In the last weeks’ parshaot we saw the priesthood of Israel as a model for the intercessor in the heavenly court. In Tetzaveh we saw that the garments of the high priest symbolized the spiritual armor for the warfare of prayer, just as metaphorically worn by Gd Himself as He is intervening on behalf of the people. Ki Tisa’s main story is that of the sin of the golden calf. In this story we see how Moshe pleaded the case of Israel before Gd.
The Lrd spoke to Moshe: "See, I have singled out by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Yehudah. I have endowed him with a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge of every kind of craft..." --Shmot 31:1-3
Each person comes into the world unique, with a set of gifts--spiritual gifts--to equip him to do the work he was created to do in his lifetime. Bezalel, the great-grandson of Miriam and Calev, is a prime example of someone specially endowed for a specific mission in the world. His gifts were physical, drawing holiness into the material world, which is a bringing together of heaven and earth. Other gifts are more spiritual in nature, such as healing, teaching, prophecy, working miracles, etc. Another is intercessory prayer. Among the many gifts seen in Moshe, intercessory prayer was major.
Moshe was on Mount Sinai for forty days receiving the tablets of the Torah. The people became worried that he was simply not going to return. The idea of a faceless god was new in the world of that time. It was such a high revelation that many of the people could not cope with it. So even after all the miracles they had seen, and after Matan Torah (receiving the Torah at Sinai, the whole nation hearing Gd’s voice utter the Law), the fear of losing their leader, Moshe, was too much for them. Many needed some form that they could focus upon as "Gd". There is Midrash that the tablet upon which Moshe had written "Rise up, oh, Shor", in order to resurrect the coffin of Yosef from the Nile, was also thrown into the fire with the gold. This is understood from Aharon’s saying that he threw the gold in, and the calf came out--on its own. This Midrash says it emerged from the furnace alive, lowing and kicking.
While Moshe was still on the mountain Gd told him what was happening in the camp and said He wanted to destroy the whole nation. Moshe’s answer was: "Let not Your anger, O Lrd, blaze forth against Your people, whom You delivered from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand. Let not the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that He delivered them, only to kill them off in the mountains and annihilate them from the face of the earth.’ Turn from Your blazing anger, and renounce the plan to punish Your people. Remember Your servants, Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov, how You swore to them by Your Self and said to them: ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and I will give to your offspring this whole land of which I spoke, to possess forever.’" --Shmot 32:11-13
Gd’s anger was so strong that He was ready to destroy the people of Israel for their unfaithfulness. Moshe realized that what Gd was saying was correct; he never argued that they were not guilty; at the same time, he never said anything negative to Gd about the people. At first Gd said to Moshe: "Your people...", basically disowning them by calling them Moshe’s people. Moshe answered: "Your people, whom You delivered from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand...." With this, he was subtly saying: "No, Lrd, they are still and ever Your people." Then he reminded Gd of the wondrous things He had done to rescue them from Egypt and of His promises to the Patriarchs. He appealed to Him on the basis of the honor of His Name among the nations, saying that the Egyptians would not just gloat over the defeat of Israel, but would see it as proof of Gd’s evil, thereby defiling His Name--essentially: "Israel, where is your Gd?!" Moshe’s love for the people was so intense that he refused Gd’s offer to start over with him and said if they could not be forgiven, he himself wanted to be erased from Gd’s record altogether.
Once Moshe went back to the camp, his position changed. Before Gd he was representing the people; before the people he was representing Gd. Facing the people, he was a channel of Gd’s anger at their sin. He was so angry that he hurled the tablets, that Gd’s own finger had inscribed, from the mountain. The calf was ground into powder and put into the water for the people to drink, foreshadowing the test of the sotah (woman accused of adultery). Moshe then forced the people to take a stand, calling out: "Who is on the Lrd’s side?"
The Lrd said to Moses, "Say to the Israelite people, ‘You are a stiffnecked people. If I were to go in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now, then, leave off your finery, and I will consider what to do to you.’" --Shmot 33:5
Moshe then pleaded with Gd again, for He had said that He would not lead the people, but rather would send an angel before them to fight the inhabitants of the Land. This was an altering of the decree against Israel, but not a cancellation of it. Moshe told Gd that they could not go up to the Land under those circumstances. Again, it was a matter of what the nations would think. The merit of Israel is that she is the nation favored by Gd, called by His Name. If He refuses to lead the people, where is their merit? How can they stand on their own against the enemies He tells them to fight? Herein we see perserverance, not giving up, and Gd honored Moshe’s prayers.
There are also times when Gd says not to pray. These are times when the decree of the heavenly court is sealed. An example of one such time is found in Yeremiyahu (Jeremiah) 7:16:
As for you, do not pray for this people, do not raise a cry of prayer on their behalf, do not plead with Me; for I will not listen to you.
As there are times when Gd looks for someone to pray and argue in order to alter a heavenly decree and bring about His perfect will in a situation, prayer at this time would be contrary to Gd’s will. The intercessor has to be sensitive to the difference. Before praying for a situation, he needs to always first ask permission and for the correct words to pray--to pray according to Gd’s will rather than his own. In this he has to be completely surrendered, able to take himself out of the equation, just as Moshe said he would rather be erased from Gd’s written record than see the people of Israel destroyed. He was not interested in personal gain. The goal is to be Gd’s partner, a clear channel of His will on the earth.
Points on Intercessory Prayer
Each time intercessory prayer is spoken of in the Tanakh, the Hebrew word used comes from the root paga. This is the most powerful term for prayer, indicating a very aggressive approach--interceding, intervening, impinging, meeting with force. It is standing in the place of someone else, like a defense attorney fighting a court battle. Those who are called to operate in this spiritual gift must realize that they have a responsibility before Gd and the court of heaven.
Shabbat shalom,
Miriam
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