Parashat Parashat Ki Tissa
Exodus 30:11 – 34:35
“We should not be dismissive of the need to include, together with us, the sinners of Israel, when we gather to fast and pray for our community’s sake.” This is Rashi’s paraphrase of the lesson drawn by the Talmud (BTK’ritot 6b) from a small detail in our Torah reading.
As God continues to plan for the sanctuary that will serve as the sacred meeting place with Israel, God prescribes that sweet-smelling incense be burned as part of the service. And God enumerates the ingredients of this sacred incense powder. But one of the required ingredients, along with many aromatic plants, is, surprisingly, galbanum (Ex. 30:34) Those who know about spices noticed that galbanum has an unpleasant odor when burnt! So why would God mandate that this be an element in a mixture that is meant to have a pleasant smell?
The answer is that a little bit of bitter odor can actually enhance the sweetness of the overall aroma, giving it extra punch. The Talmud took this rule and turned it into a lesson about communal pluralism and inclusion. When we gather together for the purpose of reaffirming our community and striving for its improvement, say the Sages, we must be careful to include everyone. (This is the basis for our introduction to the Kol Nidrei prayer, when we invite everyone to join us for Yom Kippur.) This includes not only those we may respectfully disagree with, but even those whom we positively regard as criminals!
This is a very challenging demand! Pluralism is, to this day, a value that is rejected by those who firmly believe in their exclusive possession of the truth. Pluralism became an important value as the West modernized. But it is a value under attack in the West today, even in the USA and even in the Jewish community. Yet, we find it advocated by our Sages almost two thousand years ago. So it is important to place this lesson within the context of our Torah portion, for our reading narrates the greatest crisis that faced the young nation of Israel, a crisis that continues to reverberate in our tradition down through time: the Golden Calf episode.
When Moses was listening to God’s plans for a sanctuary, the Torah tells us, the Israelites grew impatient with waiting for his return and created a Golden Calf to worship. This almost led to the breakup of our covenant with God. It did lead to the execution of 3000 Israelites at Moses’ command. Where was the “inclusion of sinners,” advocated by our Rabbis, in this story? Where was the pluralism and tolerance for differences of opinion and practice?
But these questions, if honestly entertained, cannot simply be used as weapons to win a debating point. They do not prove some simple idea nor do they demolish some incorrect argument. The Sages were just as aware of the Torah’s story of the Golden Calf as we are. Yet they presented the value of pluralism to be grappled with in tension with that story.
One factor that has been raised as essential is the importance of the willingness of all parties to join in a greater vision of inclusion. Thus, the Sages pictured a convocation of the entire community with an invitation to “the sinners” to join in the convocation. This assumes a desire on everyone’s part to be included in a united body. But what of those who wish to destroy the “more perfect union”? Does pluralism mandate the inclusion of those who reject the very value of pluralism and who seek to impose a monistic culture upon everyone? It would seem that the 3000 casualties of the Golden Calf episode reflect the existence of a hard core of opposition to Moses even after he returned from the mountain with the Torah.
That question raises another element in the problem, the historical and sociological context of the conflict. It seems that pluralism is conceivable within societies that have a greater sense of confidence in their identities and strengths. Totalitarian movements are often driven by fears about their perception that society is falling apart. For them pluralism is not seen as a sign of health, but as a sign of dissolution. The civil war fought within Israel after the Golden Calf may parallel the Civil War fought by the USA in its own existential struggle to constitute itself as a nation and define its values.
Where are we today in our perception of our society as Americans, and where are we today in our perceptions of our Jewish society? What are our values and dreams? What unites us and what kinds of diversity do we welcome? Let’s notice the subtle change that Rashi has made to the Talmudic teaching he paraphrases. The Sages tell us that “Any convocation that does not also include the sinners of Israel is not a proper convocation.” They are categorical in their statement. Rashi is the one who couches this teaching in terms of a warning: “Let us not be dismissive of the need for inclusion.” Rashi acknowledges how tempting it is for us to disregard this short but difficult rabbinic statement. But, he warns and implores us – we cannot let ourselves be dismissive of these questions.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi David Greenstein
Subscribe to Rabbi Greenstein’s weekly d’var Torah
Image: collage of commercial stock images. authorship unavailable.
- Toby Stein: In Memoriam - Thu, Feb 8, 2024
- Faithfulness and Hope: Parashat Sh’lach - Thu, Jun 23, 2022
- Past Their Prime: Parashat B’ha`a lot’kha - Thu, Jun 16, 2022