Ki Tisa is seen as one of the most dramatic moments in the Torah. Moses went up Mount Sinai for 40 days to speak with Hashem, and as he went, the Israelites grew anxious and impatient. They end up asking Aaron to build them a physical representation of G-d, leading to the building of the Golden Calf. Moses returns from the mountain, and as he sees what is happening down at the foot of Sinai, he smashes the tablets into the ground out of anger. Many saw this as an act of failure on Moses’ part, but did his one action matter as much as what he did after? Ki Tisa is actually about what happens after failure, about how leaders and communities respond when something goes wrong. 

G-d tells Moses that he will destroy the Israelites for the sin they have committed. Moses argues with Him and ends up convincing Hashem to give forgiveness to the nation. Moses then takes responsibility for his own people; instead of abandoning them, he punishes those who committed idolatry and destroys the Golden Calf. This relates strongly to our everyday lives. Moses protected his nation in front of G-d, and then he worked with the Israelites, explaining to them how they messed up. This action revealed what leadership looks like. Real leadership isn’t about getting the high five when everything goes according to plan; it's about showing up for your team when everything falls apart. There is another powerful moment in this parasha that happens after Moses destroys the Golden Calf. He receives a new set of tablets from G-d, showing how the relationship between Hashem and the Israelites can be repaired. 

There are two lessons that Ki Tisa teaches us that are incredibly apparent in our own lives. The first one is about taking responsibility for your community’s actions. As leaders in our BBYO communities, we are faced with having to take responsibility for situations that aren’t necessarily our fault. As N'siah of my chapter, I’ve learned that being a leader has to come with being a friend. Like Moses, I protect my board members in front of our regional board and staff, then separately, in private, I work with them to try to improve their communication with our chapter members. The most important question I can ask my board members is, how can I support you and help you improve? This shows them that I am their friend, I’m not against them, and I’m on their team. 

The second lesson we take out of Ki Tisa is how leadership isn’t perfect. Moses made the mistake of smashing the tablets, and his nation made the mistake of worshipping an idol, both of these being huge mistakes that were made. But instead of losing faith in Hashem and the Israelites, Moses worked with both to rebuild the trust they once had with each other. Moses got a new set of tablets, and the Israelites went into Israel. On a personal level, I understand the struggles of leadership. I’m currently serving my first term as N’siah, something completely different than Yehudiah, which I did for much longer. All kinds of leadership roles begin with challenges and growing pains. A board member resigns, communication gets misunderstood, or disagreements happen. Like Moses, all leaders need to find a way forward, to maintain dignity and redirect their community when things go wrong. We’re all learning, along with our peers, how to improve our chapter, our leadership, our communication, and our friendships. When we look deeper into Ki Tisa, we learn that leadership isn’t one path; you will fail and mess up. That’s the harsh truth, but your failures do not define you as a leader; what defines you is how you build up and learn from them. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Alma Shalev

Rocky Mountain Region

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Simchat Torah Challenge Podcast Series

Interested in listening to this week's parsha? Check out Manhattan Region's take on Parshat Ki Tisa as a part of the Simchat Torah Challenge Podcast Series. The Simchat Torah Challenge is a yearlong journey where teens from around the Order are exploring the Torah, one parsha at a time. Teens are connecting with the text, sharing their thoughts, and exploring how it relates to their own lives.