Parashat Ki Tisa

Learning from Your Brother

Last week’s Torah reading was a disaster for Moshe. From the account of his birth at the beginning of Exodus until the very end of the Torah, it is the only parashah in which Moshe’s name does not appear even once. And the absence of his name is accentuated by the text being comprised entirely of God speaking directly to Moshe. The parashah speaks of Aaron and his descendants’ role as the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people, and his name is elevated beyond anyone else’s. Some commentators believe that Moshe was originally slated to be the religious leader as well, yet the role was taken away from him and given to Aaron when Moshe refused to go to Pharaoh one too many times. However, Aaron’s portrayal in this week’s parashah does not seem to paint a picture of a strong religious leader either. The anxiety of Moshe being delayed in his return from Mount Sinai leads the people to decide to abandon God, while Aaron caves to their pressure and leads them in that endeavor. He creates the idolatrous calf for them and declares a holiday in its honor. When God sends Moshe to deal with this new issue, Moshe immediately confronts Aaron. It results in a new paradigm in sibling relations — learning from one’s brother. 

Genesis goes through four endings to sibling conflicts, which result in a path toward moderation. First, the conflict ends when one brother kills the other. In the next conflict, Issac and Ishmael can put aside their differences for the purpose of burying their father together. Next, Jacob and Esau end their conflict with an embrace even though they still need to live apart. Finally, Joseph forgives his brothers. 

When Moshe confronts Aaron, the response is somewhat unexpected. On the surface, it would seem as if Aaron is throwing the Jewish people under the bus — it’s all their fault; they made him do it. However, Pirkei Avot gives us a different perspective:
הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר:  הֱוֵי מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן:  אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם, וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, וּמְקָרְבָן לַתּוֹרָה:
“Hillel says:  Be like the students of Aaron:  Love peace, pursue peace, love your fellow human beings and bring them closer to the Torah.”
 
When reading Aaron’s response in the light of the Mishnah, we see Aaron’s motivation. He was trying to keep the peace. Instead of taking a confrontational approach toward the people’s actions, he chose to recognize the angst that they were feeling because of the unknown and tried to guide them in a way that could ultimately bring them back to where they needed to be. 

In contrast to earlier friction with the Israelites, this time Moshe takes a page from Aaron’s playbook. God is fed up with the Israelites and is ready to destroy them. This time, Moshe becomes the peacemaker. He refuses to be part of the Torah if God destroys the Jewish people. God must be forgiving. There has to be a peaceful path forward. From the beginning, the Torah reminds us that it is easy to be angry at your brother (both your actual sibling as well as your figurative brethren). It lays out different paths that one can take to address those feelings. However, in Ki Tisa, we finally reach the ultimate message: Yes, your “brother” is flawed. But think about how much you can learn from them when you’re finally able to look past those flaws. 

Shabbat Shalom!