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Why does the commandment to build the kiyor and the formulation of the ketores appear in Ki Sisa rather than in the earlier parshiyot about Mishkan vessels? The shiur develops the idea that Parshas Ki Sisa is fundamentally about establishing the Jewish people as a community, symbolized by the census. The kiyor—made from women's mirrors—and the chelbona (bad-smelling incense component) both express the principle that community means responsibility for every segment, including the wicked and marginalized.
This shiur explores several seemingly out-of-place elements in Parshas Ki Sisa: the commandment to build the kiyor (washbasin), the formulation of the ketores (incense), and their connection to the parsha's opening census. Rabbi Zweig argues that all these elements share a common theme—the definition and establishment of the Jewish community. The shiur opens by noting textual difficulties: Why does the kiyor appear here rather than in Parshas Terumah or Tetzaveh with the other Mishkan vessels? Why is the ketores formulation delayed until Ki Sisa when the Mizbeach HaKetores was already introduced in Parshas Tetzaveh? Another puzzle concerns the chelbona, a foul-smelling component of the ketores. The Gemara (גמרא) in Kerisot teaches that the chelbona represents poshei Yisrael (sinners) who must be included in communal prayer. One traditional explanation—that sinners make the righteous look better by contrast—strikes Rabbi Zweig as deeply problematic, suggesting we use people for our own benefit rather than caring about them.
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Parshas Ki Sisa
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