Ki Tissa: Zemer of The Week

וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת לְדֹרֹתָם בְּרִית עוֹלָם׃
בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹת הִוא לְעֹלָם כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה ה׳ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ׃
“The Children of Israel shall keep the Shabbat… an everlasting covenant.
Between Me and the Children of Israel it is a sign forever… and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” (Shemot 31:16–17)

These verses appear in this week’s parsha itself, immediately after the Mishkan instructions and just before the episode of the Golden Calf. The Torah reminds us that beyond dramatic national highs and devastating failures, the eternal covenant is expressed weekly through Shabbat. In a parsha about rupture and repair, Shabbat becomes the steady sign of relationship.

The zemer for this week: מִי לַה׳ אֵלָי (Mi LaHashem Elai)

Thank You Hashem (feat. Zusha): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dNcNFS7pq4

 וַיַּעֲמֹד מֹשֶׁה בְּשַׁעַר הַמַּחֲנֶה וַיֹּאמֶר:
מִי לַה׳ אֵלָי

“Moses stood at the gate of the camp and said:
‘Whoever is for Hashem – to me!’”

This is the decisive leadership moment after the Golden Calf. When confusion and moral drift take hold, Moshe does not deliver a speech — he issues a call: Who is prepared to stand up for Hashem? Ki Tissa is not only about sin and forgiveness; it is about courageous alignment. The song captures that urgency and clarity of purpose.

For a more traditional zemer:

The zemer for this week: צמאה נפשי 

This zemer was written by Avraham ibn Ezra, whose name appears in the acrostic of its verses.  It focuses on – and yearns for – the closeness between Hashem and Bnai Yisrael, both spiritually (נפשי) and physically (בשרי).

Central elements of this parsha include Moshe’s destroying the Eigel Hazahav, then begging Hashem to forgive Bnei Yisroel and being taught the 13 Midos with which we daven to Hashem.

Some of the connections to the parsha:

·   1^st line of 6^th stanza:
“אבק דק” (“To dust that is powdery”) – After Moshe discovered the Eigel Hazahav, he burned the Eigel and ground it into a fine powder (“דק” – Shemot 32:20).

·   2^nd line of 7^th stanza:
“?איככה ישוב הבשר החי” (“So how can a living person – of flesh and blood – repent?”) – After Bnei Yisroel sinned, Hashem taught Moshe the 13 Midos with which we still ask Hashem to let us repent and to forgive us (Shemot 34:6-7).

o    1^st line of last stanza:
“אקוד על אפי” (“I shall bow down upon my face”) – After Hashem taught the 13 Midos to him, Moshe bowed and prostrated himself on the ground (Shemot 34:8).

·   2^nd line of 2^nd stanza:
“כי לא יראני האדם וחי” (“That no man can see Me and remain alive”) – This is a direct quote from our parsha (Shemot 33:20).  It was said by Hashem after Moshe asked to see Hashem’s glory.