Last week in Israel I experienced a great deal in a very short period of time. Anyone who has any kind of pulse on Israel knows that what we read daily in most news outlets doesn't do justice to the reality on the ground. The society of Israel has many moving parts that we just do not hear about, vital parts that make the whole. Our Torah this week speaks to that very thing.
Here in Ki Tisa we meet two very important people; Bezalel and Oholiav. These men had a skill, a craft assigned to those who were “כל חכם לב“ (col-cacham-leiv), or any wise heart. In this context כל חכם לב simply means all who are skilled. Bezael and Oholiav took from some of hat’rumah, “the gifts” that were collected by Moses, and used their skills to cut stones and carve wood, to make the menorah, priestly garments and even the altar. The Jewish mystical tradition from the Zohar teaches that Bezalel and Oholiav complemented each other. In this case Bezalel’s soul was rooted in the right side of Divine attributes, those of kindness and love. Oholiav’s soul, on the other hand, was from the left side of judgment and discipline. To build the Tabernacle, a perfect balance of the two sides of the attributes were needed, and that was brought about by Bezalel and Oholiav's diversity of giftings to create something special.
According to the Talmud (Berakhot 55a), “Bezalel was called by that name on account of his wisdom,” a name that means in the shadow of, in this case the shadow of God. Oholiav, literally “fathers tent,” meant that his heart was the “tent” that housed his wisdom. We further learn in the Talmud (also Berakhot 55a) that wisdom is birthed within us, waiting to be revealed, thus God “only grants wisdom to one who already possesses wisdom.” In the case of Bezalel and Oholiav their skill is not only a divine gift already possessed within them, but must be exercised to make its mark. In connection with a person’s gifts, Rabbi Arthur Green in his teaching on Ki Tisa reminds us about the thirteen elements used to build the Mishkan, such as gold, silver, scarlet thread, etc. Rabbi Green likens those 13 elements of material used to the 13th middot of Mussar, which is “devotion,” or mindfulness. Bezalel and Oholiav were mindful of their craft, and devoted their skills to build a holy place for all Israel, recognizing that their gifts were for the benefit of the whole.
Most of the time we hear about the IDF, their efforts to defend a country from detractors who seek their demise all around. Their effort is herculean, not only because they must contend with enemies on every side, but also because they are greatly criticized. Israel’s attitude despite all the noise and condemnation is very simple: the evil around us must go because it cannot live at our borders any longer. It was beneficial to be there, to hear from the people who are in the midst of this fight, hear about the pain of what is going on and the regret that they must even fight at all, let alone the disappointment with a government that let them down, asking where was our army, why didn't the people who are tasked to protect us see this coming? But Israel is full of Bezalel’s and Oholiav’s, people who are כל חכם לב, wise of heart, who realize each has a role that is very important, even more so right now. So not only did we meet with IDF soldiers and other military personal, not to mention the President of Israel - Isaac Herzog, but we met with representatives of United Hatzalah, Israel Trauma Coalition, Shaarei Zedek Hospital and Zaka, each playing an important role along with the IDF to being about healing and safety throughout the land of Israel and for its people. The fight continues, the tears of loss continue to flow, but so does the determination of those who call Israel home, so much so everywhere you look you read, אנחנו ננצח (anachnu n’netzayach), we will win!
The joint effort of Israel was a lesson for me, a reminder of how each plays a role and no one role is more important than the next. In Israel, this situation was forced upon them for each to respond, and the “someone else will do it” mentality can mean the difference between life and death. What motivates us if it's not life and death? Our gifts make the difference in bettering the world around us, our communities, helping those in need and embracing those who feel isolated, using our money and time to support worthy causes and efforts, not to mention as Jews and Jewish families we must support our synagogues to ensure that generations to come will know and live the values of Jewish life. Likewise, we must do what we can to help keep Israel safe from those who seek to wipe Israel off the map. May we too embrace the 13th middot of Mussar, which is “devotion,” or mindfulness, as we use our wisdom of heart to make what is around us better today than it was yesterday.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Adam Ruditsky
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