Parshas Vayakhel
Bezalel’s Ability To Share The Stage Made Him a Leader
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 585, The Melacha of Trapping. Good Shabbos!
The Talmud states: “There are three things that the Almighty Himself proclaims: Famine (ra’av), Abundance (sovah), and a good leader (parnas tov).” [Berachos 55a]. The Gemara cites pasukim [verses] to prove each of these points. The pasuk [verse] cited to prove that the Almighty Himself proclaims a good leader is the pasuk from Parshas Vayakhel: “See, Hashem has proclaimed by name, Bezalel son of Uri son of Chur, of the tribe of Yehudah.” [Shemos 35:30].
Bezalel was the general contractor, so to speak, behind the construction of the Mishkan. He perhaps had artistic ability. He was a good organizer. He was talented. But it is strange that the Gemara refers to him as a ‘parnas tov’. Where do we see leadership qualities in Bezalel? He succeeded in getting the job done under budget and on time — he was a good general contractor. But in what sense does that make him a good leader (parnas tov)?
The Yalkut Shimoni on this week’s parsha contains the following teaching: During the building of the Mishkan, two tribes had a partnership — the tribe of Yehudah (as represented by Bezalel) and the tribe of Dan (as represented by Oholiav ben Achisamach) had a partnership.
Why did they need two tribes for the project? In truth, G-d did not need anyone to build the Mishkan, but it certainly would have been sufficient to provide just one tribe. Bezalel could have done the job alone. With his G-d given talents, he did not need a partner. Nonetheless, the Medrash emphasizes that the Mishkan had to be built by two tribes.
Rav Chaim Zaytchik, zt”l, writes that this Medrash allows us to better understand the previously cited Gemara that labeled Bezalel as a ‘parnas tov.’ There are many people who are interested in getting involved in communal work as long as they will have the spotlight by themselves. They are in it so that when the job gets done, they will be able to say: “Look, what I’ve done!” But if you ask them to be a co-chairman, to share the job and responsibilities, and as such, to share the limelight and glory, they say — “under those circumstances, I am not interested.”
The Almighty is looking for people who work lishma [altruistically]. He wants people who are interested in efforts for the Sake of Heaven, not for the sake of an ego trip. The true test of a person’s motive is whether he will tolerate a partner. Therefore, the first test that the Ribono shel Olam gave Bezalel — to see whether he was the man for the job — was to assign him a co-chairman. “I want you to work with someone, with someone who is not even from the prestigious tribe of Yehudah, but from the “lowly” Tribe of Dan. In accepting this partner, Bezalel showed us how to be a leader (parnas tov).
This write-up was adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tape series on the weekly Torah portion. The complete list of halachic topics covered in this series for Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei are provided below:
Tape # 047 – Pikuach Nefesh: To Save a Life
Tape # 090 – The Melacha of Carrying.
Tape # 138 – The Melacha of Tying Knots
Tape # 185 – The Melacha of Writing
Tape # 231 – Making A Siyum
Tape # 275 – Electricity in Halacha
Tape # 321 – Leap Year and the Second Adar
Tape # 365 – The Melacha of Tearing
Tape # 409 – The Melacha of Melabain (Laundering)
Tape # 453 – Wearing a Watch on Shabbos
Tape # 497 – The Tefillah of B’rich Sh’mei
Tape # 541 – Learning Kabbalah
Tape # 585 – The Melacha of Trapping
Tape # 629 – Sitting in Judgement on Shabos
Tape # 672 – The Mishebeirach in Halacha
Tape # 673 – Putting a Sefer Torah in the Aron
Tape # 717 – One Hundred Brochos a Day
Tape # 761 – Killing Two Birds With One Stone
Tape # 805 – Baruch Sh’omar Ashrei, and Yishtabach
Tpae # 849 – Saying L’shem Yichud – A Good Idea?
Tapes or a complete catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute, PO Box 511, Owings Mills MD 21117-0511. Call (410) 358-0416 or e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.yadyechiel.org/ for further information.
Text Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Yissocher Frand and Torah.org.
Transcribed by David Twersky; Seattle, Washington.
Technical Assistance by Dovid Hoffman; Yerushalayim.