251223","wall_id":"83"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"400","name":"Sin","old_id":"800"},{"term_id":"459","name":"Forgiveness","old_id":"859"},{"term_id":"695","name":"Calf","old_id":"1095"},{"term_id":"699","name":"Teshuvah","old_id":"1099"}]},{"order":4,"id":"49962","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Shabbat With a Schmear: Ki Tissa - Massive Fail, Or Simple Miscalculation? ","post_title":"Shabbat With a Schmear: Ki Tissa - Massive Fail, Or Simple Miscalculation?","slug":"shabbat-with-a-schmear-ki-tissa-massive-fail-or-simple-miscalculation","old_id":"49962","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":38102,"post_title":"929-English","slug":"929-english","old_id":"38102","first_name":"","last_name":"929-English","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":38333,"alt":"","title":"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","width":1513,"height":860,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-300x171.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":171,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-768x437.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":437,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-1024x582.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":582,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","1536x1536-width":1513,"1536x1536-height":860,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","2048x2048-width":1513,"2048x2048-height":860,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-1200x682.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":682,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-739x420.png","home_baner-width":739,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"1032","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"

Shabbat With a Schmear: Tetzaveh - Why Clothes Make the Kohen<\/a><\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/RjTDLMXX1IY","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Shabbat With a Schmear","tile_main_caption":"Ki Tissa - Massive Fail, Or Simple Miscalculation?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Adam Mintz with Meredith Berkman (ShabbatMom)","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/RjTDLMXX1IY","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Deuteronomy","chapter":false,"chapter_main_number":false,"date":false,"wall_id":"1032"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"369","name":"Visual Arts","old_id":"769"}]},{"order":5,"id":"49959","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Absence and Counting ","post_title":"Absence And Counting","slug":"absence-and-counting","old_id":"49959","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":36663,"post_title":"Beth Kissileff","slug":"beth-kissileff","old_id":"36663","first_name":"Beth ","last_name":"Kissileff ","description":"Beth Kissileff is the editor of the anthology Reading Genesis (2016 - https:\/\/www.bloomsbury.com\/us\/reading-genesis-9780567381521), and the forthcoming Reading Exodus, and the author of the novel Questioning Return - https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Questioning-Return-Novel-Beth-Kissileff\/dp\/1942134231. \r\nHer journalism appears in many publications; she has taught most recently at the University of Pittsburgh. Visit her online at www.bethkissileff.com. ","short_description":"Beth Kissileff is the editor of the anthology Reading Genesis (Bloomsbury\/ T and T Clark, 2016) , a journalist and teacher.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36664,"alt":"","title":"BethKissileff","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224.jpg","width":3478,"height":3200,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-300x276.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":276,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-768x707.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":707,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-1024x942.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":942,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1413,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1884,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-1200x1104.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":1104,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-456x420.jpg","home_baner-width":456,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"1032","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Learning from the tablets that are whole, and from those that are broken","post_main_content_content":"

We return to a narrative in this week\u2019s Torah portion, after having experienced detailed depictions of the colors and materials for the portable tabernacle and elaborate descriptions of the clothing of the priests.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

All is not rosy in these chapters.\u00a0Along with the greatest experiences of God\u2019s might and power in the world seen earlier in Exodus, is the greatest of betrayals.<\/p>\r\n

This portion begins with census taking, with counting.\u00a0 All who are counted for the military, men from age 20 and above, are to contribute a half shekel (Exodus 30:11); the sum of these contributions is noted a few chapters forward in Exodus 38:24-28 for the portable tabernacle.\u00a0There is radical equality among the men here: all contribute the same and all are counted.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

One group does not contribute, notably. Women aren\u2019t part of this census.<\/p>\r\n

According to a midrash, women don\u2019t participate in the great betrayal either. Pirkei D\u2019Rabbi Eliezer, an eighth century midrash, says that only the men took jewelry to make the calf (PRE 45).\u00a0 The men broke off the earrings from their own ears (Exodus 32: 3) rather than those in the ears of their wives.\u00a0As a reward for their refusal, the women are rewarded, says the midrash, both in this world and the world to come, both by being able to observe Rosh Hodesh, the new moon, more stringently, and by being able to be renewed like new moons.\u00a0The verse Ps. 103:5 which speaks of having \u201cyouth renewed like an eagle\u2019s\u201d is used as a prooftext for this feminine renewal.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Despite not being written clearly into the text here, their appropriate resistance and reward for it being found only in the commentaries, women are not absent.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Ki Tissa, with its building of the treacherous calf, compared to an act of adultery with their divine partner on the part of the people Israel, is very much concerned with who is present and who is not.\u00a0Even the people\u2019s greatest teacher, Moshe Rabbenu, Moses our teacher, asks God to potentially erase him in these chapters.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Moses asks God \u201cerase me from your book which you have written\u201d (Exodus 32:32) if God will not forgive the trespass of the people.\u00a0 Moses is not <\/em>erased and the portion ends with his receiving another set of instructions (Exodus 34: 27) which are interpreted as the oral Torah which accompanies the written one.<\/p>\r\n

The fear these sections address is that some will be erased, not be seen, uncounted. The power of Jewish interpretive tradition is to read anew, address what can be learned from tablets that are both whole and broken, for the ark must store both sets.\u00a0No one is absent and all are counted when the tradition is viewed as a whole with both its written and oral traditions, that stem from the tablets Moses throws down in anger in these chapters.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":105254,"alt":"","title":"-6294cc2c74e0d--6294cc2c74e0fex33-moses 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on Faith: Is Seeing Believing? ","post_title":"Reflections On Faith: Is Seeing Believing?","slug":"reflections-on-faith-is-seeing-believing","old_id":"43362","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":42925,"post_title":"Annette Gourgey","slug":"annette-gourgey","old_id":"42925","first_name":"Annette ","last_name":"Gourgey ","description":"Annette Gourgey teaches social science research courses at The City University of New York. She has had a lifelong interest in Bible, its literary and poetic images, and what it has to teach us about faith in our daily lives.","short_description":"Annette Gourgey teaches social science research courses at The City University of New York.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":42928,"alt":"","title":"Annette Gourgey","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Annette-Gourgey-e1540715484193.jpg","width":529,"height":499,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Annette-Gourgey-e1540715484193-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Annette-Gourgey-e1540715484193-300x283.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":283,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Annette-Gourgey-e1540715484193.jpg","medium_large-width":529,"medium_large-height":499,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Annette-Gourgey-e1540715484193.jpg","large-width":529,"large-height":499,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Annette-Gourgey-e1540715484193.jpg","1536x1536-width":529,"1536x1536-height":499,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Annette-Gourgey-e1540715484193.jpg","2048x2048-width":529,"2048x2048-height":499,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Annette-Gourgey-e1540715484193.jpg","post_full_size-width":529,"post_full_size-height":499,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Annette-Gourgey-e1540715484193-445x420.jpg","home_baner-width":445,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"83","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Not by seeing with the eye, but by removing our spiritual blinders","post_main_content_content":"

Most people know the story of the golden calf (Exodus 32). But the aftermath is an exploration of faith: How can we know that God is an active presence in our lives?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The chapter plays with seeing as a metaphor for knowing. The Israelites, knowing only slavery in a pagan society with visible idols, only had faith in what they could \u201csee.\u201d Not seeing Moses after 40 days made them so anxious that they questioned their belief in his leadership. How much more must they have struggled with faith in an unseen God to deliver them to some unseen Promised Land? So, they demanded that Aaron make them a god they could see. Aaron, afraid of a rebellion, complied by modeling a golden calf to give them a visible representation that was \u201creal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

What a breach of faith so soon after agreeing to obey God wholeheartedly. Moses intercedes with God to pardon the people, and they are chastened. However, they still cannot maintain a sense of God\u2019s presence beyond what they see. So they anxiously watch Moses until he returns to his tent; when he disappears inside, a pillar of cloud appears, as a visible reassurance.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Moses is on a higher spiritual level. Yet he, too, asks to \u201csee\u201d God\u2019s presence before he can continue to lead. Unlike his people, Moses never doubts God\u2019s existence. Rather, he wishes to see the Divine nature\u2014the full essence of God\u2019s presence and forgiveness no matter our predicament. Only when he has \u201cseen\u201d that presence can he find the strength for his mission.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Although God \u201cspeaks to Moses face to face,\u201d even Moses cannot see God and live. Instead, God tells him to hide in the cleft of the rock. Moses will not see God\u2019s face, but he will know the Divine presence by \u201cseeing God\u2019s back,\u201d the after effects.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

God\u2019s response to Moses expresses a deep existential truth: that limited human understanding can never fully \u201csee God\u2019s face,\u201d or fully comprehend God\u2019s nature when circumstances appear to contradict His very existence. The coexistence of God and human suffering is a mystery. Yet we can see God\u2019s after effects in our lives, and come to have an enduring faith.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

God\u2019s response focuses on forgiveness. This is more than forgiveness for the people\u2019s sin of idolatry. It may be that we are most receptive to God\u2019s presence when we realize our wrong and seek to return to our spiritual nature. Thus, this passage is a core part of the Day of Atonement prayers. It is read when we most intensely seek to renew our faith, not by seeing with the eye but by removing our spiritual blinders.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":79074,"alt":"","title":"zech1-blindfolded","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded.png","width":1095,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-171x300.png","medium-width":171,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-584x1024.png","medium_large-width":584,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-584x1024.png","large-width":584,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded.png","1536x1536-width":876,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded.png","2048x2048-width":1095,"2048x2048-height":1920,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-684x1200.png","post_full_size-width":684,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-240x420.png","home_baner-width":240,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Reflections 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blinders","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":79074,"alt":"","title":"zech1-blindfolded","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded.png","width":1095,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-171x300.png","medium-width":171,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-584x1024.png","medium_large-width":584,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-584x1024.png","large-width":584,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded.png","1536x1536-width":876,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded.png","2048x2048-width":1095,"2048x2048-height":1920,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-684x1200.png","post_full_size-width":684,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech1-blindfolded-240x420.png","home_baner-width":240,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"33","chapter_main_number":"83","date":"20251223","wall_id":"83"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"384","name":"God","old_id":"784"},{"term_id":"459","name":"Forgiveness","old_id":"859"},{"term_id":"695","name":"Calf","old_id":"1095"}]},{"order":7,"id":"43364","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Justice and Mercy, Compassion and Justice ","post_title":"Justice And Mercy, Compassion And Justice","slug":"justice-and-mercy-compassion-and-justice","old_id":"43364","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33923,"post_title":"Jonathan Sacks","slug":"rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks","old_id":"33923","first_name":"Jonathan ","last_name":"Sacks","description":"An international religious leader, philosopher, and award-winning author of over 35 books, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the International President of 929.\r\nRabbi Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth years between 1991 and 2013, and was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005 and made a Life Peer. Rabbi Sacks passed away on 7th November 2020, aged 72. He was one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, who bridged the religious and secular world through his ground-breaking canon of work.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z\"k (1948-2020) was the former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, and the International 929 president.","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36222,"alt":"","title":"JSacks","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","width":437,"height":548,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-239x300.jpg","medium-width":239,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-768x448.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":448,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-1024x597.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":597,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","1536x1536-width":437,"1536x1536-height":548,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","2048x2048-width":437,"2048x2048-height":548,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","post_full_size-width":437,"post_full_size-height":548,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-335x420.jpg","home_baner-width":335,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"83","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The more we believe that God punishes the guilty, the more forgiving we become","post_main_content_content":"

At the height of the drama of the Golden Calf a vivid and enigmatic scene takes place. Moses has secured forgiveness for the people. But now, on Mount Sinai yet again, he does more. He asks God to be with the people. He asks Him to \u201cteach me Your ways,\u201d and \u201cshow me Your glory\u201d (Ex. 33:13, 18). God replies: \u201cI will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence \u2026 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.\u201d But, He said, \u201cyou cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live\u201d (Ex. 33:20).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

God then places Moses in a cleft in the rock face, telling him he will be able to \u201csee My back\u201d but not His face, and Moses hears God say the \u201cthirteen attributes of God\u2019s compassion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The sages understood this episode as the moment in which God taught Moses, and through him future generations, how to pray when atoning for sin. Moses himself used these words with slight variations during the next crisis, that of the spies. Eventually they became the basis of the special prayers known as selichot, prayers of penitence. It was as if God were binding himself to forgive the penitent in each generation by this self-definition. God is compassionate and lives in love and forgiveness. This is an essential element of Jewish faith.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But there is a caveat. God adds: \u201cYet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.\u201d There is a further clause about visiting the sins of the parents on the children which demands separate attention and is not our subject here. The caveat tells us that there is forgiveness but also punishment. There is compassion but also justice.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

At the very moment He is declaring his compassion, grace and forgiveness, God insists that He does not leave the guilty unpunished. A world without Divine justice would be one where there is more resentment, punishment and crime, and less public-spiritedness and forgiveness, even among religious believers. The more we believe that God punishes the guilty, the more forgiving we become. The less we believe that God punishes the guilty, the more resentful and punitive we become. This is a totally counterintuitive truth, yet one that finally allows us to see the profound wisdom of the Torah in helping us create a humane and compassionate society.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

From <\/span>Can there be Compassion without Justice?, Covenant & Conversation, Ki Tissa (5775)<\/span><\/em><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":73253,"alt":"","title":"ez6-justice","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice.jpg","width":1920,"height":927,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-300x145.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":145,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-768x371.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":371,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-1024x494.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":494,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":742,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":927,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-1200x579.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":579,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-870x420.jpg","home_baner-width":870,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Justice And Mercy, Compassion And Justice","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The more we believe that God punishes the guilty, the more forgiving we become","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":73253,"alt":"","title":"ez6-justice","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice.jpg","width":1920,"height":927,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-300x145.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":145,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-768x371.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":371,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-1024x494.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":494,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":742,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":927,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-1200x579.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":579,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez6-justice-870x420.jpg","home_baner-width":870,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"33","chapter_main_number":"83","date":"20251223","wall_id":"83"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"391","name":"In\/Justice","old_id":"791"},{"term_id":"400","name":"Sin","old_id":"800"},{"term_id":"459","name":"Forgiveness","old_id":"859"},{"term_id":"476","name":"Compassion","old_id":"876"},{"term_id":"547","name":"Punishment","old_id":"947"}]},{"order":8,"id":"43419","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Face To Face ","post_title":"Face To Face","slug":"face-to-face","old_id":"43419","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":43414,"post_title":"Eitan Cooper","slug":"eitan-cooper","old_id":"43414","first_name":"Eitan ","last_name":"Cooper ","description":"Eitan Cooper is a fourth year student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. He attended Brandeis University where he earned a BA in Near Eastern Judaic Studies and Psychology. He also holds a MA in Survey Research from the University of Connecticut. He lives in Riverdale with his wife, Dita, a Judaic Studies teacher at SAR High School, and their 20 month old son Noam. ","short_description":"Eitan Cooper is a fourth year student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":43415,"alt":"","title":"eitan cooper","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/eitan-cooper-e1541401812159.jpg","width":153,"height":183,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/eitan-cooper-e1541401812159-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/eitan-cooper-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/eitan-cooper-e1541401812159.jpg","medium_large-width":153,"medium_large-height":183,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/eitan-cooper-e1541401812159.jpg","large-width":153,"large-height":183,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/eitan-cooper-e1541401812159.jpg","1536x1536-width":153,"1536x1536-height":183,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/eitan-cooper-e1541401812159.jpg","2048x2048-width":153,"2048x2048-height":183,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/eitan-cooper-e1541401812159.jpg","post_full_size-width":153,"post_full_size-height":183,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/eitan-cooper-e1541401812159.jpg","home_baner-width":153,"home_baner-height":183}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"83","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And yet, God is heard but not seen, felt but not perceived","post_main_content_content":"

Verse 11 indicates that God spoke with Moses \u201cface to face,\u201d in the same way that \"a person speaks to his neighbor.\" The second part of the statement seems, at first read, to explain the first. Moses\u2019 face-to-face communication was so close that it was as though God was his neighbor. The fact that Moses is privy to such direct communication with God makes him unique amongst all of the prophets.<\/p>\r\n

Quite puzzlingly, we are told later in the chapter that Moses requests God to show him his presence (verse 18). How can Moses be asking this question? If God speaks directly to Moses as a person speaks to his neighbor, Moses presumably has seen God\u2019s presence. To further complicate things, God tells Moses in verse 20 that no one can see God\u2019s face and live!<\/p>\r\n

Clearly, while Moses hears God\u2019s words \u201cas a man with his neighbor,\u201d there is still something limited about his communication. God is heard but not seen, felt but not perceived. There exists a limit even to Moses\u2019 ability to communicate with God, and despite Moses\u2019 request, this limit is non-negotiable.<\/p>\r\n

Perhaps we are meant to understand God speaking with Moses \u201cas a man with his neighbor\u201d as reflective of the limited nature of their communication. While our inclination is to read \"face-to-face\" as the highest attainable level, \u201cas a man with his neighbor,\u201d serves to qualify<\/em> instead of explain <\/em>what this means. How often do we have the opportunity to communicate with someone right in front of us, face to face, yet we choose not to do so? How often do so many of us miss the mark when it comes to being fully present and available to others when we are in conversation? Our human interactions are by definition imperfect and limited. While Moses had the benefit of direct communication with God, he was, ultimately, still human. His communication with God came with all of the imperfections of interpersonal interactions.<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":78824,"alt":"","title":"zeph1-face","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph1-face.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph1-face-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph1-face-300x200.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph1-face-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph1-face-1024x683.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":683,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph1-face.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph1-face.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph1-face-1200x800.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":800,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph1-face-630x420.jpg","home_baner-width":630,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Face 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Bible on the Bench - Exodus 33<\/a><\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Bible on the Bench","tile_main_caption":"Chapter 33: God on the Periphery","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"with Adam Mintz and Shira Hecht-Koller","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/1DI20bjVTgA","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"33","chapter_main_number":"83","date":"20251223","wall_id":"83"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"369","name":"Visual Arts","old_id":"769"}]},{"order":10,"id":"49968","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"2","name":"Ki Tisa - Moses Breaks the Tablets At Sinai (A Bimbam Video) ","post_title":"Ki Tissa - Moses Breaks the Tablets At Sinai (A Bimbam Video)","slug":"ki-tisa-moses-breaks-the-tablets-at-sinai-a-bimbam-video","old_id":"49968","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":37754,"post_title":"BimBam","slug":"bimbam","old_id":"37754","first_name":"","last_name":"BimBam","description":"BimBam sparks connections to Judaism through digital storytelling for learners of all ages.","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":37755,"alt":"","title":"bimbam","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bimbam.png","width":218,"height":217,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bimbam-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bimbam.png","medium-width":218,"medium-height":217,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bimbam.png","medium_large-width":218,"medium_large-height":217,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bimbam.png","large-width":218,"large-height":217,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bimbam.png","1536x1536-width":218,"1536x1536-height":217,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bimbam.png","2048x2048-width":218,"2048x2048-height":217,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bimbam.png","post_full_size-width":218,"post_full_size-height":217,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bimbam.png","home_baner-width":218,"home_baner-height":217}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"1032","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Rabba Yaffa Epstein retells the story of the breaking of the tablets containing the law from God received at Mount Sinai, aka the Ten Commandments. She shares not just the story of the Golden Calf and the anger of Moses but also a take on how we heal - tablets, hearts, humanity. There is a crack in everything, wrote Leonard Cohen, that's how the light gets in. 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There is a lot going on in this week\u2019s\u00a0parsha<\/em>\u2026 the biggest news, of course, is that while Moshe is up on Mt. Sinai getting the\u00a0luhot\u00a0<\/em>(tablets),\u00a0Bnei Yisrael<\/em>\u00a0are down below feeling anxious about the length of Moshe\u2019s absence. To learn more with Rachel Friedrichs download the newest Interactive Parsha Experience<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

And if you have older kids or teens, be sure to check out our\u00a0Parsha Discussion\u00a0<\/a>for a more mature conversation.<\/p>\r\n

To receive an Interactive Parsha Experience weekly email please subscribe with Pardes\u00a0today<\/a>!<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":45256,"alt":"","title":"pardes cover image","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-300x169.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-768x432.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-1024x576.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":576,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-1200x675.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":675,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-747x420.jpg","home_baner-width":747,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Interactive Family Study Materials","tile_main_caption":"Ki Tissa: Are Good Intentions Good Enough?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Download the study guide","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":45256,"alt":"","title":"pardes cover image","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-300x169.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-768x432.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-1024x576.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":576,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-1200x675.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":675,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pardes-cover-image-747x420.jpg","home_baner-width":747,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Deuteronomy","chapter":false,"chapter_main_number":false,"date":false,"wall_id":"1032"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"368","name":"Parasha","old_id":"768"}]},{"order":12,"id":"49964","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Ki Tissa - A Stiff-Necked People ","post_title":"Ki Tissa - A Stiff-Necked People","slug":"ki-tissa-a-stiff-necked-people","old_id":"49964","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":42813,"post_title":"Covenant & Conversation","slug":"covenant-conversation","old_id":"42813","first_name":"","last_name":"Covenant & Conversation","description":"Covenant & Conversation: Family Edition is a new and exciting initiative from The Office of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. 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Ki Tissa\u00a0<\/em>begins with the final details about the Sanctuary, including a collection of money that was to serve as a census to count the Israelite population. The\u00a0parsha\u00a0<\/em>then tells one of the most gripping stories in Jewish history. The people, confused and panicking without the leadership of Moses (who is up the mountain, receiving the tablets from God), make a Golden Calf and dance before it. God tells Moses to go down. Moses does, and in his anger he smashes the tablets. He lectures the people, then returns to the mountain to beg God to forgive them. Eventually Moses again descends Mount Sinai, with a second set of tablets, unaware that his face is now radiating light<\/p>\r\n

Family study materials on Parashat Ki Tissa from \"Covenant and Conversation\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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His poems have won twenty-two prizes in international poetry competitions, and he has twice been awarded fellowships from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.","short_description":"Yakov Azriel is an English language poet who lives in Israel","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36670,"alt":"","title":"Yakov.Azriel.Photo","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","width":1099,"height":1519,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-217x300.jpg","medium-width":217,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-741x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":741,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-741x1024.jpg","large-width":741,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","1536x1536-width":1099,"1536x1536-height":1519,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","2048x2048-width":1099,"2048x2048-height":1519,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-868x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":868,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-304x420.jpg","home_baner-width":304,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"83","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And Moses in his... 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\u201cThe Lord said, \u2018Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. \u00a0When My Presence passes by, I will put you within the cleft of the rock...\u201d (Exodus 33:21-22)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Socrates, too, in Plato\u2019s cave, through the crack in the crevice, saw
\r\n<\/span>A glimpse
\r\n<\/span>Of light.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

(They killed him though.)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n

Through the same crevice, Moses saw
\r\n<\/span>The white
\r\n<\/span>Of God\u2019s <\/span>tefillin<\/span><\/i>-straps
\r\n<\/span>Shine.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Moses lived
\r\n<\/span>To write the Book with the same light
\r\n<\/span>And lives,
\r\n<\/span>To give
\r\n<\/span>The spark
\r\n<\/span>To us, blinded
\r\n<\/span>By the flicker
\r\n<\/span>Of shadows.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":84358,"alt":"","title":"ps57-cave sky","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ps57-cave-sky.jpg","width":1920,"height":1281,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ps57-cave-sky-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ps57-cave-sky-300x200.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ps57-cave-sky-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ps57-cave-sky-1024x683.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":683,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ps57-cave-sky.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1025,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ps57-cave-sky.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1281,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ps57-cave-sky-1200x801.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":801,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/ps57-cave-sky-630x420.jpg","home_baner-width":630,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"929 Poetry Corner","tile_main_caption":"Socrates, Too, In Plato\u2019s Cave","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"And Moses in his... 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    \r\n\t
  1. How far?<\/em> The distance between God and the people is expressed in this chapter as a physical distance: Now Moses would take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp, at some distance from the camp\u201d (verse 7).<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  2. Joshua, son of Nun<\/em>. He has an important religious function. Moses goes out to the Tent of Meeting to speak with God, and then returns to the camp, \u201cbut his attendant, Joshua son of Nun, [serving as] deputy, would not stir out of the Tent\u201d (verse 11).<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Who wants to be the chosen people?<\/em> The answer is in verse 16. Note that it is a sort of positive discrimination.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  4. \u201cI have singled you out by name<\/span><\/i>, and you have, indeed, <\/span>gained My favor<\/span><\/i>\u201d Those are two important expressions that repeat themselves in verses 12-23 and express Moses\u2019 religious experience, which is approaching new heights.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>","post_main_content_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Daily Summary","tile_main_caption":"Points to Ponder: Exodus 33","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Insights and questions for personal reflection and group discussion","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"33","chapter_main_number":"83","date":"20251223","wall_id":"83"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false}],"static_cube_title":"","static_cube_brief":"","static_cube_color":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall\/43310"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wall"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}