What Happens When We Just See What We Want to See?
On July 2, 2014, the prestigious science journal Nature retracted two heralded papers in the field of stem cell research, papers it had published only a few months earlier. The articles described a revolutionary process called STAP, where biologists subjected mature adult cells to physical stresses and transformed them into stem cells. Yet, in the editorial announcing the papers' retraction, Nature's editors reported that the "data that were an essential part of the authors' claims had been misrepresented" and that the authors' work was marred by "sloppiness" and "selection bias" ("Editorial: STAP retracted," Nature, vol. 511, no. 7507, July 2, 2014). All told, as the journalist Dana Goodyear has written, "a far-reaching and sensational conjecture" was "defeated by flaws that were at best irreparable and at worst unconscionable" ("The Stress Test," The New Yorker, February 29, 2016, pp. 46-57).
And You Think You Have Work To Do?
Imagine that Ki Tisa does not capture a conversation between Moses and God, but rather a discussion between a construction site owner and a general contractor. God plays the role of owner and Moses, the contractor. Moses is excited to get the project under way. After all, he has just been given the most important construction contract of his life―the building of the Tabernacle
Rearranging the Golden Calf
A case can be made that the second half of the Book of Exodus is out of order, especially the incident of the golden calf in this week's parashah, Ki Tisa.
A Time to Cast Away ... and a Time to Gather
This week's parashah, Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-34:35), contains a story with which most of us are familiar ― the breaking of the first set of tablets by Moses when he sees the people dancing around the golden calf.
To See God's Shadow
This week's parashah, Ki Tisa, portrays several dramatic scenes. In one of them, we find the Israelites camped below Mount Sinai. Moses has been atop the mountain for nearly forty days, and the people are awaiting his return.
Up and Down the Mountain of Life
Parashah Overview
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Moses takes a census of the Israelites and collects a half-shekel from each person (30:11-16)
Making Matters Count
This week's Torah portion, Ki Tisa, is filled with action, drama, and explosive notions of faith and fear.
Shattering the Tablets...For Our Sake
"As soon as Moses came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became enraged; and he hurled the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain." (Exodus 32:19)