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Parshat Ki Tissa
1998
How Mysterious Are Your Designs: A Look at Ki Tissa
Moshe has been up on the mountain for awhile. He's been given scores of details on who the priests, the Kohanim, should be, how they should dress and how they should perform their duties. We have been given the blueprints for the design of a magnificent Tabernacle, but until now, we have not been given a designer. In fact, it would be fair to assume that Moshe himself would supervise this enterprise. But look at what the verse tells us:
Exodus Chapter 31
1 Now YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying:
2 See, I have called by name Betzalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Yehuda.
3 I have filled him with the spirit of God in practical-wisdom, discernment and knowledge in all kinds of workmanship,
4 to design designs, to make them in gold, in silver and in bronze,
5 in the cutting of stones for setting and in the cutting of wood, to make them through all kinds of workmanship.
"I have called by name Betzalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Yehuda. I have filled him with the spirit of God in practical wisdom, discernment and knowledge in all kinds of workmanship."
YOUR TORAH NAVIGATOR
1. What does it mean "I have called by name Betzalel"? Is God reporting that the Holy One has already spoken to Betzalel or can it mean something else? Has Betzalel been pre-ordained to do this?
2. Why wasn't Moshe given this job?
3. What is the difference between practical wisdom (Chochmah), discernment (Tevunah) and knowledge (Da'at).
4.Is this in addition to the "Spirit of God", or does this define the "Spirit of God"?
5. The name Betzalel means "In God's shadow". Does his name offer any hints as to why he was "called by name"?
RASHI on the verse: "I have filled him with the spirit of God in practical-wisdom, discernment and knowledge in all kinds of workmanship,"
"IN PRACTICAL-WISDOM": things you hear from others and learn.
"DISCERNMENT": things you figure out yourself from what you have heard
"KNOWLEDGE": the Holy Spirit (Ruach Hakodesh)
YOUR RASHI NAVIGATOR
1. Compare Rashi's understanding of these three terms to the way you understood them?
2. What do you think Rashi means by Holy Spirit? If Betzalel was filled with practical wisdom, and discernment, why was this holy spirit necessary?
3. According to Rashi, "DISCERNMENT" requires one to "figure things out from what you have heard" while "knowledge" is the Holy Spirit--why isn't the practical wisdom enough?
4. Define the essential components of Betzalel's creativity according to Rashi?
5. Could anyone's heart been filled with the "spirit of God", or did it have to be Betzalel?
6. What is your definition of creativity?
7. How would you define inspiration?
8. How would Rashi define inspiration?
SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM YOUR NAVIGATOR
Betzalel, like Avraham seems to be chosen out of the blue. Unlike Avraham, he remains in God's shadow, a master designer without a speaking role. Moshe is told on the mountain that God has always known who the master designer would be. According to the midrash, it was already recorded in the archives of the Biblical Adam that there would be a person who would on the one hand be able to follow instructions impeccably, but on the other hand would be creative enough to read between the lines and pure enough to contain and retain the spirit of God. This could not be Moses because it required someone who could embody the design of God's house...someone whose form could be filled with this knowledge, and only this knowledge. A leader of the people could not be as single minded as Betzalel was. He dwelled in the shadow of the Holy One, a pale refection and a magnificent retainer of the ideal form that would house the Holy One. Shabbat Shalom!
Prepared by Rabbi Avi Weinstein, Director, Hillel's Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning.
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