SAN DIEGO — In our Torah portion this past week, VaYakel, Betzalel is singled out amongst all of the artisans of Israel to build the Mishkan, the tabernacle that the Israelites carried with them through the desert. The Torah then tells us that Betzalel was filled with “Ruach Elohim” a divine spirit. The Rabbinic commentators are quick to point out that this is what differentiates Betzalel from everyone else, making him the obvious choice to be the chief architect of the Mishkan. Nevertheless, it is not entirely clear to us what being “filled with the spirit of God” actually means.
One of my favorite interpretations from Midrash suggests that Betzalel was filled with the Spirit of God because he always operated in the “shade of God.” It parcels his name into two Hebrew words: BeTzel meaning “in the shade of” and El, meaning God. It paints a picture of a wise and talented artist, a masterful craftsman who could do anything he wanted, yet always aimed to please God. Everything he did, both in his work and by the way he lived his life, he did with an awareness that God was watching over him, inspiring every choice and decision that he made.
I cannot help but be inspired by both Betzalel’s work, and the way in which he worked. Whether it is in our personal or professional lives, in public or in private, I can only wonder what the world would like, if we all operated in the shade of God, filling ourselves and the world around us with God’s spirit. Like Betzalel, may we all have the ability to make beautiful contributions to the world, and through the way we work and interact with others, May we also help make the world a more beautiful place.
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Rabbi Dorsch is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue of San Diego. He may be contacted via joshua.dorsch@sdjewishworld.com