Ki Tisa 5786 - Stop Making Excuses

It is hard to take responsibility sometimes, and it’s perhaps even harder to apologize. We know it’s important… but it’s uncomfortable and unpleasant. We like to say, “I’m sorry IF…” by which we take a step back from full responsibility. Or we try to explain away or justify our behavior, which also side-steps culpability. The Torah demonstrates that we’re not the only ones struggling with this. Our Torah portion this week, Ki Tisa, shows someone trying desperately to shift blame away from himself. His excuse is, in fact, almost laughable in how pathetic it sounds. 

For context: The Israelites are waiting at the foot of Mount Sinai for Moses to bring down the Word of God. They get restless and decide they need a new “god,” so they build a Golden Calf. Aaron, Moses’ brother, helps the people construct it. When Moses finally does return, everyone is worshiping this new deity, and Moses is furious. He rails against the people, and then turns to his own brother with an “Et tu, Brute?” moment, trying to make sense of this terrible betrayal. Aaron panics and responds, “I said to them, ‘whoever has gold, give it to me.’

They gave it to me, I hurled it into the fire, and out came this calf!” (Ex. 32:24)  Yeah, right. I guess we’re not the only ones who struggle to own their mistakes; world leaders throughout history found it tough to do as well. Yet the text is also challenging its readers: “Does this excuse sound ridiculous to you? What might he have said instead, first to the people and then to Moses? What would you say?” It’s easy to chastise Aaron and laugh at his lame excuse; it’s harder to imagine how you or I might have handled this differently. That is the intention of the Biblical text. Not just to show us examples of courage and greatness, but sometimes to show flaws, struggles, and falling short, and invite us to envision ourselves doing a little better.  So, what do you think? Are you ready to grapple with these questions? No excuses!