[Posted on The Great Assignment]

At the time that God told Moses to make the Mishkan (the Tabernacle)…

…he (Moses) came and told Bezalel, he (Bezalel) said, "What is the purpose of the Mishkan?" He (Moses) answered, "That God may allow His Presence to rest within it, and thereby teach Torah to Israel."

Bezalel said to him, "Where will the Torah be placed?" He answered, "After we build the Mishkan we will build the Aron (the ark of the covenant).” He said, "Moses, our master, this is not honor for the Torah, rather first we should make the Aron and then make the Mishkan. Therefore the Aron was called in his name." [Shmot Rabbah 50:2]

Above quote: On Bezalel - Aish.com

Yehoshua is that Torah. First he is “placed” in the “ark” which is made for him by his people, Israel, that is, the place of his tomb, the place of the transformation of this world into the eternal world, the “black hole” of the heavens and the earth, that is Beresheit, Source-of-Beginning.

Then the Tabernacle of Israel’s full embrace is built around his empty tomb, where the Presence of G-d dwells, even unto the ends of the earth and the heavens.

Nov. 2017 additional Mahx note:

In the full text from which the quote above is taken we read, "When the People made the Calf, Hur heroically stood against them, but they rejected him and his teachings." We can see an allusion to Mashiach as son of Judah.

"Yehuda represents kingship, as manifested by David and his dynasty, and Hur functioned in the capacity of future king both in the battle of Amalek and at the Golden Calf. The other leader entrusted by Moshe was Aharon, the future Kohen Gadol. These were the two empowered by Moshe on the first occasion when Moshe had to establish the subsequent tier of leadership. Aharon and Hur are the two who would one day lead, each in a different sphere."

In this description we a picture of the two witnesses, the witness of kingship and the witness of priesthood, "that stand before the LORD of the whole earth". In the first episode, in fighting Amalek, Moshe represents Mashiach and his two arms, supported by the two witnesses, are the two witnesses. When they are lifted, giving their testimony, Israel is victorious over Amalek.

In the second episode, of the golden calf, the kingship of Judah and therefore of Mashiach, are rejected. And this is through the killing of Hur, who was the representative of the witness of Mashiach that Hashem is King. But the testimony is not defeated. Rather, later it is the testimony kept in concealment, represented by Bezalel, the grandson of Hur, who builds the Mishkan and the Ark of the Covenant. An allusion can be understood to be present in this and to this when Yehoshua states, "Destroy this Temple and in three days I will build it again"(Jn. 2:19).

[Concerning this: see Note on Story of The Exchanged Sons by Rebbe Nachman below.]

Parshat Pekudai

Bet zale l: Builder Of The Mishkan

Rabbi Ari Kahn

In his introduction to The Book of Shmot, the Ramban calls Shmot the "Book of Geula - Redemption". This Book begins with the slavery of the Children of Israel, proceeds through their liberation and the triumphant moment at Mount Sinai, recounts the sin of the Golden Calf, and ends with the building of the Mishkan. The period of time which elapses from the Exodus until the end of the Book of Sh'mot is actually quite short, all of these events having occurred in less than one year.

And G-d spoke to Moshe saying: On the first day of the first month [in the

second year] erect the Mishkan, the Tent of Meeting" (40:1-2)

The Book ends as the Mishkan is enveloped by the cloud which would, from that point onward, indicate to the People of Israel the proper time to resume their journey. The Glory of G-d fills the Chamber, and the Mishkan is thereby completed.

Clearly the Mishkan is one of the major topics of the Book of Sh'mot, as is evidenced by the amount of space and detail devoted to the description of its construction. Minutely detailed

instructions were given to Moshe, but implemented by a man named Bezalel. Who was this individual, Moshe's "right hand man" in the project? The Torah states:

"G-d spoke to Moshe saying, 'See I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Yehuda. And I will fill him with the spirit of Elokim; with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge" (31:1-3, see also, 35:30-31, 38:32 )

From this description it does not sound as if Bezalel is endowed with the critical attributes as of yet. The verse says, And I will fill him with the spirit of Elokim, using the future tense. If this is the case, what is the reason for his selection? Furthermore, the phrase "See I have called by name Bezalel" implies that there is something special about his name. Our two main pieces of evidence seem contradictory: On the one hand, he does not yet possess the skills needed to perform the task, and on the other hand there is something about Bezalel which G-d has singled out, something which is indeed a part of his essence.

The Midrashim offer several accounts of the selection of Bezalel

which together form a composite picture. First is a passage in the Talmud:

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe: Do you consider Bezalel suitable? He (Moshe) replied: Master of the Universe, if You find him suitable, surely I must also! Said [G-d] to him: All the same, go and consult them. He went and asked Israel: Do you consider Bezalel suitable? They replied:

If the Holy One, blessed be He, and you consider him suitable, surely we must! (Brachot 55a)

This passage is strange. Why would Bezalel not be acceptable? Why was it necessary for Bezalel to be "accepted" by both Moshe and the nation? There are two factors which may contribute to the implied note of hesitation in the acceptance of Bezalel. The first was his age, and the second was his lineage.

"When Bezalel constructed the Mishkan, how old was he? Thirteen... (Sanhedrin 69b)

Why would a thirteen-year-old be chosen to build the Mishkan and its utensils? Surely there must have been more qualified artisans who could have performed this sacred task. Perhaps this was the reason that G-d "asked permission" to use such a young person for so important a task.

As far as his lineage, the Torah had told us that he was "son of Uri, son of Hur,

from the tribe of Yehuda". Hur is a familiar, albeit somewhat mysterious character.

When the Amalekites waged war against the Jews almost immediately following the Exodus, it was Hur, together with Aharon, who supported the arms of Moshe and assured victory (17:10-12). Later, when Moshe prepared to go up to heaven to receive the Torah, he tells the Elders that Hur and Aharon are in charge during his absence and should be consulted should any question arise. That, however, is the last we hear of Hur. The Midrash questions Hur's disappearance, and reports that when the Jews asked Aharon to construct a Calf of Gold, Hur is nowhere to be seen.

"When the Israelites wished to do that deed, they said to Aharon 'come make for us a lord.' Hur the son of Kalev arose and chastised them. They immediately arose and killed him. (Tanchuma T'zaveh 10:10)

If Hur was murdered as part of the Golden Calf episode, we can understand why employing his grandson to build the Mishkan may have been a sensitive issue. Obviously, Bezalel would serve as a constant reminder of the perfidy perpetrated by the people. On the other hand, having Hur's grandson represent them in this meaningful way may have served as an indication of complete forgiveness for their nefarious deed.

Another Midrash spells out this relationship:

Another interpretation: 'See I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur.' Why was Hur mentioned in this context (building the Mishkan)? When Israel wished to commit idolatry, he (Hur) offered his soul for the sake of G- d, and would not allow them (to sin). They rose against him and killed him. G-d said to him 'By your life I will repay you'" (Shmot Rabbah 48:3)

This Midrash teaches that there is a clear relationship between the death of Hur and the selection of Bezalel.

Other Midrashim note the strange phraseology: See I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Yehuda."I have called" is clearly past tense, and the word "see" is apparently superfluous.

The Midrash explains:

It does not say: I have called by name Bezalel, but SEE, I HAVE CALLED. You find that when Moses ascended on high, G-d showed him all the vessels of the Tabernacle and told him: Thus and thus shalt thou do. And thou shalt make a Menorah; a table; and thou shalt make an altar - and so with all the work of the Tabernacle.

When Moses was about to descend [from heaven], he was under the impression that he was to make them, but G-d called unto him: Moses, I have made you a king; it does not befit a king to do anything [himself], but he gives orders and others do the thing for him. You, likewise, must not do anything yourself, but just command others and let them do it. G-d did not, however, tell Moses whom he should appoint, hence Moses inquired: To whom shall I speak? G-d replied: I will show you.

So what did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brought him the book of Adam and showed him all the generations that would arise from Creation to Resurrection, each generation and its kings, its leaders, and its prophets, saying unto him: 'I have appointed all these [for their destinies] from that time [Creation], and Bezalel, too, I have appointed from that time. This is why it says, See, I have called by name Bezalel. (Shmot Rabbah 40:2)

Another Midrash addresses the problematic tenses of the Biblical verse:

See I have called by name Bezalel' This is the meaning of the verse 'That which was is called by name" (Kohelet 7). The Holy One Blessed be He said, 'He who was prepared from the beginning should make the Mishkan, for I have already called him by name'... While Adam was still a lifeless mass He showed him each and every tzaddik who would descend from him.....He showed him Bezalel, hence the verse "See I have called by name Bezalel" (Shmot Rabbah 40:3)

These Midrashim differ in focus, with the first explaining the word "see" while the second examines the use of the past tense in the naming of Bezalel. Both Midrashim agree that Bezalel was "prepared from the dawn of Creation" - before the murder of Hur. Therefore, we must conclude that there is something special about Bezalel himself, apart from his lineage.

See I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Yehuda.

The verse indicates that the name Bezalel was chosen by G-d, and it seems particularly appropriate for the man who built the Mishkan. The meaning of the name is "in the shadow of the Lord". The Midrash teaches us that on the day that Moshe completed the Mishkan he said the Psalm (91):

He who sits alone most high, shall abide in the shadow of Shadai...(Shavuot 15b, Bamidbar Rabbah 12:3, Shmot Rabah 34:1)

The Mishkan itself may be considered the "shadow of the Lord", for its purpose was to allow the "Shadow of G-d" into this world. It is our belief that a person's name reflects their inner self; in this case, the quality reflected in the name is the very same quality as is possessed by the Mishkan itself. Perhaps this is the reason that he was chosen.

There is another aspect of Bezalel which has eluded us. The Torah records that Bezalel built the Aron - the ark. Rashi explains why Bezalel's name is mentioned specifically in connection with the Ark, while in the case of all the other utensils, the text simply states that they were completed.

"Bezalel made (the Ark); since he displayed more self-sacrifice than the other sages, the Ark was called by his name." (Rashi 37:1)

Rashi's source is a Midrash which recounts a dialogue between Moshe and Bezalel:

You find at the time that G-d told Moshe to make the Mishkan, he (Moshe) came and told Bezalel, he (Bezalel) said, 'What is the purpose of the Mishkan?' He (Moshe) answered, "That G-d may allow His Presence to rest within it, and thereby teach Torah to Israel'. Bezalel said to him, 'Where will the Torah be placed?' He answered, 'After we build the Mishkan we will build the Aron.' He said, "Moshe our master, this is not honor for the Torah, rather first we should make the Aron and then make the Mishkan. Therefore the Aron was called in his name." (Shmot Rabbah 50:2)

Bezalel's wisdom was such that he could question Moshe and ultimately understand the essence of the Mishkan. Indeed, Bezalel was the builder of the entire Mishkan, but the heart and soul of the Mishkan, the Aron, was named for him.

The Aron was built, in the words of the Midrash, to allow G-d's presence to dwell amongst the People of Israel, - in order to teach them Torah. The Ramban, explaining the idea of the Mishkan, writes:

"The secret of the Mishkan is that the glory which rested on Mount Sinai should rest on it secretly" (Ramban 25:2)

To paraphrase the Ramban, the purpose of the Mishkan was that the experience of Mount Sinai accompany the Jews on all of their travels. This seems to be what Bezalel understood: The essential purpose of the Mishkan is to teach Torah to the Jewish People; consequently, the Aron must be built prior to the Mishkan. When the Cloud of Glory, last seen on Mount Sinai, entered into the Mishkan upon it's completion, it was clear that the project was a success. G-d now dwelled among the People, or perhaps we can say that the People now dwelled in the shadow of G-d.

Let us take this one step further: Why Bezalel? We have already seen the answer to this question: because he was the grandson of Hur. Why was Hur chosen? Why was he one of a select group of two, entrusted by Moshe in the latter's absence? Why, out of the whole nation, was Hur holding up the arm of Moshe in the midst of that first battle against the Amalekites?

See I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Yehuda.

The answer lies in the end of the sentence, from the tribe of Yehuda. Yehuda represents kingship, as manifested by David and his dynasty, and Hur functioned in the capacity of future king both in the battle of Amalek and at the Golden Calf. The other leader entrusted by Moshe was Aharon, the future Kohen Gadol. These were the two empowered by Moshe on the first occasion when Moshe had to establish the subsequent tier of leadership. Aharon and Hur are the two who would one day lead, each in a different sphere.

When the People made the Calf, Hur heroically stood against them, but they rejected him and his teachings. In much the same way, his grandson Bezalel was so concerned that the teachings of the Torah receive their proper place. At Mount Sinai, all present had complete clarity that G-d is One. They felt G-d; they experienced G-d. At that moment sin and rebellion seemed foreign, impossible. But a short time later, the impossible became horrific reality. The Calf was built; Hur tried to stop them but instead he was stopped. The man who could have been king was dead. His grandson then set out to build the Mishkan in such a way that the teachings of the Torah would always be felt.

As Rashi stated, Bezalel was prepared for self-sacrifice in building the Ark, just as his grandfather had been, but with one important distinction: His grandfather gave up his life attempting to prevent sin. Bezalel tried to prevent sin preemptively, by making sure that G-d would always be felt, and the Torah constantly taught. Bezalel achieved a clarity of vision, an understanding of his mission and of the power of Torah as the most direct connection of the Jewish People to G-d, which paralleled the clarity achieved at Sinai.

Many years later, a descendent of Hur (see Sotah 11b) named David would be King. He would be endowed with special qualities which would allow him to establish kingship in Israel. His son Shlomo would follow, ascending the throne at the tender age of twelve. When G-d appeared to Shlomo in a dream and encouraged him to make a request , Shlomo responded:

"I am but a little child..... Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil...’ And G-d said to him...’Behold I have given you a wise and understanding heart’ (I Kings 3:7-12)

Shlomo, the young King from the tribe of Yehuda, asks for wisdom and understanding; he asks for the attributes bestowed upon Bezalel. When Shlomo awakes from his dream, he travels to Yerushalayim:

"And Shlomo awoke and behold it was a dream, and he came to Yerushalayim, and stood in front of the Aron of the Covenant of the Lord...(I Kinggs 3:15)

How appropriate that Shlomo asks for wisdom, and comes to pray in front of the Aron, the same Aron that Bezalel was willing to sacrifice himself for, the Aron which represented Torah and understanding of G-d. It is Shlomo who proceeds to build the Temple in its proper place, just as Bezalel built the Mishkan, and both are endowed with the same gifts that allow them to complete their mission.

Many years later, the Prophet Yishayahu has a vision regarding the End of Days:

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Yishai, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, and the spirit of G-d shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the wisdom of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and fear of G-d...The wolf shall dwell with lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.. They shall not hurt nor destroy on my holy mountain. For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of G-d, as the waters cover the sea. (Yishayahu 11:1-9)

The prophet sees a young, gifted child, endowed with a combination of the spiritual traits of all his ancestors - his "roots". This descendent of David will succeed in spreading the wisdom of Torah to all the inhabitants of the planet. This child will complete the work begun all those years ago in the desert, bringing the vision of Hur, Bezalel and Shlomo to fruition. He will bring Sinai to the People, and sin, conflict, and pain will become a memory, a relic from the past. Now we understand why Bezalel's name was written in the book of Adam: a character so crucial in the End of Days must be present in thought from the beginning of time.

Chazak Chazak V’nitchazek!

Mahx Notes:

In Rebbe Nachman's story of the Exchanged Sons, the true king's son is introduced as a child whose identity is concealed essentially from birth. When he is finally revealed as the true king's son, and the true King of Wisdom his story is all based on who he was as a child. This is also Mashiach. The spiritual meaning of a child is that who they will be is not yet seen. The adult who will be is concealed in the form of a child. In this spiritual sense Mashiach as concealed from Israel is concealed as a child and will be revealed as the adult, the True King's Son and the true King of Wisdom.

Introduction

At the time that God told Moses to make the Mishkan, he (Moses) came and told Bezalel, he (Bezalel) said, "What is the purpose of the Mishkan?" He (Moses) answered, "That God may allow His Presence to rest within it, and thereby teach Torah to Israel." Bezalel said to him, "Where will the Torah be placed?" He answered, "After we build the Mishkan we will build the Aron." He said, "Moses, our master, this is not honor for the Torah, rather first we should make the Aron and then make the Mishkan. Therefore the Aron was called in his name." [Shmot Rabbah 50:2]

This descendent of David will succeed in spreading the wisdom of Torah to all the inhabitants of the planet. This child will complete the work begun all those years ago in the desert, bringing the vision of Hur, Bezalel and Solomon to fruition. Are you part of the Book of Redemption?

Monday, 1 May 2017

Between all the difficulties that we are going true on every personal level, do you think about?

בס"ד

Rav Nir Ben Artzi said for the last Patashat:

The Holy One, blessed be He, brought Messiah to the Land of Israel, to redeem the Land of Israel. After the flood the Holy One, blessed be He, promised not to destroy the world. Instead of thinking about World War 3, there is redemption, there is the Messiah, there is the Third Temple and then the resurrection of the dead!

To read more, visit the website of TAIR NERI for Ivrit

Or Absolutetruth613 for English, where rav Menachem Robinson translated the words of rav Nir Ben Artzi.

There is just one rule in the world of Emuna: the nature, teva is not constant for a PRAYER OUT OF THE DEPTHS OF YOUR HEART change it by help of the Creator.

It is good to connect to the merit of our tzadikim, to pray at MACHPELA, KEVER ISH GAMZU, HAARI, and many more. It is good to unite as a family in prayer.

It is good to connect to a living rabbi to be able to bear all these difficulties. Hashem loves us, and by purification of us by pain, we do true Tshuva, to be PREPARED!

We JEWS have

Moshe=CHUMASH! חומש

Aharon=HALACHA! הלכה

Miriam=,תורה שבעל פה , ORAL LAW,ORAL TORAH.

We got it as a MATANA

While being together at SINAI.

We are back again, to rectify what we did wrong but accepting THE TEACHINGS AND MERIT OF MOSHE, AHARON AND MIRIAM ones again.

HATORAH, with all our heart.

התורה

HaTorah is our TEVA, IS OUR MAZAL.

It is the ONLY REALITY WHEN YOU TRULY OPEN YOUR EYES TO RECEIVE THE LIGHT OF THE TORAH IN YOUR HEART.

Open your heart to live.

Trust Hashem.

אורנה ניצבת

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:Tales_of_Rabbi_Nachman/11

[Notes Following the Story]

Translator's note: "Y" indicates notes that appear after the Yiddish text, "H" indicates notes that appear after the Hebrew text, and "YH" indicates notes found in both.

H: (These too are the words of Rabbeinu n"y [nero ya'ir, "let his light shine"]; after he told this story he spoke up and said these words:)

Y: In former generations when they would discuss kabbalah it would be talked about in such language (as this story is). H: For until Rashbi they would not discuss kabbalah openly; only Rashbi disclosed kabbalah openly; and before, when the friends would speak kabbalah they would speak in such language: "When they placed the ark upon the oxen they began singing."^[15] Now understand this.

H: For there are new states of the moon, when the moon receives innovations from the sun, and this is the aspect of when they bring the Ark to Beith Shemesh [lit. "House of the Sun," I Sam. 6], and then all the creatures bearing the Throne make a new melody, the aspect of "Mizmor shiru laShem shir chadash/ A Song: Sing to Hashem a new song," which is the song that the cows of Bashan sang. And this is the aspect of: bed, table, chair and lamp; they are the restoration of the Shekhinah. And the aspect of the garden: for Adam haRishon was driven out of the Garden, and Shabbath guarded over him, as is brought [in the books of kabbalah]. And Shabbath is the aspect of "the king unto whom peace belongs," the aspect of the aforementioned man, who is the king during whose days there was peace; and therefore he stationed himself by Shabbath. And the rest he did not explain.

H: (He spoke up and said after telling this story, in these words:) YH: This story is a big wonder, and it's entirely one: the herds etc., the throne etc. and the garden; it's all one. At times it (the aspect hinted to in the story) is called by this name, at times by this name; H: all according to the inyan/ interest and the aspect.

H: And the things are very, very deep, wondrous and awesome. (These too are the words of Rabbeinu n"y.) And there is more, but there is no need to reveal everything. There is also that the king that was in that land did something corresponding to the sun and something corresponding to the moon (that is, that these things alluded to the sun and the moon), and the moon was holding a lamp in its hand, and when the day arrives then the lamp does not shine, for "shraga betihara/ a lamp at midday"^[16] etc. [is superfluous]. And this is that the night said to the day, "Why is it that when you arrive I have no name?" (as expressed above), for in the day a lamp does not avail whatsoever.

YH: The explanation of the story is like the throne which the king made, as mentioned, as the main wisdom is that one needs to know how to order the things; therefore whoever is adept in the books and his heart is whole can understand the explanation; however, the things have to be ordered well, for sometimes it is called this and sometimes it is called that, and likewise with the rest of the things, that is, with the explanation of the story, sometimes the man of the above story is called by this name, and sometimes by a different name, and similarly with the rest of the things. Fortunate is he who will be privileged to understand these things to their truth. Y: All this he himself a"h said after the story. H: Barukh Hashem le`olam, amen ve'amen/ Blessed be Hashem forever, Amen and Amen. (These are entirely Rabbeinu haKadosh's words, a"h ztz"l.)

Mahx Note:

The key message of this story is that the original king altered things in such a way that only the true king could "solve the puzzle". In order for this revelation of the true king to come about it was fitting that the identity of the true king also be veiled. There is a correspondence to the theme of the essay above on this page concerning the building of the Mishkan. "The secret of the Mishkan is that the glory which rested on Mount Sinai should rest on it secretly" (Ramban 25:2) [see essay above]. Redemption would have brought about the revelation of God directly, had Israel not sinned with the golden calf and then failed to enter directly into the land, fulfilling the covenant that God made with Abraham. When this did not occur, God rearranged everything and gave it a different name, so to speak.

Rebbe Nachman says to look at 1 Samuel 6 and the placing of the ark upon the cows of Bashan, so that they sang a (good) new(s) song to understand the box the concealed true king was given in the story and the wood of the throne. The rose piece of the throne had to be put into place, and then also all other elements had to be adjusted just so. So we can see that this represents the Mashiach making right the covenant of the Torah according to the promise of the covenant God made with Abraham.