Ki Tisa 5774

“He [Moshe (Moses)] said, ‘Not a sound shouting strength, nor a sound shouting weakness; a sound of distress I hear.’” (Shemot/Exodus 32:18)

When Moshe descends from Mount Sinai carrying the Ten Commandments, he hears shouting. The people have just fashioned a Golden Calf idol. While Moshe could interpret the noise as a decadent celebration of rebellion, he instead perceives that the people are in distress.

How does Moshe know what the shouting means?

As an experienced leader, Moshe is able to determine why his people are acting strangely and what has caused their uncharacteristic behavior. He knows the people so well that he instinctively understands that they are not rebelling, but instead are expressing pain and anguish. (They have miscalculated Moshe’s expected arrival and believe he has died.)  Moshe is able to make the distinction between the sounds because he does not just hear the shouts – he listens to ascertain the meaning.

As parents, we can instinctively distinguish the various cries and distress signals of our young children, just as Moshe is able to differentiate the shouts of his people. We parents hear the cries and listen for the message. When our children speak, we must hear their words and listen carefully for the underlying subtext. Only then will we truly understand what our children are trying to express.

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