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Weekly Torah LearningKi Tisa03/05/10Torah Portion: Ki Tisa (Shabbat Parah) One should never underestimate the value of art in molding cultural attitudes and behavioral norms. The Encyclopedia Judaica notes, “Of all the major biblical figures, not excepting David, Jacob, Joseph, and Solomon, Moses has inspired the largest amount of creative endeavor in literature, art, and music.” The most famous sculpture of Moses is the statue by Michelangelo in the San Pietro in Vincoli Church in Rome. What is most notable about the statue are the horns protruding from Moses’ head. The work was originally intended for the mausoleum of Pope Julius II. The image of Moses with horns appears in a number of medieval statues and paintings. The key to understanding “why” is found in the Torah portion Ki Tisa. Moses has come down from Mt. Sinai with the first set of tablets only to find the Israelites worshipping a golden calf. In anger, Moses throws the tablets to the ground. After scolding the people for their loss of faith, he pleads with God for another moment of divine intimacy. The second revelation of God on Mt. Sinai is done in the absence of the Children of Israel. Moses returns to Mt. Sinai alone. A second set of tablets are prepared, further instruction is given to Moses, and, again, he returns to the Israelites. Upon returning to the people, Moses is greeted by his brother Aaron who notices “the skin of [Moses} face sent forth beams”(Exo. 34:30). The Hebrew word “keren” is correctly translated as either “a ray of light” or a “horn”. In this context, the correct understanding of the word is “a ray of light” or “beams”. A later Latin translation of the Bible chose to translate the word as “horn”. Medieval artists, including Michelangelo, dependent upon Latin for their understanding of the Hebrew Bible, were misled into believing Moses had horns! The impact of medieval church art on early Christian theology was, in this instance, devastating. The fires of anti-Semitism were fed by the notion that Jews, like their famous leader Moses, had horns. How important is it to understand a text, like the Hebrew Bible, in its original language? One small mistranslation has taken centuries to correct! Rabbi Howard Siegel Click to view the Archived Torah Learnings |