One of the more fascinating individuals in the Torah is Bezalel, the chief architect of the Mishkan. He had a wide range of skills: He could work in diverse media (gold, silver, wood, cloth, precious gems); he had great creativity and artistic vision; and he could teach others how to produce lasting works of art.
Yet where did all this immense talent come from? After all, Bezalel had been a slave just weeks earlier. Surely, slaves did not have the time nor material to perfect their craft. Moreover, the Rabbis tell us that Bezalel was only 13 years old at his appointment. While youth must be served, how did one so young become so proficient, so fast?
While the parsha, VaYak?hel-Pekudei, informs us that "Hashem (God) filled him with a wise and godly spirit," I suggest there is another factor at work. The pasuk (verse) makes a point of saying that Hashem called Bezalel "by name" and then proceeds to identify not only the boy, but also his father and grandfather, an extended lineage not given for others. Why?
Who was Bezalel's grandpa? He was Chur, the same Chur who held up Moshe's arm and inspired faith in Am Yisrael, the same Chur who stood up to the creators of the Golden Calf and was murdered by them. The courage and self-sacrifice of Chur ran in the blood of his grandson, Bezalel. That, I suggest, is what set him apart from his peers and qualified him to fashion the House of Faith that would hold the Presence of Hashem. Adversity and suffering breed character, and create the heart and soul of the true artist.
As a nation, we Jews have displayed unbelievable faith and mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice) throughout the generations, that which we in Israel are experiencing at this very moment. Like Chur, we have faced wild mobs and have not backed down an inch. Like Chur, we have upheld faith in G-d despite the cruelest of crimes perpetrated upon us by inhuman foes. Do not we, also, deserve to build a Mishkan, to be released from our chains of terror so that we can let our spirits sing freely? Are not all of us living here B'zel El, in the shadow of the Almighty, waiting for Him to bring us into the blazing sun of a new and better day?
Nisan arrives this week and with it the hope for liberation. Nisan - as it's name implies - is the month designated for nisim, miracles. We sure can use some right now. Yet, come what may, let us be strong and strengthen each other.
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Rabbi Weiss is Director of the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra?anana.
Yet where did all this immense talent come from? After all, Bezalel had been a slave just weeks earlier. Surely, slaves did not have the time nor material to perfect their craft. Moreover, the Rabbis tell us that Bezalel was only 13 years old at his appointment. While youth must be served, how did one so young become so proficient, so fast?
While the parsha, VaYak?hel-Pekudei, informs us that "Hashem (God) filled him with a wise and godly spirit," I suggest there is another factor at work. The pasuk (verse) makes a point of saying that Hashem called Bezalel "by name" and then proceeds to identify not only the boy, but also his father and grandfather, an extended lineage not given for others. Why?
Who was Bezalel's grandpa? He was Chur, the same Chur who held up Moshe's arm and inspired faith in Am Yisrael, the same Chur who stood up to the creators of the Golden Calf and was murdered by them. The courage and self-sacrifice of Chur ran in the blood of his grandson, Bezalel. That, I suggest, is what set him apart from his peers and qualified him to fashion the House of Faith that would hold the Presence of Hashem. Adversity and suffering breed character, and create the heart and soul of the true artist.
As a nation, we Jews have displayed unbelievable faith and mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice) throughout the generations, that which we in Israel are experiencing at this very moment. Like Chur, we have faced wild mobs and have not backed down an inch. Like Chur, we have upheld faith in G-d despite the cruelest of crimes perpetrated upon us by inhuman foes. Do not we, also, deserve to build a Mishkan, to be released from our chains of terror so that we can let our spirits sing freely? Are not all of us living here B'zel El, in the shadow of the Almighty, waiting for Him to bring us into the blazing sun of a new and better day?
Nisan arrives this week and with it the hope for liberation. Nisan - as it's name implies - is the month designated for nisim, miracles. We sure can use some right now. Yet, come what may, let us be strong and strengthen each other.
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Rabbi Weiss is Director of the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra?anana.