This coming week begins \”the nine days,\” the period of intense mourning leading up to Tisha B\’av, the fast of Av, which takes place on the following Thursday, July 18.
Korach decides to pick a fight with Moses. He says: Hey! I\’m a Levite, too! Don\’t I deserve to be given as much honor as you Moses?
When we recognize the strengths, the potential, the gifts that others give to the world and us, we can see a glimpse of God in them.
When I moved to Israel in 1992, I was a young religious Zionist believing in the Greater Israel. I was disappointed that the Likud\’s Yizhak Shamir had lost the elections to a man named Yitzhak Rabin.
Fast forward seven years. I am in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, awaiting the 1999 election results. The numbers scroll up, live on a giant screen, 47, 48, 49, 50. By mere slivers of points, Ehud Barak beats Benjamin Netanyahu. Tears of relief stream down my face. Thank God, I think. In the end, peace will triumph. We are in the government after all. Peace still will come.
Parashat Ki Tisa tells us that \”the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another.\” (Exodus 33:11) We also hear God telling Moses, \”I have singled you out by name, and you have indeed gained My favor\” (Exodus 33:12). In Numbers 12:8, God explains that only with Moses does communication occur \”mouth to mouth.\” And the expression \”face to face\” (panim el panim) recurs in Deuteronomy 34:10, as both Moses\’ life and the Torah reach their conclusion: \”Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses — whom the Lord singled out, face to face.\”
After killing an Egyptian taskmaster for nearly beating to death an Israelite slave, Moses, who is introduced in this week\’s Torah portion, flees for his life.
It\’s a cautionary tale for parents, and one whose message will resonate with children: the new DreamWorks telling of the biblical tale of Joseph in the animated direct-to-video film \”Joseph: King of Dreams.\”In a style similar to that of \”The Prince of Egypt,\” which told the story of Moses, \”Joseph: King of Dreams\” imagines the childhood of Joseph and illustrates the dangers of favoring one child and the extremes to which sibling rivalry can lead. Animated by their jealousy, Joseph\’s brothers sell their preferred brother to Egyptian slave traders. It\’s an act they come to regret.
All of us question authority at times. We do it for any number of reasons. Sometimes our ego motivates us. Sometimes the motivation stems out of a true desire to bring about a needed change.
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