Show Notes
Parshat Ki Tisa contains many ideas we still keep today. Among these:
God values all Jewish people equally, which is why every person, whether rich or poor, contributed a Machatzit HaShekel when it came time for them to be counted.
Even nowadays, we keep the laws of washing our hands Netilat Yadayim when we wake up or eat bread as a way of preparing ourselves to perform our Avodah for God, just like the Kohanim did when they used the Kiyor.
By keeping Shabbat, we are testifying that we believe God created the world and rested on the seventh day.
Even negative traits like stubbornness can be channeled and used for good.
There is a special way to pray before God to remind Him to have mercy on us using the Yud-Gimmel Middos, His 13 special attributes. We use this today when we prepare for the holiest days of the year, saying special prayers called Selichot and hoping that God forgives any mistakes we might have made over the course of the year.
More from Parsha for Kids
In the last parsha of the Torah, V'Zot HaBracha, Moshe dies. But what matters is not that he died- rather, the way he died. Moshe approached God alone. There were no adoring crowds. No family surrounding him. It was just the man and his Maker. And this is something that will happen to us all. We will all, ultimately, approach God. The question to be answered is simply this: have we lived a life that we are proud to show to God?
This week's parsha, Haazinu, is actually a song! Moshe wanted to make sure that the core ideas of Judaism would be accessible to everyone, whether or not they were able to read. In this song, we focus on some important ideas. These include: