PARASHAT KI TISA

Friday 14 February 2014                                                                                             Adar 1  14 5744

Parashat Ki Tisa – when you take                                               by Shelley Wood Gauld

Ex 30:11 – 34:35, 1 Kings 18:1-39, Ez 36:16 – 38, 2 Cor 3:1 – 18

“Adonai said to Moshe, ‘I have singled out B’tzal’el the son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe if Y’hudah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God – with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry. He is a master of design in gold, silver and bronze, cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft.’ ” (Ex 31: 1-5)

In Genesis we read that man was created in the image of God -- and one of the most obvious attributes of our God is His superlative CREATIVITY. The creation of the universe, planet Earth in particular, is so exquisite, complex, varied and functional that it can take a scientist a lifetime to come to some understanding of one miniscule facet of it. We, despite our ‘falleness’, have been given a measure of HaShem’s creative genius. This is to be gratefully acknowledged and celebrated.

In Ki Tisa we read about a temple tax to be paid in the form of a silver half-shekel. These would be melted down and cast to form silver sockets that would support the pillars of the Mishkan. These coins would have borne an image on each of their surfaces, requiring the expertise of an artist, and would originally have been cast in a mould, requiring the skill of experienced craftsmen. Relatively sophisticated techniques would have been employed.

Instructions were then given for the Kiyyor Nechochet (bronze basin) to be made; for the washing of the hands and feet of the priests before and during their avodah (duties). Again this would have involved a casting process with molten metals. HaShem also gave instructions concerning the creation of the anointing oil (Shemen Hamishcha) -- which was to be used in the consecration of all that was to be ‘kadosh’ (set apart) in the Mishkan, including the kohanim (priests). Instructions for the making of the incense (ketoret) followed. The unique ‘recipes’ for the Mishkan oil and incense were to be reserved for these purposes alone. All of the above very specific, detailed and creative…  

Next we meet ‘Betzalel’ and the first thing we notice is that he was ‘called by name’;a name that means ‘In the shadow of God’. He was filled with the ‘Ruach Elohim’ (Spirit of God); with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry. Here is the epitome of the artist or master craftman, one with an added measure of  the ‘creativity’ of His Creator; a visionary with something of the divine insight and energy needed for superb creativity; and one with a mastery of the appropriate materials, tools and techniques for the formation of functional objects of great beauty. Moses was astounded by the perfection of Betzalel’s work, for it was a precise rendering of what Moses had been shown by God on the mountain. The ‘pattern’ of the Heavenly Mishkan was revealed to Moses. He had seen it. Betzalel and his assistant ‘Aholi’av’ (meaning Father’s Tent) had not seen the pattern and yet were able make it a physical reality…

We are told that Betzal’el was a young man – the rabbis go so far as to say that he was only 13 years old when he started building the Mishkan… Be that as it may, we know that our journeys with HaShem are characterised by periods of preparation and Israel’s sojourn in Mitzrayim (Egypt) was very recent history. The Egyptians were the architects and builders of the pyramids and rock-cut tombs, the sculptors of the colossi and sphinxes. They were fresco painters, engravers, workers in gold, silver, bronze, and gemstones; weavers and embroiderers, manufacturers of papyrus paper… Surely Israel came out of Egypt not only with great possessions, but with a myriad of sophisticated skills that would be used in the construction of the Mishkan? Surely HaShem, in His great wisdom, orchestrated that too?

Betzalel is considered by many to be a ‘type’ of Messiah. Like Yeshua, he had both a priestly and royal lineage. His grandparents were Moses’ sister, Miryam (of the tribe of Levi), and Hur (of the tribe of Judah). It was Hur who held up one of the arms of Moses during the battle against Amalek. (Ex 17:8-13) Betzalel was an artisan who dwelt in the shadow of God. He was filled with God’s Spirit and had the necessary vision, authority and expertise to complete the enormous task. And Betzalel followed instructions, ‘to the letter.’

Yeshua is both a priest (after the order of Mekhi-tzedek) and a king (of the line of David). He too was a craftsman (carpenter) who was filled with the Spirit. On the night of Yeshua’s birth, the ‘Shekhinah’ returned to Israel – and when Yeshua was immersed by Yokhanan (John) in the Yarden (Jordan), the Spirit came down upon Him ‘like a dove.’ (Matt 3:16)

Throughout His ministry, Yeshua was filled with authority, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and power. He had a clear vision of what He had been sent to achieve and knew in advance what His fate would be. He too was ‘called by name’ (“You will call Him Yeshua [Salvation], because He will save His people from their sins.”) and, like Betzalel, did not shrink from the enormity of the task at hand. Yeshua also dwelt ‘in the shadow of God’ and did only what His Father instructed Him to do. The Scriptures make it clear, though, that Yeshua far surpassed humankind. He was with His Father from the very beginning and “All things came to be through him [Yeshua], and without him nothing made had being” (Jn 1:3)

For believers in Messiah the ‘creative Spirit’ must not be a cause for self-aggrandisement, but be used for the edification of the body. Its reality should serve as a humbling reminder that we are, indeed, all made in the image of God.