The Torah portions we've been reading this season are/were from the Book of Exodus (Sh'mot) wherein the Israelites wander in the desert for 40 years after having been freed from slavery.
Last week, in Parashat Vayakhel,
we read about two extraordinary types of people. One is a man named
Betzalel who is gifted by God with divine (and seemingly innate)
artistic talents. The other is a group of skilled laborers, who have
presumably spent a long time training to become artisans (being trained
by mentors, teachers, and putting in long hours of practice in their
chosen fields of expertise) . We are told that it takes BOTH kinds of
people to build the holiest site, the place of worship, the mishkan
(Temple). To build a place of real holiness, a place where a whole
community can worship together, we need people with all kinds of
strengths and types of talent. Some people work long hours to become
skilled practitioners of their craft. Others seem to glide into their
talents with ease and divinely inspired gifts.
The
truth is, in some way, each of us embodies both kinds of talent/hard
work in some area of our lives. Some of us have innate skills in the
classroom. Others have innate skills on a basketball court. Some of us
are born artistic. Others work and practice endless hours to study for
each exam.
From
this section of the Torah, it is possible to learn that it takes the
collaboration and cooperation of all people in order to build a holy
space. In order to do the work to create a communal place of worship,
we must appreciate each other's differences and learn to rely on one
another.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Julie