Musar su Esodo 31:3

Rabbi Abba son of Kahane in Vayikra Rabbah 11,2 quotes Proverbs 9,1-3: "Wisdom has built her house, when she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered the meat, mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her maids, she cries out." He explains these verses as referring to the Tabernacle. He understands the words חכמות בנתה ביתה, "wisdom built her house," as a reference to Betzalel, concerning whom the Torah (Exodus 31,3) says: ואמלא אותו רוח אלוקים בחכמה בתבונה, "I have filled him with the spirit of G–d, with wisdom, etc." Rabbi Abba understands the words חצבה עמודיה שבעה, "she has hewn her seven pillars," as referring to the seven days of מלואים, consecration, during which Moses performed the service and Aaron and his sons prepared themselves for their holy task. The words טבחה טבחה, are understood as referring to the animals which served as the sacrifices, the words מסכה יינה refer to the drink-offerings; the words: אף ערכה שלחנה, refer to the לחם הפנים, the show breads. The words: שלחה נערותיה תקרא are a reference to Moses. The first verse in our פרשה reports that Moses called on Aaron, etc. Thus far the words of Rabbi Abba.

Berachot 10 asks whom David had in mind when he repeated the words ברכי נפשי five times in Psalm 103. The answer given is that David addressed himself to the relationship between G–d and the soul. The Talmud lists five aspects in which the soul is like G–d. Just as G–d fills the universe, so the soul fills the body. Just as G–d sees without being seen, so the soul sees without being seen. Just as G–d sustains the whole universe, so the soul sustains the whole body. Just as G–d is pure, so the soul is pure. Just as G–d resides within an inner sanctum, so the soul resides within the most hidden area of the body. David said that the soul, because it possesses these five features, is suitable to bless the Lord who excels in these five areas. The soul judges the body because of the five aspects in which it is similar to G–d. The author cites proof how the five attributes of G–d possessed by the soul affect man.

The construction of the Tabernacle may be compared to the construction of the universe itself of which it is written: ה' בחכמה יסד ארץ, כונן שמים בתבונה, בדעתו תהומות נבקעו, "The Lord founded the earth with wisdom; He established the heavens with understanding. By His knowledge the depths were broken up" (Proverbs 3,19-20). We find a parallel statement when the Torah describes the appointment of Betzalel as the architect in charge of building the Tabernacle. Exodus 31,3 tells us that G–d endowed Betzalel with "a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft; to make designs for work in gold, silver, and copper, to cut stones, etc." Our sages in Berachot 55 say that Betzalel knew how to combine the letters of the Torah, the method by which the universe had been created by G–d. It follows that the Tabernacle was in effect the creation of a microcosm, a duplication of מעשה בראשית. [except that this creation did not start ex nihilo. Ed.] We expect to come back to this in detail when explaining the פרשיות of ויקהל and פקודי.

The author brings a few more examples of the principle just mentioned. Among them he mentions that the use of the word חכמה in the plural, i.e. חכמות in Proverbs 9,1 alludes to the need to employ our physical as well as our mental faculties when building the "house," i.e. when Betzalel built the Tabernacle.