Community Torah Corner, Feb. 28, 2025

 

One theme in this week’s Torah portion of Terumah has long inspired me as an educator. God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites that they will soon embark on the construction of the Mishkan, a portable sanctuary that they will carry with them throughout their wanderings. In this week’s Torah portion, we read detailed instructions for the ark, the altar, the Menorah, and the various other furnishings, including the fabrics that will serve as the walls of the Mishkan.

 

An ancient midrash notes that someone who looks at these instructions would probably have a very difficult time creating the items that are described -- especially the Menorah, which is to be made out of hammered gold and to include almond-blossom-shaped cups with petals, calyxes, and branches. The midrash suggests that Moses was confused, so God showed Moses a picture of what the Menorah should look like (which is why verse 25:40 says, “Note well, and follow the patterns for them that are being shown you on the mountain” - as if an image of the Menorah was being projected onto the mountain). But Moses is still confused, so God reassures him:  You don’t have to do this all by yourself. You will appoint a master artisan named Betzalel, and he will have no problem interpreting these instructions.

Moses then transmits the Torah’s cryptic instructions to Betzalel, who immediately understands them and makes the menorah perfectly. Moses is astonished: “God showed me this a few times, and I found it difficult, and you, who haven’t even seen it, were able to make it by yourself!?” Moses then notes that Betzalel’s name means “In the shadow of God,” and suggests that this is an appropriate name for this master craftsman: “You must have been standing in the shadow of God when God showed the image of the Menorah to me!” (Bamidbar Rabbah Behaalotekha 15:10) Moses appears delighted to realize that what is so difficult for him to understand is actually easy for Betzalel to understand — and presumably, vice versa.  

 

I especially love to read this midrash in the context of the Talmud’s assertion (Sanhedrin 69b) that Betzalel was age 13 at the time of this story! Many 13-year-olds realize that, whereas no one is skilled in everything, they probably have talents in some area that surpass those of many adults they know.   

 

It takes a community full of people with a variety of skills and understandings to accomplish any complex task. Thank God for educational institutions that can meet the educational needs of those like Moses and those like Betzalel, each with their unique blend of challenges and talents.