Ki tisa 5786: the injustice of judgement

Shabbat Shalom Weeklyby Rabbi Yitzchak Zweig  March 7, 2026
Ki Tisa  EXODUS (30:11-31:17) Triennial 1

GOOD MORNING! This past week, as I watched part of the president’s State of the Union address, it was hard to ignore the conspicuous divisions within our political parties. I again considered how important it is to maintain an objective perspective in one’s life, and to internalize the reality that much of what we perceive is predicated on who we are and our prior life experiences.

Even more importantly, we must be mindful that there are often other valid perspectives as well.

Of course, this can be very difficult to put into practice, a concept which is illustrated by the following story.

A young couple moved into a new neighborhood and began to settle into their home. The next morning, while they were enjoying their morning coffee at the kitchen table, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging her freshly laundered wash outside to dry.

She could not help commenting; “That laundry is not very clean. Perhaps her washing machine is malfunctioning. Another possibility is that she doesn’t even know how to wash correctly or maybe she needs better laundry detergent.” Her husband looked on, remaining silent.

For the next few days, every time her neighbor hung her wash out to dry the young woman made similar remarks. A week later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Wow, either she’s using better detergent or she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her?”

The husband smiled and replied, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
What we perceive when watching others depends on the clarity of the lens through which we are looking. Often our view is clouded by jealousy, anger, disappointment, and similar frustrations. We often pass judgement on others and events without having a complete grasp of all the relevant facts.

Additionally, let’s face it, nobody like the feeling of being judged. I will go out on a limb here and state that many (if not most) of people’s insecurities stem from their perception that other people are constantly judging them. Perhaps this is why so many people are obsessed with controlling the narrative of that perception, through social media and other shallow activities that portray them in a certain light.

It is also no wonder that some of the most insecure people are those who are constantly “living in a fishbowl” such as those in the entertainment industry. It’s one of life’s great paradoxes; how people yearn so dearly for specific achievements (e.g. fame) but yet are so miserable when they get exactly what they wanted and worked so hard to accomplish.

But everyone, at some level, is concerned with someone else passing judgements on our behavior.

Consider what happens when you’re driving down the highway and you spot a state trooper suddenly driving behind you. Immediately, your heart leaps into your throat. Your eyes dart to your dashboard as you frantically check your speed. You temporarily become a model driver – dutifully using your turn signal to get into another lane while silently praying that the patrol officer is more interested in locating the nearest donut shop than pulling you over. It takes at least a few minutes after the trooper gets off at the exit before you begin to feel comfortable speeding again.

When it comes to interpersonal relationships this is much more difficult to navigate. Many people are in relationships that force them to feel like they’re are walking on eggshells much of the time. Often it is a parent or spouse who is constantly critical and judging of every area of their lives. Consequently, this makes it very difficult to be around them because, after all, there is no easily accessible “off ramp.” In such a situation daily living can become very stressful, even painful.

This week’s Torah reading gives us a remarkable insight into the way the Almighty views our acts, and in particular, our transgressions. This is very significant because He is, of course, the final and “ultimate judge” of all of mankind.

This week’s Torah portion contains the passage that relates the unfortunate incident of the sin of the “Golden Calf” – in which the Israelites rejected a direct connection to the Almighty – and the subsequent fall from grace as a result of that betrayal. Moses attempts to “mend the fences” as it were, and as a result of his urging the Almighty instructs Moses in the specific path for achieving repentance.

Part of the “forgiveness formula” that the Almighty relates to Moses is the method by which they are to ask forgiveness for their transgression – this is known as the “Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.” To this day, the “Thirteen Attributes of Mercy” comprise a key element of the liturgy on Yom Kippur – the “Day of Repentance.”

Quite remarkably, according to our sages the Almighty modeled this process for Moses; wrapping Himself in a “tallit – prayer shawl” and proceeding to show Moses how it’s done:

“And the Almighty passed by before him, and proclaimed, ‘Hashem, Hashem [...]’” (Exodus 34:6).

The famous medieval commentator Rashi (ad loc) explains that the name “Hashem” refers to the Almighty’s attribute of mercy. Rashi goes on to quote the Talmudic passage (Rosh Hashanah 17b), which explains why the Torah mentions the name Hashem twice in the verse: “The first name ‘Hashem’ refers to the attribute of mercy before a person sins, and the second one refers to the attribute of mercy after one sins.”

The great sage of the 13th century known as Rabbeinu Asher (more commonly referred to by his acronym, “Rosh”), whose place is cemented in Jewish scholarship as one of the great pillars of Jewish law, wonders: “Why does one need the attribute of mercy before one sins? Rosh answers that it is most definitely necessary; ‘because Hashem knows that a person is going to sin.’”

The 18th century scholar, Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, in his epic work on the Bible known as Ohr HaChaim asks: “I do not understand this answer, for if the Almighty would punish someone before that person sins (knowing that a sin is going to be committed), then what is the point of someone being born? God, with His omniscience, can hold every soul accountable to their future actions and judge them right away.”

In other words, since God knows what a person is going to do, He can hold him responsible prior to him actually sinning. Consequently, God, in His benevolence, initiates the attribute of mercy and withholds punishment. But as the Ohr HaChaim points out, this approach presents a philosophical dilemma; what is the point of living if the Almighty has already begun judging you before you actually act?

A careful reading of Rosh’s actual words can, perhaps, give us a different understanding of what he really means. The exact language of Rosh is, “Even though He knows that a person will eventually come to sin, He treats each person with the attribute of mercy.”

Rosh never says anything about God’s right to punish which, in turn, is being restrained by the attribute of mercy. Rosh seems to be saying something entirely different.

Very often when a person knows that he is being carefully evaluated or analyzed, such as on a first date or when a mother-in-law comes to visit, he is very uncomfortable and feels as though he is navigating landmines; every step has to be carefully considered before being made. This can be extremely stressful.

Unfortunately, many people also feel this way about their parents or spouse; “they are just waiting for me to make a mistake so that they can criticize me.” This leads to a terrible family dynamic because there is an inherent discomfort in being around that person. No one likes to feel like they are being judged every second of every day.

Thus, Rosh is teaching us a fundamental lesson in God’s benevolence. Of course, He judges us and there is accountability; that is a basic tenet of life. But He does so in order help us make decisions that are good for us and the world around us. The point of creation is for God to bestow good upon us; therefore, even when mistakes are made, God initiates His attribute of mercy to lessen or eliminate the punishment.

Just as one would feel more comfortable driving next to a state trooper with a “get out of jail free” card in one’s pocket, so too the Almighty provides us assurance by letting us know that there is an attribute of mercy even before we sin. He displays His mercy first to demonstrate that He isn’t looking to pounce on us for mistakes. The attribute of mercy before we sin is so that we understand that His ongoing benevolence is to support us, not knock us down.

Similarly, God is also demonstrating the delicate balance that we must strive to achieve in our own lives and within our families. Of course there must be accountability in a family, but we must always convey that it is coming from a place of love and concern for the other person. We must always support each other, even when one makes a mistake. Because what we truly want from our loved ones is personal growth; at the end of the day, we care much more about what is done right than what is done wrong.

Vav – a special letter
You probably know that there is a correspondence between Hebrew letters and numbers. Number 6 corresponds to the letter “vav”. “Vav” is shaped like a hook holding two things together (ו); normally, “Vav” is translated as “and”. This letter is also referred to as “vav of connection” therefore, “the Sixth Day”—Yom HaShishi (Yom Vav)—connects the spiritual and physical; heaven and earth, six days of Creation and Shabbat. 

The day of connection
We can see a wonderful confirmation in today’s Jewish life. Anyone who has experienced Shabbat in Israel knows that Friday, Yom Shishi, is a really special day of the week, since it is the beginning of Shabbat. As such, it connects and holds together the six days of the week and the most important day of the Jewish week, Shabbat (Saturday). 

Discover the nuances of the Bible
The importance of this day is clearly emphasized in Judaism: the day we celebrate as the Jewish New Year, is not actually the anniversary of Creation, it is the anniversary of the sixth day of Creation—Yom Hashishi. According to Jewish understanding, Creation became meaningful when man was created: the Sixth Day connected heaven and earth, and God was proclaimed King!