Exodus 30:11 - 34:35

Ashkenazim: I Kings 18:1-39
Sephardim: I Kings 18:20-39

In this Torah portion, Moses stays with God on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights. There, he is given the 10 Commandments on stone tablets. Fearing Moses will never return, the Israelites turn to Aaron, who demands that everyone bring him their gold, so he can make a golden calf. When Moses comes down the mountain and sees the people dancing around this idol, he smashes the tablets on the ground. God punishes with a plague all the Israelites who were involved. Moses builds a tent to be his meeting place with God.

FULL SUMMARY
HAFTARAH SUMMARY

Holiness Cannot Be Mass Produced

The artisan is as important as the ingredients used.

More on this Torah Portion

Up And Down The Mountain Of Life

The Israelites worshipped the Golden Calf because they lost an awareness of God.

The Wedding Feast

Parashat Ki Tisa is not just about idol worship.

Idolatry Everywhere

What objects and ideas do we treat as idols?

The Coin of Fire

How to rectify material wealth.

Responsible Spending

We can learn a great deal from how the Israelites acquire and spend their money in this Torah portion.

What Happened to Moses on Mount Sinai

Moses was changed internally and externally by his experience on Mount Sinai.

Our Golden Calf: When Tzedakah Is Not Righteous

The incident of the Golden Calf challenges us to consider how we respond to tzedakah that comes from questionable sources.

Positive Communal Action

The collection of the half-shekel teaches us the importance of working together as a community.

Go Down, Moses!

The incident of the Golden Calf teaches each of us the importance of taking responsibility for our actions and inspires us to make our communities homes of sacredness.

The Idol Of Complacency

The prohibition against making an idol warns us not to fix our image of God, but rather to allow our conception of God to evolve.

Negotiating A Relationship With God

In constructing the Golden Calf, the Israelites attempted to create a mediated, safe relationship with an awesome and consuming God.

Tzedakah And Jewish Education

Our communal responsibility to ensure the immortality of the Jewish people depends on our commitment to supporting Jewish education.

Paralyzed By Numbers

What can we learn from counting the Israelites?

Shabbat as an Anchor

Ki Tisa highlights how Shabbat is a gift to the Jewish people and the world.

Veiling And Unveiling

Moses was sensitive to the needs of the people, changing his appearance in order to enhance their ability to communicate with him.

Rejuvenate Yourself Weekly

Shabbat is the antidote to our busy pressure-filled lives.

Parashat Ki Tisa Quiz

Learn more about the weekly Torah portion.

Haftarah for Ki Tisa

Elijah takes on Ahab and worshippers of Baal.

Parashat Ki Tisa: Summary

God continues describing the Tabernacle to Moses; the people worship the Golden Calf, Moses pleads on their behalf, and God forgives them.