Pekudei - 60 second video sermon
We're often told that the Mishkan (portable desert temple) was built exactly to God's instructions, with the repeating words "kaasher tzvivah Hashem". No human creativity involved. But dig a little deeper and we see that Betzalel, the master craftsman had a kind of insight that bypassed Moshe on occasion and intuited God's intent directly.
For this, Moshe recognises that Betzalel's name, in a play on words, reflects him being "B'tzel El" - directly "in God's shadow".
Artists have a knack of cutting through what society tells us, bypassing authority figures and getting straight to a kind of higher truth.
And "Betzalel", for this reason, is the name of Israel's leading art school.
We need more of this in this world, so I hope that I can make more time for my own inner artist in the future.
And with this, we complete the book of Shemot.
Chazak chazak v'nitchazek!
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