The True You It is one of the most dramatic scenes in the Torah. Moses descended from Mount Sinai holding the tablets of the testimony. Seeing the Jewish people dancing around the golden calf, he shatters the tablets. This portion, however, is not merely about the tragic sin; rather, it is about repentance, repairing the relationship with G-d, and the introduction of the second tablets. This is a story of how the relationship between G-d and the Jewish people is not dependent on specific behavior and how it survives and is even strengthened by the pain of betrayal. and hurt. In this portion, we read about the “thirteen attributes of mercy”, the formula that G-d taught us to evoke whenever we need to elicit Divine forgiveness. The thirteen attributes are incorporated in our prayers throughout the year and recited multiple times on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. As the Torah states: And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: Lord, Lord, benevolent God, Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth, preserving loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin; and cleanses. (Exodus 34:6-7) Perhaps the most intriguing of the list of attributes evoked here is the attribute of truth. After all, truth seems the opposite of forgiveness. The attribute of truth is usually associated with justice, when each person receives what they deserve. Forgiveness seems to be the “bending” of rules, “ignoring” shortcomings and introducing second chances, seemingly inconsistent with the attribute of truth, associated with discipline and consistency. Yet, the attribute of truth does not contradict forgiveness; it is precisely what makes forgiveness possible. G-d taught Moses, and we evoke this truth when we recite the thirteen attributes, that the sin, the shortcoming, the weakness, does not define the real person. The negativity that produced the sin is merely an external layer of the human consciousness. G-d proclaims that His Divine attribute of truth senses the deeper truth, that the core of the human being is positive and holy. That beneath the layers of conflicting inclinations is the true essence of the person, a spark of G-d Himself. The thirteen attributes invite us to discover the deeper layer within ourselves. It is an invitation to uncover the truth of our soul, in ourselves and in the people around us. Inspired by Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe, “True Mercy” Chabad.org
ב"ה