Devar/5770/Vayakhel-Pekudei
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< Devar | 5770
עברית
וַיְמַלֵּא אֹתוֹ, רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים, בְּחָכְמָה בִּתְבוּנָה וּבְדַעַת, וּבְכָל-מְלָאכָה. (שמות לה:ל,לא)
English
And Moses said unto the children of Israel: 'See, the LORD hath called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah
And He hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. (Ex 35:30,31)
The verse repeats that which was written in verse 31:2, See, I have called by name Bezalel…. The Babylonian Talmud in Berachot 55a says: "See, I have called by name Bezalel etc." Rabbi Yitschaq said, an overseer is not appointed over the public unless the public approves him, as the verse says, "See, the LORD hath called by name Bezalel". The Holy One, blessed is He, said to Moses, "Moses: is Bezalel worthy in your eyes"? He told Him, "Master of the universe, if he is worthy in your eyes -- should he not be much more so in mine"? He told him, "Nevertheless, go and tell the people". He went and said to the Jews, "Is Bezalel worthy in your eyes"? They said to him, "If he is worthy in God's eyes and in yours, should he not be much more so in ours"? That is to say that according to this understanding, the "calling by name" means that God advanced his name as a nominee for the senior job of public overseer. Therefore the Torah uses the term "called" -- to tell us that "I will appoint him overseer, on condition that he is acceptable to you."
For what reason should the public accept him as an overseer? Firstly, the Torah listed his pedigree -- that he is from the tribe of kingship, from Judah, and therefore is potentially worthy of ruling over others. In the same place in the Talmud mentioned above, there is a long discussion of the name "Bezalel" -- the synopsis is that he was very wise, as the verse intimates "and He hath filled him…". In addition, despite his great wisdom, he was humble and dedicated -- as is hinted at by his name "beSel-'el". That is, he worked in the shadow (Sel) of the Master ('el), and did not jump in front to be above everyone else, and did not seek out the job of overseer -- therefore he was truly worthy of the job.
Because of his humility and wisdom, God blessed him and filled him with much greater wisdom, and knowledge of all manner of sciences and crafts, which he would need in order to successfully build the Tabernacle. This is a wonderful thing: that the one who comes to be purified is assisted (Talmud Babli Shabbat 104a). Indeed, he was already talented beforehand, but God granted him a much higher level of skill, and assisted him to achieve an exalted level. So too with us, when we strive ever upwards, God helps us and assists our success.
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