כי תשא

Two Stories of Faltering Hands – Amalek and the Golden Calf

The Torah readings of this week bring together two different episodes involving Moshe on top of a mountain. Parashat Ki Tissa relates Moshe’s presence on top of Mt Sinai as the people sin with the golden calf down below. On Purim we read about Moshe’s ascent of the mountain whilst Yehoshua leads the battle against Amalek. 

The outcome in both cases is of course very different. Yehoshua successfully defeats Amalek whereas the episode of the golden calf represents a colossal failure. Yet a close comparison of the two episodes demonstrates that the contrasts run far deeper.

1) In the battle of Amalek, Aaron and Chur ascend with Moshe whereas Yehoshua fights down below. When it comes to Mt Sinai, Yehoshua escorts Moshe to the mountain whilst Aaron and Chur stay in the camp (but fail to prevent the sin):

וְאֶל־הַזְּקֵנִים אָמַר שְׁבוּ־לָנוּ בָזֶה עַד אֲשֶׁר־נָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם וְהִנֵּה אַהֲרֹן וְחוּר עִמָּכֶם מִי־בַעַל דְּבָרִים יִגַּשׁ אֲלֵהֶם׃ (שמות כ״ד:י״ד)[1] 

2) The theme of Moshe’s hands is central to both passages. In the battle with Amalek, though Moshe struggles to maintain his posture, Aaron and Chur succeed in holding his hands aloft. However, when Moshe sees the golden calf whilst standing alongside Yehoshua, his hands falter and he smashes the tablets. If we accept the view of the Rashbam that Moshe’s actions were not intentional, rather his hands weakened upon seeing the golden calf, the contrast is even starker. (Yehoshua’s helplessness here must also be considered alongside his complete misreading of the situation, a point we will shortly return to.)         

3) The description of the two tablets recalls the positioning of Aaron and Chur on either side of Moshe:

וַיִּפֶן וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה מִן־הָהָר וּשְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת בְּיָדוֹ לֻחֹת כְּתֻבִים מִשְּׁנֵי עֶבְרֵיהֶם מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה הֵם כְּתֻבִים׃ (שמות

ל״ב:ט״ו)

וִידֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּבֵדִים וַיִּקְחוּ־אֶבֶן וַיָּשִׂימוּ תַחְתָּיו וַיֵּשֶׁב עָלֶיהָ וְאַהֲרֹן וְחוּר תָּמְכוּ בְיָדָיו מִזֶּה אֶחָד וּמִזֶּה אֶחָד וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה עַד־בֹּא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ׃ (שמות י״ז:י״ב)

4) In the battle with Amalek, God instructs Moshe to inscribe in a book the requirement to ‘erase’ the memory of Amalek. In complete inverse, at Mt Sinai Moshe asks that he be ‘erased’ from God’s book. 

וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה כְּתֹב זֹאת זִכָּרוֹן בַּסֵּפֶר וְשִׂים בְּאׇזְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כִּי־מָחֹה אֶמְחֶה אֶת־זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם׃ (שמות י״ז:י״ד)

וְעַתָּה אִם־תִּשָּׂא חַטָּאתָם וְאִם־אַיִן מְחֵנִי נָא מִסִּפְרְךָ אֲשֶׁר כָּתָבְתָּ׃ (שמות ל״ב:ל״ב)

5) A number of other commonalities, which may seem insignificant on their own, further sharpen the contrast when combined with the above: 

וַיִּקְחוּ־אֶבֶן וַיָּשִׂימוּ תַחְתָּיו (שמות י״ז:י״ב)

פְּסׇל־לְךָ שְׁנֵי־לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים (שמות ל״ד:א׳)

מָחָר אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל־רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָה (שמות י״ז:ט׳)

וֶהְיֵה נָכוֹן לַבֹּקֶר וְעָלִיתָ בַבֹּקֶר אֶל־הַר סִינַי וְנִצַּבְתָּ לִי שָׁם עַל־רֹאשׁ הָהָר׃ (שמות ל״ד:א׳)

וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה (שמות י״ז:י״ב)

וְגַם־בְּךָ יַאֲמִינוּ לְעוֹלָם (שמות י״ט:ט׳)

The view of Yehoshua – rinse and repeat

It is not just the reader that hears echoes of the battle of Amalek. This is exactly what is going through Yehoshua’s mind when he declares to Moshe that he hears the sounds of battle:

וַיִּשְׁמַע יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־קוֹל הָעָם בְּרֵעֹה וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־מֹשֶׁה קוֹל מִלְחָמָה בַּמַּחֲנֶה׃ (שמות ל״ב:י״ז)

Yehoshua seems to think it is a repeat of the last time. He confidently informs Moshe that there is a battle in the camp suggesting that all Moshe needs to do is raise his hands and they will be victorious. 

Moshe immediately corrects him that this is not the case and he has completely misread the events:   

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵין קוֹל עֲנוֹת גְּבוּרָה וְאֵין קוֹל עֲנוֹת חֲלוּשָׁה קוֹל עַנּוֹת אָנֹכִי שֹׁמֵעַ׃ (שמות ל״ב:י״ז)

The allusion here to the previous battle of Amalek is unmistakable and is picked up in various Midrashim:[2]

וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר יָרִים מֹשֶׁה יָדוֹ וְגָבַר יִשְׂרָאֵל… וַיַּחֲלֹשׁ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־עֲמָלֵק וְאֶת־עַמּוֹ לְפִי־חָרֶב׃ (שמות י״ז:י״א-י״ג)

Moshe reproaches Yehoshua for not correctly discerning the voices, a critical function for the future leader of the nation. 

This leads us to what is perhaps the most significant difference of all. In the battle with Amalek, the position of Moshe’s hands determines the fate of the battle below. At Mt Sinai, the fate of Moshe’s hands (and by extension the covenant represented by the Luchot) is determined by the actions of the people. 

This is the key point Yehoshua misses. Whilst he has set up base at the foot of the mountain focussing on what is happening at the top of the mountain, the real story is happening in the main camp. If Yehoshua had stayed or returned to the camp, similar to the battle against Amalek, perhaps they would have been in with a fighting chance.[3] Aaron and Chur on their own clearly could not contain them. As future leader, Yehoshua’s will need to lead from within the camp with his finger constantly on the pulse, and not from the ivory tower of Mt Sinai.

Though it is apparent that Yehosua’s appointment as Moshe’s successor is due to his attachment to his master, he must come to realise that his leadership role will be very different. A similar criticism is conveyed in the next story in which Yehoshua appears. When Eldad and Meidad are prophesying from within the camp, Yehoshua leaps up in protest:

וַיָּרׇץ הַנַּעַר וַיַּגֵּד לְמֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמַר אֶלְדָּד וּמֵידָד מִתְנַבְּאִים בַּמַּחֲנֶה׃ וַיַּעַן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן־נוּן מְשָׁרֵת מֹשֶׁה מִבְּחֻרָיו וַיֹּאמַר אֲדֹנִי מֹשֶׁה כְּלָאֵם׃ (במדבר י״א:כ״ט)

Yehoshua seems to believe that prophecy does not belong inside the camp, only outside the camp among the chosen few (in this case the 70 elders). As before, Moshe corrects him that this is not the case:[4]

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מֹשֶׁה הַמְקַנֵּא אַתָּה לִי וּמִי יִתֵּן כׇּל־עַם ה׳ נְבִיאִים כִּי־יִתֵּן ה׳ אֶת־רוּחוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם׃ (במדבר י״א:כ״ט)

The goal is not that holiness and prophesy remains confined to the top of the mountain, or the Mishkan for that matter. Holiness is meant to diffuse through the entire camp and enable prophecy to emerge from within. For this reason, Yehoshua’s place is in the camp and not on the top of the mountain like Moshe. 

The appointment of Yehoshua

This shift in leadership responsibility from Moshe to Yehosua is discernible in the passage in which Yehoshua is appointed. When Moshe requests that God appoint a leader, he describes the role as that of a shepherd who comes and goes in front of the people.

אֲשֶׁר־יֵצֵא לִפְנֵיהֶם וַאֲשֶׁר יָבֹא לִפְנֵיהֶם וַאֲשֶׁר יוֹצִיאֵם וַאֲשֶׁר יְבִיאֵם וְלֹא תִהְיֶה עֲדַת ה׳ כַּצֹּאן אֲשֶׁר אֵין־לָהֶם רֹעֶה׃ (במדבר כ״ז:י״ז)

When God responds, however, the emphasis changes subtly:

וְלִפְנֵי אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן יַעֲמֹד וְשָׁאַל לוֹ בְּמִשְׁפַּט הָאוּרִים לִפְנֵי ה׳ עַל־פִּיו יֵצְאוּ וְעַל־פִּיו יָבֹאוּ הוּא וְכׇל־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אִתּוֹ וְכׇל־הָעֵדָה׃ (במדבר כ״ז:כ״א)

According to the revised version, the people will not follow behind Yehoshua but move alongside him. The new leader will not be set apart from the people, but stand with them shoulder to shoulder in front of God.   

[1] The separation of Moshe and Yehoshua from everyone else is further highlighted when we take account of the parallel to the Akeidah where Avraham and Yitzchak part ways with their attendants to continue their ascent of Mt Moriah in private:

וְאֶל־הַזְּקֵנִים אָמַר שְׁבוּ־לָנוּ בָזֶה עַד אֲשֶׁר־נָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם (שמות כ״ד:י״ד)וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל־נְעָרָיו שְׁבוּ־לָכֶם פֹּה עִם־הַחֲמוֹר וַאֲנִי וְהַנַּעַר נֵלְכָה עַד־כֹּה וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם׃ (בראשית כ״ב:ה׳)

[2] Not just the echoes of the battle of Amalek, but also the underlying criticism of Yehoshua and the question around his leadership ability is addressed the Midrash:

אמר רבי אחוה בריה דרבי זירא שני דברים דבר יהושע בפני משה ולא נגמל חן בעיניו, ואלו הן, אחד במנוי הזקנים, ואחד במעשה העגל. במנוי הזקנים, דכתיב (במדבר יא, כח): אדני משה כלאם, אמר לו כלם והעבירם מן העולם (במדבר יא, כח): ויאמר לו משה המקנא אתה לי, אמר לו יהושע בך אני מתקנא, הלואי בני כיוצא בך, הלואי כל ישראל כיוצא בך (במדבר יא, כח): ומי יתן כל עם ה' נביאים וגו'. ואחד בעגל, שנאמר (שמות לב, יז): וישמע יהושע את קול העם ברעה, אמר לו משה, יהושע, אדם שעתיד להנהיג שררה על ששים רבוא אינו יודע להבחין בין קול לקול. אין קול ענות גבורה, האיך מה דאת אמר (שמות יז, יא): וגבר ישראל. ואין קול ענות חלושה, האיך מה דאת אמר: ויחלש יהושע. (קוהלת רבה, ט׳:י״א)

[3] It is notable that in the battle with Amalek, God commanded Yehoshua to fight the battle with the people. In the other passages Yehoshua acts of his own volition (he was in fact never even instructed to accompany Moshe up to Mt Sinai).

[4] The connection between these two episodes Yehoshua is noted in the previously cited Midrash:

שני דברים אמר יהושע לפני משה ושניהם לא יישרו בעיניו. זה הראשון. והאחר אדוני משה כלאם.