Torah Portion
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum
Jewish Parenting Center
Our God-Given Talents
Are There To Be Shared
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Presents
FAMILY CONCERT
Sunday April 5, 1998
3:00 p.m.
Shabbat
Vayakhel/PekudelParah:
Exodus 35:1-40:38;
Numbers 19:1-22;
Ezekiel 36:16-38.
from New York
Young Peoples
Klezmer Workshop
at
Applebaum Jewish Parenting Center
4200 Walnut Lake Road
Refreshments will be served. Reservations are available by mail.
Tickets $3/person. Limited amount of tickets will be available at the door.
Send check, payable to Shaarey Zedek, to:
JPC, 4200 Walnut Lake Rd.,West Bloomfield, Ml 48323
This series is being sponsored by the Morris and Beverly Baker Foundation in memory of Morris D. Baker
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the services of God and humanity.
When the Almighty commanded
Moses to build a tabernacle as a
meeting place for the Jewish people
and their creator and outlined the
intricate designs and rare fabrics and
materials that had to be used, the
problem was to find a suitable artist
to formulate the plans, to make the
design and to supervise the work.
God said to Moses,
who spoke to the people,
"See, there is Bezalel who
is qualified to perform this
task to perfection. He is
endowed with the gifts of
brilliance and genius.
he Torah recounts the
building of the tabernacle
in the wilderness in a spir-
it of fervor and creativity.
Directing this activity was not
Moses, who had dominated
the scene until then, but
someone whom we meet for
the first time: Bezalel, the
son of Uri, the son of Hur.
Who is this Bezalel to
whom Moses entrusts the job
of building a sanctuary for
Appoint him to undertake
the Lord? While scripture
this effort and success is
does not tell us much about
assured."
Bezalel and his family back-
RABBI IRWIN
ground, the rabbis of the
The learning of the
GRONER
Midrash supplement the
scholar,
the wisdom of the
Special to
sage, the talent of the
missing links, providing us
The Jewish News artists, the
with the identity of Bezalel's
brilliance of
forebears.
the writer, the leadership
of the individual are special gifts
The rabbinic tradition advises us
from God that must not be permit-
that Bezalel's great-grandmother was
none other than Miriam, the sister of ted to go to waste. They are to be
used by the recipients of these bless-
Moses and Aaron. How meaningful
ings for the good and welfare of the
that the great-grandson of Miriam,
community.
who watched baby Moses floating in
This thought is stated clearly and
the river, who looked with confi-
dence and resolution into the remote succinctly in the succeeding verse,
"And He put in his (Bezalel's) heart
unknown future — should now be
the one who is called upon to build a that he may teach ..."
Unlike many gifted artists who are
sanctuary for the Lord, an accom-
unable to teach their skill to others or
plishment which marks the summit
simply prefer to keep it all to them-
of the spiritual redemption of the
selves, Bezalel had the ability as well as
people from slavery.
the willingness to instruct others, a
Bezalel, however, was chosen not
only because of his ancestry. The text characteristic which the Torah recog-
nizes as especially praiseworthy.
describes his • remarkable talent.
Judaism stresses the idea that a
Thus, we are told, "And Moses said
human being is a messenger of the
unto the children of Israel: 'See, the
Lord has called by name Bezalel ... of Eternal One; his talents and apti-
tudes do not belong to him alone,
the tribe of Judah. And he has filled
but were given to him to be shared.
him with the spirit of God, in wis-
Everything which is appealing and
dom, in understanding and in
attractive, bright and inspiring
knowledge and in all manner of
should be employed to fill the lives
workmanship ...'"
of others with grace, beauty and
The commentators on the Torah
warmth.
were perplexed by the apparent
Fortunate are the people blessed
redundancy of the word "see." It
with gifted sons and daughters who
seems to be superfluous, for the sen-
know that they are qualified to
tence would have been complete
achieve and to create and are willing
without that word.
Irwin Groner is senior rabbi of
1-888-605-CAMP
3/20
1998
T
A leading scholar of our genera-
tion offers an insightful explanation.
The verse teaches that when a person
is blessed by the Almighty with spe-
cial talents and abilities, he should
not waste them or put them to self-
ish ends, but should employ them in
to dedicate a goodly portion of their
special abilities and talents to the ser-
vice of the people and their faith.
❑