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Vayakhel-Pekudei
by Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon
This
week’s double Torah portion of Vayakhel-Pekudei deals with the question of
the creation and completion of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, the
consecration of the first central worship sanctuary for the people of
And the people gave of the best they had—gold and silver, precious stones and materials used to create a beautiful sanctuary, one they could be proud of and one which they believed would lend itself to the perpetuation of beauty and sanctity.
Then Moses invited those artisans, wise in the ways of working with beautiful items, to come forward and create a structure that embodied what God saw as appropriate for a sanctuary. In particular, Moses explained that “God has called by name a man named Betzalel… from the tribe of Judah”, whom God filled with the spirit of the Lord, in wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and all manner of skilled workmanship… he is filled with the wisdom of the heart, that he might teach, and work with every wise-hearted person in this sacred work.”
When their work was complete, they had created a Tabernacle into which God immediately brought the divine presence, as a place of profound sacredness for our ancestors.
I love that phrase for those skilled in the work of the hands—wise-hearted men and women, who can create beauty and elegance to serve God in this world.
Each of us has different skills; some can sing, some dance, some speak eloquently. And some of us create works of art and practical beauty with our hands.
Each of us can contribute to the creation of holiness in this world by applying those skills to holy work. And when we do, we, too, have the potential to bring God’s presence into our midst, into our ordinary, practical world, and to make it sacred.
May we each use our own skills this week to make our lives, and our world, a little holier.