Ki Tisa (When You Take) Exodus (Sh’mot) 30:11-34:35

Torah PortionKi Tisa (When You Take) Exodus (Sh’mot) 30:11-34:35

Haftorah Reading: I Kings 18:1-39

This week our Torah portion is Ki Tisa meaning, “When you take.” The Hebrew word tisa means to carry a load, or to undertake a necessary burden.

In this portion we read of G-d’s instructions on how the census was to be taken. You may remember in II Samuel 24 and I Chronicles 27 where King David, in his later years, decided to take a census of the people of Israel with disastrous results. Why was it wrong for him to take this census? G-d had not ordered it done. David did this on his own and brought calamity on Israel. Keep this in mind as we go through these scriptures today.

Re’eh (Behold) Deut 11

 

Torah Portion: Re’eh (Behold, See) Deut. 11:26-16:17

HafTorah: Isaiah 54:11-55:5

 

I would like to start by looking at the Torah section first. I would like to look at it in what it says about worship. In Hebrew the word for worship and work has the same root. What could they have in common? Worship is not something that we sit back and let someone do for us. We must be active participants. It requires effort from us and it must be acceptable.