Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 18 Adar, 5785

Good morning! Today’s portion is FASCINATING.  We learn about Bezalel – whose name means “in the shadow [protection] of God.”

Shadow. Darkness. What does it mean to be in the shadow of Hashem? We just came through a lunar eclipse. Where the earth cast a shadow on the moon – blocking it’s light from the sun.

Shadow space is protected. Why?

Because we are entrusted to be able to SEE what is blocking the light.  On my journey, a lot of work digging into the shadow has been navigated. This was a great resource for me to begin the journey:

The article discusses 13 types of shadows:

• The Egotistical Shadow
• The Neurotic Shadow
• The Untrustworthy Shadow
• The Emotionally Unstable Shadow
• The Controlling Shadow
• The Cynical Shadow
• The Wrathful Shadow
• The Rigid Shadow
• The Superficial Shadow
• The Cold Shadow
• The Perverted Shadow
• The Cowardly Shadow
• The Naïve Shadow

Each of these shadows has a root cause – and as we navigate these, we will uncover OTHER shadows we are navigating.

We build our lives around AVOIDING these shadows – and they fester within us. Laying dormant. Until we can live and dig into these shadows, we will be stuck and unable to grow and move forward.

This work is not easy. As the article points out – honesty, compassion, and courage are required to engage.

Because each of these shadows has a gift to give us should we be willing to be in the shadow – which is the protection.

Having someone to guide you into these shadows is incredibly helpful. My therapist has been an incredible resource for me as I have dug into these shadows.  I continue to dig – because the work is protective.

This is the lesson of Bazalel. The shadow protects us. And when we master the shadows? We are free.  To create. To be chosen. To weave. To dream. To build.

Those are my thoughts.  What about you?

Here are my thoughts from last year:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 25 Adar 1, 5784
Parsha Va-Yakhel: (Exodus 35:1 – 38:20)
Third Portion: Exodus 35:30 – 36:7

Good morning! As we continue this journey “as he assembled” we left off yesterday with generosity bringing the materials to build the tabernacle, and wisdom being the ones MAKING the tabernacle. While this was going on, we enter into today’s third portion:

30Moses said to the children of Israel: “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

31He has imbued him with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with insight, and with knowledge, and with [talent for] all manner of craftsmanship

32to do master weaving, to work with gold, silver, and copper,

33with the craft of stones for setting and with the craft of wood, to work with every [manner of] thoughtful work.

So it is interesting here, right? We see Women being the wise ones yesterday. Today we focus on Bezalel.  It says the Lord has “imbued him with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with insight, and with knowledge.” Bezalel had the ENTIRE package. He had the feminine wisdom within him. He had the masculine insight (understanding) and he brought them together in unity (knowledge).

Bezalel was a MASTER at weaving and metal work. 

I shared this earlier – do we crave wisdom or understanding? Can we bring BOTH to the table and weave them together in true knowledge? Not the knowledge of data we get from google – but from the knowledge that comes from understanding wisdom?  That is a take away for us, I think.  Let’s keep going:

34And He put into his heart [the ability] to teach, both him and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

35He imbued them with wisdom of the heart, to do all sorts of work of a craftsman and a master worker and an embroiderer with blue, purple, and crimson wool, and linen and [of] weavers, those who do every [manner of] work, and master weavers.

And. Not only did Bezalel have this knowledge – he had the ability to teach himself AND Oholiab.  Bezalel was self taught. Let’s keep going:

36:1Bezalel and Oholiab and every wise hearted man into whom God had imbued wisdom and insight to know how to do, shall do all the work of the service of the Holy, according to all that the Lord has commanded.”

2And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every wise hearted man into whose heart the Lord had given wisdom, everyone whose heart lifted him up to approach the work to do it.

So again, we see wisdom, insight and knowing working together here. The wisdom of the heart – which feels different than the wisdom of the mind – which is where we tend to place wisdom, I think.

3So they took from before Moses all the offering[s] that the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the Holy, and they brought him more gifts every morning.

4Then all the wise men who were doing the work of the Holy came, each one from his work, which they had been doing.

5And they spoke to Moses, saying: “The people are bringing very much, more than is enough for the labor of the articles which the Lord had commanded to do.”

6So Moses commanded, and they announced in the camp, saying: “Let no man or woman do any more work for the offering for the Holy.” So the people stopped bringing.

So basically, these wise hearted men did work, and realized they had enough. Instead of asking for more? They told Moses, and Moses told the people they had enough.

My takeaway? When we have enough for a moment, do we ask for more? Or do we say we have enough? Are we afraid we won’t have enough in the FUTURE? Is that where we go?