בס”ד
A THOUGHT ABOUT PARSHAT KI TISA 5785
The Essence of True Wisdom and Faith
For both the Jewish people and Bnei Noach, the foundation of wisdom and faith begins with the realization that there is a Primary Being (G-d) who created everything that exists. Everything in the spiritual and physical world exists only through the truth of His being. He is the source of all existence, and without Him, nothing could exist. However, if everything except G-d were to disappear, He would still exist, for everything depends on Him, while He depends on nothing.
G-d is absolute and unique, entirely different from anything in the world. He has no body or form and is perfectly One—not in a divisible way, as things in the world are, but in an indivisible and perfect manner. Because He has no physical form, He is unlimited and infinitely powerful.1
The Foundation of Faith
The belief in His existence
| I am the L-RD your G-d. | אֲנִי, ד’ אֱלֹקיכֶם |
and oneness
| 4 Hear, O Israel: Hashem our G-d, Hashem is one. | ד שְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל: ד’ אֱלֹקינוּ, ד’ אֶחָד. |
is a fundamental commandment in the Torah.
This belief leads us to place complete trust in Him, regardless of what happens—even when we do not understand. As stated, “He alone is the one who guides a person from the beginning of his existence” (2:13), His kindness is all-encompassing (2:15), and when one truly recognizes this, he will entrust himself fully to Him and not doubt His judgments (2:17). As Chovot HaLevavot, Shaar HaBitachon teaches, such trust leads to peace of mind, knowing that all He does is for the ultimate good.
Trusting G-d in Uncertainty
When Moses remained on Mount Sinai longer than expected, the Israelites became impatient. In Exodus 32, they feared being left without a leader and asked Aaron to make an image to guide them. Even though they did not understand the situation, they should have continued to trust in G-d, rather than seeking a tangible replacement.
This human desire for certainty often leads to mistakes. We miscalculate, misunderstand, and struggle to grasp why G-d acts as He does. Yet, G-d’s ways are always good (Talmud Berachot 60b), even when we fail to see it.
Moses’ Desire to Understand G-d
When Moses asked G-d if he could see His glory to better understand why G-d acts as He does (Talmud Berachot 7a), he was not only given the Torah to bring to the people, but also tasked with interceding for their forgiveness after their sin with the golden calf. The tablets, which were meant to symbolize the covenant between G-d and His people, were broken by Moses in response to their transgression. How is it that a moment intended to be one of deep connection and glory turned into one of sorrow and reflection? Why was the gift of the Torah accompanied by the need for atonement?
| 18 And he said: ‘Show me, I pray Thee, Thy glory.’ | יח וַיֹּאמַר: הַרְאֵנִי נָא, אֶת-כְּבֹדֶךָ. |
| 19 And He said: ‘I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Hashem before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.’ | יט וַיֹּאמֶר, אֲנִי אַעֲבִיר כָּל-טוּבִי עַל-פָּנֶיךָ, וְקָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם ד’, לְפָנֶיךָ; וְחַנֹּתִי אֶת-אֲשֶׁר אָחֹן, וְרִחַמְתִּי אֶת-אֲשֶׁר אֲרַחֵם |
In the book Daily Wisdom – Inspiring Insights on the Torah Portion from the Lubavitcher Rebbe2, we read: “By ‘My goodness,’ G-d meant the Divine intellect, the reason behind His behavior.”
Though G-d’s ways are beyond full human comprehension, He did reveal to Moses an aspect of His essence that could be understood: His boundless mercy. Rather than explaining every detail of divine justice, G-d showed Moses how He interacts with the world through compassion, forgiveness, and patience.
The 13 Attributes of Divine Mercy
What G-d revealed to Moses were the 13 Attributes of Divine Mercy, which He refers to in Exodus 33:19 as His “goodness.”3
According to Or HaChaim, G-d was referring to all His “positive” attributes, which He uses for the benefit of His creations:
Bnei Noach are also His creations, and therefore, they too should know these 13 Attributes of Divine Mercy which we can find in Exodus 34:6-7:
- Hashem – I am G-d before people sin.
- Hashem – I am G-d after people sin, if they repent.
- El – The Almighty.
- Rachum – Compassionate.
- V’chanun – Gracious.
- Erech Apayim – Slow to anger.
- V’rav Chesed – Abundant in lovingkindness.
- V’emet – And in truth.
- Notzer Chesed La’alafim – Preserving loving kindness for 1,000 generations.
- Nosei Avon – Forgiving intentional sins.
- Vafesha – Forgiving rebellious sins.
- Vachata’ah – Forgiving accidental sins.
- V’nakeh – Cleansing those who repent.
To improve our character traits, we can draw inspiration from the Thirteen attributes of mercy in Tomer Devorah, a work by Rabbi Moshe Cordovero. It teaches how to imitate G-d’s qualities, such as suppressing anger, forgiving mistakes, and showing compassion. For example, Tomer Devorah explains that just as G-d suppresses the iniquities of His people (Micah 7:19), we too should forget others’ faults and focus on their good qualities. By applying these attributes, both Jews and Bnei Noach bring holiness into their lives, fulfilling the ultimate purpose of creation: manifesting the Divine in the physical world.
By Angelique Sijbolts
With thanks to Rabbi Tuvia Serber for his input and feedback
Sources
- Based on Rambam, Laws of Foundations of the Torah 1:1-7. ↩︎
- Daily Wisdom – Inspiring insights on the Torah portion from the Lubavitscher Rebbe Volume 3 p. 169. ↩︎
- Daily Wisdom – Inspiring insights on the Torah portion from the Lubavitscher Rebbe Volume 3 p. 169 and Haamek Davar on Exodus 33:19:1
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