There are many ways to read and to understand the Torah.  One could read each week's Torah portion as an individual story, providing a message or a lesson within the immediate frame of verses within that portion.  On the other hand, one could read each portion, and indeed each verse in the Textual narrative in context with the whole Torah.  It is with this in mind that I have an interesting thought with regard to Moses' destruction of the Ten Commandments. 

 

We all know the dramatic moment in this week's Torah portion, Ki Tissa.  As the scene unfolds, Moses was so furious when he saw the Israelites cavorting with the golden calf that they created to be a god that, in a fit of rage, he smashed the two tablets.

 

Indeed, having just spent 40 days on Mount Sinai receiving the Law, and recognizing that the second Commandment specifically prohibits having other gods, one can easily understand Moses' rage. 

 

However, is it possible there was another factor to consider? Last week, in Parasha Tetzevah, God told Moses to anoint his brother Aaron and his sons as priests. Moses learns that the priesthood, the holy connector between God and the Jewish people, will run through Aaron and his descendants from generation to generation. Without a word, Moses dutifully reports and records the holy appointment.  However, I wonder if there might not have been some unexpressed anger or jealousy in the prophet. 

 

The Torah specifically tells us that Moses was the most humble person. However, even a humble person seeks the best for himself and, perhaps more importantly, for his family.  What about Moses' sons, Gershom and Eliezer?  Why aren't they given the priesthood or some other office or position of importance? Hadn't Moses done enough to deserve such a legacy? As a father, one might imagine the very strong possibility that Moses would be thinking something along these lines.  After all, even the greatest prophet was still a human. (It is worth it to note that after the Book of Exodus the sons are not directly mentioned.)

 

With this underlying thought, is it possible that Moses was already angry about the lack of honor to his family; so much so that when he saw the golden calf, it was just the last straw.  As if the prophet were saying: "The people constantly complain, my children get nothing, and now the person entrusted with the spiritual future of the Jewish people creates an idol!"   If this had gone through his mind, it is no wonder that the prophet cast down the tablets.

 

Emotional outbursts are often not simply about the immediate cause of that outburst.  In order to truly understand what has happened, we need to look at a bigger picture.  If Uncle Sol had a tantrum because the family did not wait for him to carve the Thanksgiving Day turkey, is it possible that Uncle Sol was bothered by something (or things) other than the turkey?  Are there issues other than the bird?  Have there been issues leading up to the outburst that had gone unspoken or unresolved?

 

Torah has the ability to teach us to consider context. An Artist rarely paints just the subject; rather she will use the entire space of the canvas to convey a visual tale.  To write a compelling story, a writer surrounds major characters with lesser characters and the plot with sub-plots.  A doctor needs to find the source of an ailment before properly treating it.

 

Look into the eyes of the person across from you. Consider what else may be going on in that person's life.  To be certain, the golden calf is an egregious malfeasance by the Israelites, deserving of a dramatic reaction.  But maybe, just maybe, there is more to the story than meets the eye.

 

Shabbat Shalom - Rabbi Michael S. Jay