Ki Tissa or Ki Siso ( ki tissā 'when you take', the sixth and seventh words, and incipit) is the 21st weekly Torah portion in the annual cycle of Torah reading in Rabbinic Judaism and the ninth in the Book of Exodus. The parashah recounts the building of the Tabernacle, the incident of the golden calf, Moses' request that God 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 (although not the longest in the Torah, which is Naso), and is made up of 7424 Hebrew letters, 2002 Hebrew words, 139 verses, and 245 lines in a Torah scroll.Akhlah, "Torah Stats for Shemoth."
Jews read it on the 21st Shabbat 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 Gedalia, and for the afternoon (Mincha) prayer service on Tisha B'Av. Jews read another part of the parashah, Exodus 34:1–26, which addresses the Three Pilgrim Festivals, as the initial Torah reading on the third intermediate day (Chol HaMoed) of Passover. And Jews read a larger selection from the same part of the parashah, Exodus 33:12–34:26, as the initial Torah reading on a Sabbath that falls on one of the intermediate days of Passover or Sukkot.
Readings In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings (, aliyot). In the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Parashat Ki Tisa has ten "open portion" (, petuchah) divisions (roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often abbreviated with the Hebrew letter ( (peh)). Parashat Ki Tisa has several further subdivisions, called "closed portion" (, setumah) divisions (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter ( (samekh)) within the open portion divisions. The first three open portion divisions divide the long first reading (aliyah), and the next three open portion divisions divide the long second reading.This is the standard practice in most communities based on Magen Avraham 428:8 to divide the readings so that the sin of the golden calf is in the second, Levi reading. This practice is not mentioned in earlier sources, and some communities, such as Frankfurt am Main, divide up the readings more evenly. See Minhagei Yeshurun (New York, 1988), page 42. The seventh open portion corresponds to the short third reading, and the eighth open portion corresponds to the short fourth reading. The ninth open portion spans the fifth and sixth readings. And the tenth open portion begins in the seventh reading. Closed portion divisions further divide the first and second readings, and conclude the seventh reading.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2006), pages 225–62.
First reading—Exodus 30:11–31:17 In the long first reading, God instructed Moses that when he took a census of the Israelites, each person 20 years old or older, regardless of wealth, should give a half-shekel offering.. God told Moses to assign the proceeds to the service of the Tent of Meeting.. The first open portion ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 227.
In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses to place a copper laver (, kiyor) between the Tent of Meeting and the altar (, mizbeiach), so that Aaron and the priests could wash their hands and feet in water when they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar to burn a sacrifice, so that they would not die.. The second open portion ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 228.
In the continuation of the reading, God directed Moses to make a sacred anointing oil from choice spices—myrrh, cinnamon, cassia—and olive oil.. God told Moses to use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the furnishings of the Tabernacle, and the priests.. God told Moses to warn the Israelites not to copy the sacred anointing oil's recipe for lay purposes, at pain of exile.. A closed portion ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 230.
In the continuation of the reading, God directed Moses make sacred incense from herbs—stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense—to burn in the Tent of Meeting.. As with the anointing oil, God warned against making incense from the same recipe for lay purposes.. Another closed portion ends here with the end of chapter 30.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 231.
As the reading continues in chapter 31, God informed Moses that God had endowed Bezalel of the Tribe of Judah with divine skill in every kind of craft.. God assigned to him Oholiab of the Tribe of Dan and granted skill to all who are skillful, that they might make the furnishings of the Tabernacle, the priests' vestments, the anointing oil, and the incense.. The third open portion ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 233.
In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses to admonish the Israelites nevertheless to keep the Sabbath, on pain of death.. The first reading and a closed portion end here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, pages 234–35.
Second reading—Exodus 31:18–33:11 In the long second reading, 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 ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 238.
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 ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 240.
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 ends here with the end of chapter 32.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 245.
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. Moses would pitch the Tent of Meeting outside the camp, and Moses would enter to speak to God, face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. The second reading and the sixth open portion end here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, pages 248–49.
Third reading—Exodus 33:12–16 In the short third reading, Moses asked God whom God would send with Moses to lead the people.. Moses further asked God to let him know God's ways, that Moses might know God and continue in God's favor.. And God agreed to lead the Israelites.. Moses asked God not to make the Israelites move unless God were to go in the lead.. The third reading and the seventh open portion end here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 250.
Fourth reading—Exodus 33:17–23 In the short fourth reading, God agreed to lead them.. Moses asked God to let him behold God's Presence.. God agreed to make all God's goodness pass before Moses and to proclaim God's name and nature, but God explained that no human could see God's face and live.. God instructed Moses to station himself on a rock, where God would cover him with God's hand until God had passed, at which point Moses could see God's back.. The fourth reading and the eighth open portion end here with the end of chapter 33.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 252.
Fifth reading—Exodus 34:1–9 In the fifth reading, in chapter 34, God directed Moses to carve two stone tablets like the ones that Moses shattered, so that God might inscribe upon them the words that were on the first tablets, and Moses did so.. God came down in a cloud and proclaimed: "The Lord! The Lord! A God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He does not remit all punishment, but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children's children, upon the third and fourth generations.". Moses bowed low and asked God to accompany the people in their midst, to pardon the people's iniquity, and to take them for God's own.. The fifth reading ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 256.
Sixth reading—Exodus 34:10–26 In the sixth reading, God replied by making a covenant to work unprecedented wonders and to drive out the peoples of the Promised Land.. God warned Moses against making a covenant with them, lest they become a snare and induce the Israelites' children to lust after their gods.. God commanded that the Israelites not make molten gods, that they consecrate or redeem every first-born, that they observe the Sabbath, that they observe the Three Pilgrim Festivals, that they not offer sacrifices with anything leavened, that they not leave the Passover lamb lying until morning, that they bring choice firstfruits to the house of the Lord, and that they not boil a kid in its mother's milk.. The sixth reading and the ninth open portion end here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, page 260.
Seventh reading—Exodus 34:27–35