This Shabbat we take a momentary break in our annual cycle of Torah readings in honor of our celebration of Pesach. Throughout the eight days of the Festival, we explore the different passages in the Torah which talk about the holiday. In this way we can learn about different mitzvot involved in its observance and probe the deeper layers of significance which the Festival may have to our lives.
Our main Torah reading from Exodus begins with the period following the incident of the Golden Calf. As a result of the Israelites' betrayal, God had initially told Moses to "leave Him alone" so that He could destroy the entire nation. Moses had taken the request as a hint on God's part to do precisely the opposite: in other words, to intervene! He takes forty days and nights to plead with God to spare the people. God responds favorably but only on the condition that an angel - a lesser level of divinity - will provide the guidance that they need: God's Presence will no longer "dwell" among them. Their continued faithlessness would draw Divine Judgment upon them. (A fundamental aspect of God's holiness is His capacity to Judge the Universe that He created - which includes humanity - with justice). Sooner or later, each and every one of us faces the consequences of our behavior. "Sooner" is a way of measuring just how close God's Presence is!
Moses isn't satisfied! He sees no purpose in the entire enterprise, which started with the exodus of the Israelite people from slavery and has led to the giving of the Ten Commandments thus far. As far as he is concerned God can "wipe him out of His Book" unless His Divine Presence will continue to abide in the midst of the people. What goes hand in hand with this last demand is for God to reveal to Moses His Divine Will so that Moses, in turn, can pass this information on to the Israelites. In this way they can anticipate; conduct their own lives in keeping with that Will and prevent their subsequent annihilation. Not only that, but in creating a society in which the Divine Presence can abide, they will achieve a state of being that surpasses any other possible level of human existence!
Our reading begins with Moses bringing to God's attention the fact that He has told Moses to continue to lead the people to the Promised Land. However He has yet to let Moses know if He has agreed to cause His Presence to abide among the Israelites, despite His assurance to Moses that he has personally achieved Divine Favor. Moses wants some tangible evidence of this! Specifically he pleads with God to "Show me Your Way... so that I (can continue) to find favor in Your sight and (You will) see (Lord), that these people (the Israelites) are Your nation!" (Ex 33:13)
To sum up some of the highlights which follow:
· God promises Moses the unique mystic experience he has requested, so that he can gain the requisite understanding of God and His Way.
· Moses will see God's "back" since no-one can behold the "face" of God and continue to exist as a mortal being.
· God commands Moses to prepare a second set of tablets.
· God reveals to Moses His thirteen attributes of Divine Mercy!
· God gives solemn warning to the Jewish People to follow His mitzvot.
· In this connection God warns them not to follow the practices of the people they will be dispossessing.
· He tells them to observe the festival of Pesach.
· Laws concerning the firstborn males of cattle, donkeys and humans
· They must observe Shabbat rest regardless of the season.
· They are to observe the feast of Shavuot and the feast of Ingathering (Sukkot)
· All Israelite males are to come before God's Presence three times a year (the Pilgrimage Festivals)
· The Pesach offering cannot be brought when chametz is present and must be consumed before the following morning.
· The first fruits of the soil must be brought to the House of God.
· The prohibition to "seethe the kid in its mother's milk"
In the context of the aftermath of the incident of the Golden Calf, these specific mitzvot take on a unique significance. They are, after all, the spelling out of God's Way! The Torah is challenging us to view them as essential in defining a Life dedicated to carrying out the Divine Will - living in a way that is compatible with experiencing His Presence!
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