Charity
Begins
at Home
Time And Love
Can Strengthen Us
T
RABBI IRWIN GRONER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
. . . but it doesn't end there.
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he figure of Moses never
looms as large as in this
week's Torah portion.
We see the law-giver
standing on Mt. Sinai bearing
in his arms the tablets inscribed
with the divine words. Moses
had freed the people from phys-
ical bondage, now he is to be-
stow upon them a sublime gift,
the Torah of law and freedom.
The Bible describes the di-
vine light that glowed from his
face as he readied his hands to
convey the stone engraved with
sacred words to the people of Is-
rael. But what awaits Moses?
Not an expectant, grateful, rev-
erent gathering of his followers.
He sees a rebellious, idolatrous,
frenzied mob, dancing around
a calf of gold, fashioned by his
own brother.
In this deeply tragic moment,
his flaming eyes grow dim; and
his hands drop the tablets
which suddenly become heavy
and unbearable. He is heart-
broken and outraged. It is not
only the tablets that have been
shattered. His hopes and
dreams lie about him like bro-
ken pieces of stone. Moses
crushes the tablets before the
eyes of the people and calls for
severe punishment for their
sins.
The sequel to this is no less
fascinating, powerful and pro-
foundly instructive. As the nar-
rative unfolds, we recognize
that Moses displays even
greater heroism and wisdom
than had heretofore been re-
quired of him.
Moses undergoes a transfor-
mation, a turning point in his
faith and leadership. He takes
his staff and climbs Mt. Sinai a
second time. Undoubtedly, his
heart is heavier, his spirits not
as exuberant. Some of his ear-
lier enthusiasm, expectation
and hope had vanished from his
heart. But, nevertheless, he re-
turns to the summit of the
mountain; and after 40 days, he
descends with the second
tablets in his hands, as true and
inspiring as the first. This is a
moment of singular victory.
What changed the story from
tragedy to triumph? What can
we learn from this episode
about facing life's frustrations,
defeats and anguish? Is there
any human life that has not wit-
nessed broken tablets? Is there
any way to surmount disap-
Irwin Groner is senior rabbi of Con-
gregation Shanrey Zedek.
pointment and failure and
climb once more to the moun-
tain of vision and faith?
The text suggests one im-
portant and indispensable ele-
ment: "And it came to pass on
the morrow, that Moses said
unto the people: 'You have
sinned a great sin; and now I
will go up unto the Lord, per-
haps I shall make atonement
for your sins.' " Time had inter-
vened, in which to think, med-
itate, pray. When the night
passed and morning came,
Moses had changed. The first
words that Moses uttered when
he saw the children of Israel
Shabbat Ki Tissa:
Exodus 30:11-34:35
I Kings 18:1-39.
dancing before the golden calf
were angry, bitter and out-
raged. But the next day Moses
was more merciful and under-
standing, more compassionate
and patient. He was prepared
to try again and to renew the
Covenant.
Elsewhere in the Torah we
read "Tomorrow God will work
wonders among you." Perhaps
that text really means that
there are wonders concealed in
tomorrow. What has been bro-
ken today, can be restored to-
morrow. What has been
shattered today can be made
whole tomorrow.
When we seek to comfort the
bereaved, we suggest to them
that tomorrow may bring heal-
ing. To those who endure pain,
we offer the promise that to-
morrow will bring a measure of
relief. To those who have expe-
rienced bitterness and hurt, we
convey the hope that tomorrow
can bring about the process of
reconciliation and restoration.
Moses taught his people and all
the generations to follow that
in tomorrow lies the miracle
and the mystery of renewal.
But time does not heal all
wounds and cannot always pro-
duce the wonder of transfor-
mation. In the field of human
relations, the mere passing of
days and nights does not correct
problems and provide reconcil-
iation for broken families or
friendships. A thousand to-
morrows elapse from the be-
ginning of family strife until the
final decree of divorce. Time