Oh My G-d!

A teacher once asked his class to draw a picture of G-d. One student drew an image of an old man sitting on a throne. Another child drew a picture of a general. A third one drew a picture of a scale. The teacher approached the child and inquired, “Why did you draw a picture of a scale?” The child replied, “Every time my mother goes on a scale, she screams ‘Oh my G-d!’”

Shortly after the revelation of G-d on Mount Sinai, we learn about the sin of the golden calf, which we read about in this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Ki Tisa. The Jews were waiting for Moshe to descend with the Torah. After a miscalculation, they despaired and decided to find a new G-d for themselves. They created a calf out of gold and started serving it.

This is quite shocking as this was so soon after seeing G-d Himself! And how were they foolish enough to believe that metal and stone can replace G-d?

The truth is that worshiping idols is not just bowing down and serving stones. We are created in a way that we think that we need to have something tangible to connect to. When you ask someone how they have a livelihood, they will get into the details about their job, the pay, etc. We don’t remember that it all comes from G-d.

There’s a very thin line between thanking G-d and believing it’s our own work that makes us successful. We need to hold onto that belief that, regardless of what’s going on, everything comes from G-d.

Candle lighting time: 5:16 PM

Shabbat Shalom!