Kevin Bemel ·
Parents Aren’t Your Potential
Parsha [Passage of Scripture] Nugget [Precious Idea] Yayakhel/Pekudei – Exodus 35:1-40:38
Recently my wife Hannah told me a story about a young boy she met when she was a student nurse. While attending to his injuries, he related to her the hopelessness of his life. Because his father never had a job he thought he could not get one! I cannot think of anything as sad as a child whose parents extinguished his aspirations. Parshas Vayakhel/Pekudei explains this has always been wrong:
“See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur of the tribe of Judah . . . And He put into his heart to teach, him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.” (Shemos/Exodus 35:30 and 34).
This Sabbath is a double parsha to keep on track with the annual cycle. Vayakhel reviews the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). It also relates perhaps the only time in Jewish history that a building campaign was so over subscribed people actually had to be told to stop giving! Pekudei details Moses’s accounting of the donations collected to construct the Mishkan and all of its utensils and the first time he set it up.
Ever thought about how the Bible deals with names? Most of the time it calls someone by his or her name and perhaps that of a parent. Under this system I would be Kevin son of Gerald or Akiva ben Yosef.
When the Almighty wants to honor people He calls them by multiple names. Certainly the primary builders of the Mishkan and its utensils deserve such praise. G-d designates Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur of the tribe of Judah and Oholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan to lead the effort.
Naming their tribal affiliations is not accidental. Not withstanding Ben Hur, their names are unlikely to be confused with other people. G-d must have another purpose.
Bezalel is from the tribe of Judah, a child of Jacob’s first wife, Leah. The kings of Israel descend from Judah. Oholiab, on the other hand, is a descendent of one of the handmaids and from one of the most ignoble tribes, Dan. Despite their differences in birth they are equals in the holy work of building the Mishkan.
The Creator’s point is clear:
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What counts is your own character and moral standing. The child of privilege and the child of poverty stand equal before G-d, likewise the wise and the unlearned. The Almighty judges each according to his merits.
As an Intentionalist, hopefully this lesson resonates with you. You, not destiny, control your aspirations and the quality of your life. This applies to others too. No matter who someone is today, he can become someone else in the future. And you can show him the way. Too many children believe that because their parents were not successful they cannot be. G-d knows otherwise. And He wants you to remind them, whether of privileged or humble birth, their future is theirs to mold.
How have your parents’ lives impacted your own?
