Ki Tisa: A Quiet Thank You to Betzalel

It's hard not to talk about the Golden Calf incident, which takes place in this week's Torah portion. But, I got away with NOT talking about the Ten Commandments a few weeks ago, when it was the most well-known 

story in that reading, parashat Yitro, so let's be bold and try it once more, shall we? You see, what often bothers me is that we have these Torah portions that contain really famous stories, and we give short shrift to all the other interesting events that take place in that same reading. It just doesn't seem right. Case in point, Betzalel in this week's parashah. You've never heard of him, have you? Figures...

He wasn't a flashy leader like Moses, Aaron, or Miriam, or a great warrior like Joshua or King David, or even a skilled orator like the Biblical prophets. Betzalel was a craftsman, but a darn good one! 

So good, in fact, that God chose him by name to build the Tabernacle, the portable Temple from which God would speak to Moses in the desert. What an incredible honor to be the architect and builder of God's earthly home!! And yet, so many of us have never heard of him. In fact, he isn't even really mentioned that much in the Torah itself, and we don't ever hear him speaking. You might think there's something paradoxical about him being so important that God would single him out personally for this task, and yet so little is known of him. Doesn't he deserve more recognition and praise?

Yet some people don't want that praise. They really, truly, and honestly aren't looking for the limelight. They thrive on remaining backstage, on doing a job really, really well, and gaining satisfaction from the accomplishment alone, not the acclaim or the fame. I imagine that 

Betzalel was just such a person. His name even indicates as much, meaning either 'under God's protection,' or - more literally - 'in God's shadow.' He preferred to hang back, to just focus on the task at hand and perform it to the best of his ability. How fitting, also, that we'd be introduced to Betzalel in a Torah portion with a MUCH more scandalous story, so that we almost never get the chance to talk about him.

However, this leaves you and me in a quandary. Betzalel wants no praise; he may even be happy that the Golden Calf allows him to remain 'in the shadows.' But don't you and I still have an obligation to see the quality work Betzalel has performed for us? That he took on the daunting task of creating the Ark of the Covenant, to house the Ten Commandments, and which would then never again be touched by human hands? 

In our community, there are many people who do incredible work. Who visit homebound congregants and never tell anyone else they've done it. Who set up for luncheons, make phone calls, volunteer, go grocery shopping, pour wine at services, empty the tzedakah box, and do countless other things. And they DON'T want to be recognized. But that does not mean that you and I are off the hook. We need to open our eyes, every moment of every day, and see their contributions as well; NOT just the contributions of those who accept the recognition. We still must feel gratitude, and find ways to either thank them quietly, or perhaps 'pay it forward,' and emulate their example. So right now, I want to thank all the incredible, invaluable, and irreplaceable Betzalel's of my community. And no, I won't name any of them. You know who you are.

Thanks.


Photos in this blog post:

1. CC image courtesy of the Providence Lithograph Company on Wikimedia Commons

2. CC image courtesy of Tom Allen on Wikimedia Commons

3. CC image courtesy of ÁWá on Wikimedia Commons

4. CC image courtesy of BRBurton on Wikimedia Commons