Parshas Ki Sissa 5765

G-d commanded Moshe to take a census of the Jewish people. Although this order is mentioned before the sin of the Golden Calf, it was actually instructed after the plague had killed many of the participants in the sin. Rather than counting the people themselves, they were ordered to give a half shekel each, and the coins were then counted. The half-shekel served as atonement for the nation.

Moshe told the nation that he would return from atop of Mount Sinai after forty days. The people miscalculated Moshe's words and began the counting from the moment he left. In fact, however, Moshe had meant for the forty days to begin from the next morning, marking a complete forty days and nights. When Moshe had not returned by noon of the fortieth day of their calculations, they feared that he would not return at all.

The people clamored around Aharon to make them an image as a replacement for Moshe. Although Aharon had no intention of sinning, he feared for his life. The Midrash says that Chur, Miriam's son, tried to stop the people and was murdered.

Aharon told the people to bring their gold to him. He thought he could procrastinate until Moshe returned. The people, however, rushed to bring him their gold. Aharon took the gold and threw it into a fire. Miraculously, a golden calf appeared by itself.

Only a minority of the nation, three thousand people, actually served the Golden Calf as a god. These instigators were actually from the Mixed Assembly who had joined the Jews when they left Egypt, and were not from the main body of the nation. The majority of the others only viewed it as a physical representation of something with which they could connect to G-d, to take the place of Moshe. Yet this too was considered a serious sin, because it marked a lack of trust and belief in the way G-d wanted the people to relate to Him.

The people were all punished on various levels, according to their involvement. Only the Levites and the women, who had not been involved with the Calf at all, were spared from punishment. The Levites were chosen to serve in the Temple instead of the firstborn; and the women were given Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon, as a monthly holiday.

He took the calf they had made and burned it in fire and ground it to a fine powder... (Ex. 32:20)

There is a custom to place ash on the groom's head before the wedding ceremony commemorating the passage, "... if I fail to elevate you, O Jerusalem, at the head of my joy." (Psalms 137)

Rav Hillel Zaks, Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron Yeshiva, officiated at a student's wedding and was looking for some ash to place on the groom. Someone offered him some ash from his cigarette, Rav Zaks refused it, saying, "That ash is from a disgusting and improper source and it would not be right to use it for such an exalted purpose as a wedding."

Did You Know...

The Hamotzi blessing on Shabbos is recited over two loaves of bread. Even if a person eats bread as a snack, after the meals, he should recite the blessing on two loaves.

Before reciting the blessing, a person should mark the bread with the knife where he plans to cut the loaf. The reason for this is to minimize the time lapse between the blessing and the eating of the bread. (In the olden days, the crust would be thick and hard, and marking the bread would save a second from the cutting.)

Friday night the lower challah is cut first, and on Shabbos day the upper challah is cut first.