Prayer Book
Blessing for the Study of Torah
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּ֒שָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסֹק בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה:
Baruch ata adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu la'asok b'divrei Torah.
Blessed are You, Adonai, Source of Enlightenment, Who sanctified us with mitzvot and commanded us to engage with words of Torah.
Outline of the Torah Portion
Exodus 27:20-30:10
- Oil for Light (27:20-21)
- Priestly Vestments (28:1-43)
- Consecration (29:1-46)
- Incense Altar (30:1-10)
Summary
T'tzaveh proceeds directly from the previous parashah's instructions for building the mishkan by providing detailed instructions for priestly vestments, consecration, as well as instructions for lamp oil and altar incense.
The Spirit of Wisdom
What knowledge is truly Divine?
(א) וְאַתָּ֡ה הַקְרֵ֣ב אֵלֶ֩יךָ֩ אֶת־אַהֲרֹ֨ן אָחִ֜יךָ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֣יו אִתּ֗וֹ מִתּ֛וֹךְ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְכַהֲנוֹ־לִ֑י אַהֲרֹ֕ן נָדָ֧ב וַאֲבִיה֛וּא אֶלְעָזָ֥ר וְאִיתָמָ֖ר בְּנֵ֥י אַהֲרֹֽן׃ (ב) וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ בִגְדֵי־קֹ֖דֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִ֑יךָ לְכָב֖וֹד וּלְתִפְאָֽרֶת׃ (ג) וְאַתָּ֗ה תְּדַבֵּר֙ אֶל־כׇּל־חַכְמֵי־לֵ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִלֵּאתִ֖יו ר֣וּחַ חׇכְמָ֑ה וְעָשׂ֞וּ אֶת־בִּגְדֵ֧י אַהֲרֹ֛ן לְקַדְּשׁ֖וֹ לְכַהֲנוֹ־לִֽי׃
(1) You shall bring forward your brother Aaron, with his sons, from among the Israelites, to serve Me as priests: Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron. (2) Make sacral vestments for your brother Aaron, for dignity and adornment. (3) Next you shall instruct all who are skillful, whom I have endowed with the gift of skill to make Aaron’s vestments, for consecrating him to serve Me as priest.
אֶל־כׇּל־חַכְמֵי־לֵ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִלֵּאתִ֖יו ר֣וּחַ חׇכְמָ֑ה
...all who are skillful, whom I have endowed with the gift of skill...
More literally, "...all who are wise of heart, that I have filled with the wind/spirit of wisdom..."
אֶל־כׇּל־חַכְמֵי־לֵ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִלֵּאתִ֖יו ר֣וּחַ חׇכְמָ֑ה
Gersonides
...all who are skillful, whom I have endowed with the gift of skill...
We learn from this that any wisdom a man or woman may have flows into them from God, the Holy One of Blessing, and this is the truth.
(ג) וָאֲמַלֵּ֥א אֹת֖וֹ ר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֑ים בְּחׇכְמָ֛ה וּבִתְבוּנָ֥ה וּבְדַ֖עַת וּבְכׇל־מְלָאכָֽה׃
(3) I have endowed him [Bezalel, the overseer of the Tabernacle construction] with a divine spirit of wisdom, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft...
חכמה. מַה שֶּׁאָדָם שׁוֹמֵעַ מֵאֲחֵרִים וְלָמֵד:
חכמה WISDOM is what a person hears from others and learns (makes his own).
תבונה. מֵבִין דָּבָר מִלִּבּוֹ מִתּוֹךְ דְּבָרִים שֶׁלָּמַד:
תבונה UNDERSTANDING is understanding a matter by one’s own intelligence deducing it from the things one has already learned.
דעת. רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ:
דעת means holy inspiration.
ונחה עליו רוח ה'. ופירושו מה היא רוח ה'. והיא רוח חכמה ובינה. החכמה היא הצורות האצורות באחרונית מוח הראש. ומלת תבונה. גם בינה מגזרת בין. והיא הצורה העומדת בין צורת הדעת ובין צורת החכמה כנגד הנקב האמצעי במוח הראש. כי החכמה כנגד הנקב האחרון. והדעת המתחברת בנקבי המוח על המצח מההרגשות ובל' ישמעאל קורין הדעת אלתכ"ייל. והתבונה אל"פכרה והחכמה אל"חכמה. והנה בצלאל היה מלא כל חכמה בחשבון ומדות וערכים. ומלאכת שמים. וחכמת התולדות. וסוד הנשמה. והיה לו יתרון על כל אנשי דורו שהיה יודע כל מלאכה כי רבים חכמי לב לא ידעו אפי' מלאכה אחת על כן כתוב ובכל מלאכה בוי"ו:
AND I HAVE FILLED HIM WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD, IN WISDOM, AND IN UNDERSTANDING. Scripture states, And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (Is. 11:2). It then goes on to explain that the spirit of the Lord is The spirit of wisdom and understanding (Ibid.). Wisdom (chokhmah) refers to the type of intelligence that is stored in the back of the brain.
The word tevunah (understanding) and also the word binah (reason) are related to the word ben (between). They refer to the intellectual faculty that lies in the middle cavity of the brain between knowledge and wisdom. For wisdom is situated in the posterior cavity of the brain, and knowledge, which is gathered by the senses, is located in the cavities of the brain that are adjacent to the forehead. Knowledge is called al takyil in Arabic. Understanding is called al fakrah and wisdom al hakhmah.
Now Bezalel was endowed with every wisdom. He mastered the science of mathematics, geometry, proportions, astronomy, biology, and the secret of the human soul. He also towered over the people of his generation in that he knew all manner of workmanship. Many intelligent people do not possess even one practical skill. Hence Scripture prefixes a vav to the word kol (and) and reads, u-vekhol melakhah (and in all manner of workmanship).
וּבְדַ֖עַת וּבְכׇל־מְלָאכָֽה
Abarbanel
Knowledge of every craft...
Ordinarily, one who reaches the highest level of intellect is lacking in practical knowledge. For instance, one finds that scholars who isolate themselves in study are often fools in political matters. So it was quite miraculous that Bezalel had both intellectual and practical wisdom.
Martin Buber, I and You, 1923.
The life of a human being does not exist merely in the sphere of goal directed verbs. It does not consist merely of activities that have something for their object.
I perceive something. I feel something. I imagine something. I want something. I sense something. I think something. The life of a human being does not consist merely of all this. This is the basis of the realm of It. But the realm of You has another basis.
Whover says You does not have something as its object. For whenever there is something, there is another something. Every It borders on other Its. But where You is said there is no something. You has no borders. Whoever says You does not have something; he has nothing. But he stands in relation.
Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, 1955
Modern man fell into the trap of believing that everything can be explained, that reality is a simple affair which has only to be organized in order to be mastered…. As civilization advances, the sense of wonder declines. Such a decline is an alarming symptom of our state of mind. Mankind will not perish for want of information; but only for want of appreciation. The beginning of our happiness lies in our understanding that life without wonder is not worth living…
Questions for Study
1. Why do you think our Biblical ancestors associated craftsmanship with Divine spirit or wisdom? What other knowledge resided within the realm of Divine spirit?
2. How do the medieval sages develop this association? Do you agree or disagree with their conclusions?
3. How do modern theologians treat the association? What may we draw from their conclusions? Do you agree or disagree?
יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא. בְּעָלְמָא דִּי בְרָא כִרְעוּתֵהּ וְיַמְלִיךְ מַלְכוּתֵהּ בְּחַיֵּיכוֹן וּבְיוֹמֵיכוֹן וּבְחַיֵּי דְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא:
יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח וְיִתְפָּאַר וְיִתְרוֹמַם וְיִתְנַשֵּׂא וְיִתְהַדָּר וְיִתְעַלֶּה וְיִתְהַלָּל שְׁמֵהּ דְּקֻדְשָׁא. בְּרִיךְ הוּא. לְעֵלָּא מִן כָּל בִּרְכָתָא וְשִׁירָתָא תֻּשְׁבְּחָתָא וְנֶחֱמָתָא דַּאֲמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל רַבָּנָן. וְעַל תַּלְמִידֵיהוֹן וְעַל כָּל תַּלְמִידֵי תַלְמִידֵיהוֹן. וְעַל כָּל מַאן דְּעָסְקִין בְּאוֹרַיְתָא. דִּי בְאַתְרָא קַדִּישָׁא הָדֵין וְדִי בְכָל אֲתַר וַאֲתַר. יְהֵא לְהוֹן וּלְכוֹן שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא חִנָּא וְחִסְדָּא וְרַחֲמִין וְחַיִּין אֲרִיכִין וּמְזוֹנֵי רְוִיחֵי וּפֻרְקָנָא מִן קֳדָם אֲבוּהוֹן דְּבִשְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְעָא וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
יְהֵא שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא מִן שְׁמַיָּא וְחַיִּים עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
Yitgadal v'yitkadash sh'meih raba. B'al'ma di v'ra chiruteih, v'yamlich malchuteih b'chayeichon uv'yomeichon uv'chayei d'chol beit yisra-eil, ba-agala uvizman kariv, v'imru amein.
Y'hei sh'meih raba m'varach l'alam ul'al'mei al'maya.
Yitbarach v'yishtabach v'yitpa-ar v'yitromam v'yitnasei v'yithadar v'yitaleh v'yithalal sh'meih d'kudsha b'rich hu, l'eila min kol birchata v'shirata tushb'chata v'nechemata, da-amiran b'al'ma, v'imru amein.
Al yisra-eil v'al rabanan, v'al talmideihon v'al kol talmidei talmideihon, v'al kol man d'as'kin b'orayta, di v'atra hadein v'di v'chol atar va-atar. Y'hei l'hon ul'chon sh'lama raba, china v'chisda v'rachamin, v'chayin arichin, um'zonei r'vichei, ufurkana, min kodam avuhon di vishmaya, v'ara, v'imru amein.
Y'hei sh'lama raba min sh'maya, v'chayim tovim aleinu v'al kol yisra-eil, v'imru amein.
Oseh shalom Oseh shalom bimromav, hu b'rachamav ya-aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol yisra-eil, v'imru amein.