page_title: Ki Tissa
section_title: Second reading — Exodus 31:18–33:11
hierarchical_section_title: Ki Tissa / Readings / Second reading — Exodus 31:18–33:11
caption_attribution_description: العربية: 33 change me! الكتاب المقدس التوضيح من الكتاب من الفصل Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎: Біблійная ілюстрацыя да Кнігі Выхаду, разьдзел 33 Deutsch: Biblische Darstellung Buch change me! Kapitel 33 Ελληνικά: Βιβλική εικονογράφηση του βιβλίου της change me! Κεφάλαιο 33 English: Biblical illustration of Book of Exodus Chapter 33 Español: Ilustración bíblica de libro del change me!, capítulo 33 Français&#160;: Illustration biblique du livre de la Exode chapitre 33 עברית: 33 האיור המקראי של change me! פרק हिन्दी: {{{hi}}} अध्याय change me! की पुस्तक की बाइबिल चित्रण Bahasa Indonesia: Ilustrasi Alkitab dari Kitab Keluaran pasal 33 Italiano: Illustrazione biblica del libro della change me! Capitolo 33 日本語: change me!33章の本の聖書の実例 Jawa: Ilustrasi Alkitab saking Kitab Pangentasan pasal 33 한국어: change me! 33 장 장부의 성경 그림 Bahasa Melayu: Ilustrasi Alkitab dari Kitab Keluaran pasal 33 Nederlands: Bijbelse illustratie van change me! hoofdstuk 33 Português: Ilustração bíblica do Livro de change me!, capítulo 33 Русский: Библейские иллюстрации Книга Исход Глава 33 中文: 圣经change me!第33章的书籍插图
context_page_description: Ki Tisa, Ki Tissa, Ki Thissa, or Ki Sisa is the 21st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the ninth in the Book of Exodus. The parashah tells of building the Tabernacle, the incident of the Golden calf, the request of Moses for God to reveal God's Attributes, and how Moses became radiant.
  The parashah constitutes Exodus 30:11–34:35. The parashah is the longest of the weekly Torah portions in the book of Exodus, and is made up of 7,424 Hebrew letters, 2,002 Hebrew words, 139 verses, and 245 lines in a Torah scroll.
  Jews read it on the 21st Sabbath after Simchat Torah, in the Hebrew month of Adar, corresponding to February or March in the secular calendar. Jews also read the first part of the parashah, Exodus 30:11–16, regarding the half-shekel head tax, as the maftir Torah reading on the special Sabbath Shabbat Shekalim. Jews also read parts of the parashah addressing the intercession of Moses and God's mercy, Exodus 32:11–14 and 34:1–10, as the Torah readings on the fast days of the Tenth of Tevet, the Fast of Esther, the Seventeenth of Tammuz, and the Fast of Gedaliah, and for the afternoon prayer service on Tisha B'Av.
context_section_description: In the long second reading (Hebrew: עליה‎, aliyah), God gave Moses two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. Meanwhile, the people became impatient for the return of Moses, and implored Aaron to make them a god. Aaron told them to bring him their gold earrings, and he cast them in a mold and made a molten golden calf. They exclaimed, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!" Aaron built an altar before the calf, and announced a festival of the Lord. The people offered sacrifices, ate, drank, and danced. The fourth open portion (Hebrew: פתוחה‎, petuchah) ends here.
  In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses what the people had done, saying "let Me be, that My anger may blaze forth against them and that I may destroy them, and make of you a great nation." But Moses implored God not to do so, lest the Egyptians say that God delivered the people only to kill them off in the mountains. Moses called on God to remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and God's oath to make their offspring as numerous as the stars, and God renounced the planned punishment. The fifth open portion (Hebrew: פתוחה‎, petuchah) ends here.
  In the continuation of the reading, Moses descended the mountain bearing the two Tablets. Joshua told Moses, "There is a cry of war in the camp," but Moses answered, "It is the sound of song that I hear!" When Moses saw the calf and the dancing, he became enraged and shattered the Tablets at the foot of the mountain. He burned the calf, ground it to powder, strewed it upon the water, and made the Israelites drink it. When Moses asked Aaron how he committed such a great sin, Aaron replied that the people asked him to make a god, so he hurled their gold into the fire, "and out came this calf!"
  Seeing that Aaron had let the people get out of control, Moses stood in the camp gate and called, "Whoever is for the Lord, come here!" All the Levites rallied to Moses, and at his instruction killed 3,000 people, including brother, neighbor, and kin. Moses went back to God and asked for God either to forgive the Israelites or kill Moses too, but God insisted on punishing only the sinners, which God did by means of a plague. A closed portion (Hebrew: סתומה‎, setumah) ends here with the end of chapter 32.
  As the reading continues in chapter 33, God dispatched Moses and the people to the Promised Land, but God decided not to go in their midst, for fear of destroying them on the way. Upon hearing this, the Israelites went into mourning. Now Moses would pitch the Tent of Meeting outside the camp, and Moses would enter to speak to God, face to face. The second reading (Hebrew: עליה‎, aliyah) and the sixth open portion (Hebrew: פתוחה‎, petuchah) end here.
caption: Moses Pleaded with God (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)
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