2021/5781
Since it’s Parashat Parah, we will not be reading the Haftarah of Ki Tisa this week, but it still deserves some mention, especially because examining the Haftarah will allow us to better understand the Parashah.
First, a quick rundown. Ki Tisa’s Haftarah is taken from Melachim I Perek 18. It begins in the third year of famine that Eliyahu started. Hashem orders Eliyahu to appear to Achav so that Hashem can give Bnei Yisrael rain. To make a long story short, they meet up, and Eliyahu calls everyone to Har HaCarmel, where he totally discredits the prophets of Ba’al and proves that Hashem is God. The people are convinced, and they shout “Hashem Hu HaElohim Hashem Hu HaElohim,” “Hashem is the only God, Hashem is the only God!” (Melachim 18:39).
Very cool. But what does it have to do with Parashat Ki Tisa?
The conventional answer is that both Ki Tisa and Melachim 18 show that the impact of miracles, and other kinds of large displays, is limited. Right after (fine, forty days after) Matan Torah, the people are already worshipping a golden calf: “Eileh Elohecha Yisrael Asher HeElucha Mei’Eretz Mitzrayim,” “This is your God, O Israel, who took you out of the Land of Egypt”. Apparently, the grandeur of Har Sinai, the Kol Shofar, the fire, literally hearing Hashem speak to them, did not have a lasting effect. So too in our Haftarah. The people seem convinced, but a few Pesukim later Izevel, Achav’s wife, is threatening Eliyahu with death, and Eliyahu runs away depressed to Har Choreiv. And a few years later, Achav’s son Achazyahu is sending messengers to the Philistine god Ba’al Zevuv, ignoring Eliyahu’s warnings even when he kills 100 of Achazyahu’s best men.
I would like to point out a few nuances, however. First, neither event is entirely unsuccessful. Although Bnei Yisrael mess up pretty badly, they manage to mostly bounce back. They aren’t on their Matan Torah level, but neither are they at their Mitzrayim level. They get a second set of Luchot and build the Mishkan, thus receiving a second chance. Eliyahu may also have not entirely convinced the people in the long run, but he leaves them better off than when they started. He manages to kill the Nevi’ei HaBa’al, and allows the Nevi’ei Hashem to come out of hiding. In the beginning of Perek 18 they are hiding in a cave, but by the second Perek of Melachim Bet, they are out in the open. Additionally, Ki Tisa and Melachim focus on different aspects of the story: Matan Torah took place four Parashiyot before Ki Tisa, and Ki Tisa focuses on the tragedy in its aftermath. Melachim I 18, meanwhile, focusses on the end of the spectacle, leaving discussions of Bnei Yisrael’s sins to later.
Based on these points, I propose a variation of the original approach. The Haftarah is not just about the failure of spectacle to encourage spiritual devotion, but about effective leadership in response to crisis, which may change depending on the situation. In Moshe’s case, spectacle had been ineffective, so he took a more intimate approach to help Bnei Yisrael recover. This time, he relied on human agency. He burned the Eigel HaZahav, ground it up, and compelled everyone to drink its ashes mixed with water. The people had to take personal responsibility for, and fully experience the results of, their actions. Moshe then calls out “Mi LaHashem Eilai,” “Whoever is for Hashem come to me!” (Shemot 32:26), rallying the tribe of Levi to kill the perpetrators of the Cheit Ha’Eigel. Again, Moshe Rabbeinu is not relying on the outside force of Hashem’s miracles to convince the people, but on their own agency. This is why the second Luchot were hewn not by God, but by Moshe Rabbeinu: it was a recognition that Bnei Yisrael had to change course in order to succeed in the future. Moshe understands this, and, after receiving the second Luchot, teaches Bnei Yisrael face to face. They need a more low-key way of receiving Dvar Hashem. Moshe recognizes this, and changes course accordingly.
Eliyahu, meanwhile, discovers something else. The people no longer believe in Hashem, in no small part due to the ruling class of Malchut Yisrael pushing Avodah Zarah and terrorizing Nevi’im. Bnei Yisrael needs a wake up call; they have no human agency on which they can rely. Eliyahu thus organizes Har HaCarmel, where he uses the somewhat unsuccessful strategy of the first Luchot to remind Bnei Yisrael of who the true God is. He is, admittedly, not entirely successful, but he accomplishes something. He doesn’t give them the second chance that Moshe gave them; instead, he gives them a fresh start.
Ki Tisa and its Haftarah teach us an important lesson, both about human nature and about strong leadership. At different times, people need different things: a strep patient will respond well to malaria treatment and a wide receiver won’t benefit from ballet (wait…). An effective leader recognizes this fundamental fact and knows how to respond accordingly.