Ki Thisa: democracy and leadership

The parsha begins with the great (democratic) poll tax.

In Capital in the Twentieth Century, Thomas Piketty extols  the virtues of taxation.  He explains that  taxes allow for a detailed view of history, especially demographics.   That is one of the ways in which the half shekel  tax  in our parsha is used.  It is a census of adult males over the age of 20.  The accounting  of the utilization ( in Pikudai) is  a confirmation of  the 600,000 count. .

There are several taxes in Torah.  Some, like the tithe (maaser) are gradulated, a proportion of the agricultural production.  Others are undefined ( ayn lahem shiur)  and contain a voluntary component, depend, in part ,on the generosity of the  donor. 

By our standards, the half shekel tax ,described here, is regressive.  it is not sensitive to means or situation.  It is a huge burden for the poor and trivial for the rich. The flat tax pretends that everyone has the same opportunity.  It gives everyone an equal share in the great enterprise.  In that sense, it is maximally democratic. 

Perhaps the half shekel is part of the Jewish" bar", the minimum achievement demanded of every  ( male) member of the tribe.  That is not, necessarily, a bad thing.  Personally I  feel that bar ( somewhat higher than the annual half shekel)

The common project, to which everyone contributes equally,  is in contrast to to the  Socialist credo: from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.  Our parsha explores the extremes  of these ideas. 

The crucial act in the parsha is the creation of the Golden Calf, the idol demanded by the leaderless people.  In the absence of Moshe ( the man that they never understood: כִּי־זֶ֣ה ׀ מֹשֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֙נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ׃) the crowd ruled, we have a purely "democratic" situation. Everyone is "equal"  The result is unfortunate, idolatry.  

וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־בֹשֵׁ֥שׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה: This is translated :"And when the people saw that Moses delayed",  But the usual translation of Boshesh is embarrassed.  I think that this  word reflects the people's  low self esteem ( the same attutude that that let the spy's say that they looked like grasshoppers in the eyes of the Canaanites).  They felt that Moshe was not like them, and in his absence they demanded that they be (the worst of) themselves: hence the Golden Calf. 

When Moshe descends  with the second tablets, the distinction between Moshe and ordinary people is clearer.  Ordinary people cannot even look at Moshe, because of his glow.  He must wear a veil and live outside the community. 

 The people's virtue is to accept Moshe  as the leader and law giver. 

There will never be another like him.