In Parshas Ki Sisa, we read about the unthinkable. After a mere forty days of hearing the Ten Commandments the Children of Israel sin with the golden calf. However, the antidote was prepared before the sin. The antidote is the Shabbos. In fact , it makes us angelic as the term, ta, hf rntk van kt 'v rcshu , And God spoke to Moses saying, when you will take a census, (Exodus 30:11-12) spells the term ltkn , malach, or angel. Moreover, we learn in Genesis Rabbah that the Sabbath is compared to a bride. We noted previously an allusion to this where the Torah says, ratf uasek,cav ouh ,t runa , Observe the Sabbath to keep it holy as …”(Deuteronomy ). If we take the last letters (encircled) in reverse it spells vkf, Kallah, or bride. According to Rabbeinu Bachya, we see an allusion to the bride in this week’s Parsha as it says, u,kff, k’chaloto, when He finished … speaking to him (Exodus 31:18). Another meaning is his bride. This alludes to the Sabbath being our bride. Perhaps that is why we make the Sabbath preparation, service and meals so beautiful as it is like our closest love. We also see a reference to the Sabbath being a woman with the following words, hf urna, h,,ca ,t lt, “Just observe My Sabbaths as it is…”(Exodus 31:13). In fact we see an allusion to God’s love of us like we should love the Sabbath with beautiful words where it says in this Parsha,
hbhx rv kt recc ,hkgu reck iufb vhvu ,rca rat, that you shattered, be prepared in the morning, ascend Mount Sinai in the morning…”(Exodus 34:1-2). If we take the acronym of the encircled letters (rearranged), it spells the term cvut iuak, lashon oheiv, meaning language of love. Hence a reference to our pleasing words to God in our morning prayers (especially on the Sabbath) when we have the extra time to also sing His praises. Also noted in this Parshah, when we call upon God to forgive us of our sins we bring down the light of creation. Of course, it is the Creation that we memorialize every Sabbath.The Torah says, iubju oujr kt 'v 'v , (Exodus 34:6).If we take the acronym of the encircled letters, it spells the term, rut, meaning light.
We also find in this Parsha an allusion to the Torah between the rules regarding the incense and the appointment of Bezalel to build the Mishkan and it’s vessels. The Torah says, vrcshu uhngn ,rfbu vc, …who makes anything like it to smell.. itshall be cut off from his people. And God spoke..I have called by the name: Betzalel.”(Exodus 30:38-31:1) If we take the last letters of the encircled letters it spells the word, vru, , Torah . Now the Gematria ofvru, is 611. Another word with the same Gematria is ,unmgv, hu’atzamos, the bones. We know how important our bones are as they give us our support as without them, we would simply fall apart. Hence, it is our Torah that is our backbone as well.
At the end of this Parsha, the Torah says, van chavu van hbp rug rue, “Moses face had become radiant, and Moses would put …the mask” (Exodus 34:35). If we take the acronym of the encircled letters, it spells the term, rhvcv, Habahir, meaning the brilliance. The Bahir was a famous Kabbalistic text published around 1176. It is our study of the Torah that makes us brilliant in the eyes of the nations. We showed at the beginning of this Parsha an allusion to angels. As noted in our Shalom Aleichem prayers, it is the angels who accompany us to our home after we usher in the Sabbath bride and may we always merit to absorb some of it’s brilliant light so that we can reflect on the majesty of the One Above.
A refuah shlaimah to my father, Yaakov Zev Ben Malka Blima, who is recovering from stroke at Vanderbilt Nursing Home, SI, NY
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