BackTo Listen and Learn
By: Rabbi Dr. Abraham Unger
In this week’s parsha we spend time getting to know the essence of a central yet oft neglected figure in the earliest days of Jewish history. Betzalel, the artisan who was tasked with building the Mishkan, the traveling Tabernacle in the desert, is described as a human being who provides a model of ideal behavior. Not all of us may be destined to become like Moses, but we can become like Betzalel, who dedicated his life to service.
The Torah reports Betzalel was “endowed…with a Divine spirit.” Wisdom and knowledge were part and parcel of that spirit. Rashi comments that Betzalel was open to learning from others, while also able to deduce his own original conclusions from what he learned.
This is what we call “critical thinking” in education. Listen to others, consider their ideas, and then develop an original perspective to contribute to the conversation. That, after all, is the goal of Talmud Torah, study of our sacred texts. It is why in yeshiva students study in pairs. They learn from the dialogue inspired by a classic text.
Imagine a world of civil discourse, where all are welcome to their points of view, and where each position takes reasonable account of the other. This was the humble nature of Betzalel the artisan. He was the Israelite selected to build the first holy structure in Jewish history. His character is a model of conduct sorely needed in our world at this moment.