Ki Tisa, Exodus 30:11-34:35 Our portion tells the story of the sin of the golden calf, which took place only forty days after all Israel stood at Mt Sinai in awe and trembling to hear God’s solemn injunction: “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any kind of likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them…” (Exodus...

Tetzaveh, Exodus 27:20-30:10 Our portion is mostly devoted to the call of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, the garments they were to wear when serving in the Sanctuary, and the instructions for their inauguration into this unique service. Just as God chose Moses to receive and teach the Torah, so He chose Aaron – Moses’ brother, his senior, and a prophet in his own right – to serve in His chosen sanctuary, and to be the progenitor of all later Israelite priests. Contrary to contemporary...