parsha bit: Vayakheil-Pekudei

[cellio]

Rabbi Sh'muel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: Betzalel was so called on account of his wisdom. At the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, "Go and tell Betzalel to make me a tabernacle, an ark and vessels", Moshe went and reversed the order, saying, "Make an ark and vessels and a tabernacle". Betzalel said to Moshe: "As a rule a man first builds a house and then brings vessels into it, but you say, make me an ark and vessels and a tabernacle. Where shall I put the vessels that I am to make? Can it be that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to you, make a tabernacle, an ark and vessels?" Moshe replied, "Perhaps you were in the shadow of God [1] and knew!" (B'rachot 55a)

[1] B'tzal Eil.

Comments

[siderea]

GRAAAAAHHHH!!!!! This happens to me ALL THE TIME!!!! The Powers That Be say "Do X". The intermediary @#$$!#@s up the message, and says, "Do Y". I say, "Uh, doing Y doesn't make a lot of sense, and, in any event, usually the way people would put that request is this other way. Perhaps they said to do X." And people go, "OoooOOOOOooooo! You're so smart." And I'm thinking, "No, I have at least as much common sense as is possessed by the average grape fruit."

[cellio]

Yeah, that happens to me too. Note that in this case it says "wisdom", not "smarts". Wisdom is at least in part about actually using the tools most of us were given, like reason. No special knowledge is required, but it's hard to convince the less-wise of that.