Parshah and Modern Israel: Ki Tisa

The linked printable PDF includes two lines in Hebrew and English from the Torah portion Ki Tisa, a brief analysis of those verses, and a summary of the debate over what biblical and divine references to include in the Declaration of Independence. The discussion about the text of the Declaration features the decision not to name God beyond a reference to "the Rock of Israel," a compromise move to add "and its Redeemer" to that phrase, and the curious failure of that addition to appear in the final text.

Students are thus given an opportunity to study the text of the Declaration and the feelings of Ben-Gurion and other founders of Israel toward religion, and a discussion question helps classes address the balance of religion and state in Israel today.

This resource is part of a series of d’vrei Torah connecting the weekly portion to an aspect of modern Israel, available at https://israeled.org/resources/torah-portion/

CIE's 5-minute whiteboard video on the Israeli Declaration of Independence, part of our Israel on Board series, enhances student understanding of the Declaration, its creation, and its similarities to and differences from the U.S. Declaration of Independence.