Parsha Ki Tisa כִּי תִשָּׂא

Mishkan/Tabernacle

Hashem designates Betzalel as the master craftsman for the construction of the Mishkan/Tabernacle and all its utensils.  The Torah identifies Betzalel by his lineage; Betzalel is Chur’s grandson.

According to the Midrash the people killed Chur during the debacle of the Golden Calf. Perhaps Hashem calling for Betzalel by name was to choose somebody, not just for his wisdom, but for the fact that his grandfather was an important part of the story.

Betzalel becomes the agent for the people to gain atonement, not just for the sin of the Golden Calf but also for killing his grandfather. The people had to agree to have Betzalel do this work. Even though he was quite young (according to the Midrash Betzalel was 13!) it was really necessary for them to agree. In general, the people had to agree to all of its leaders, even if the leader was chosen by Hashem.

The Golden Calf
When the Jewish people were about to exit Egypt, the angels complained to Hashem, bringing up the people’s past while in Egypt. They had been seriously immersed in idolatry, which was the standard culture of Egypt. That immersion for a couple of centuries played a very important role in the makeup of the Jewish people. When Hashem brought the Ten Plagues it was not only to liberate the Jews but also to destroy the Egyptian deities. This was a public display of Hashem’s power and his ability to destroy other gods and demonstrate to all that these other gods and idols are false. B’nei Yisrael would require a vast education and not just a year of miraculous divine events. When Moshe left and ascended Mount Sinai the people lapsed into what they were used to back in Egypt. Even after the Revelation at Sinai, with the Torah at their doorstep, the people had already articulated Na’aseh V’nishma – we will do and we will listen (accept), this was not lasting and strong enough to totally eradicate and uproot centuries of idolatry. This is what the Golden Calf made us realize.

How many Jewish people really served the Golden Calf? Judging from the count of the dead, approximately 3,000, yet all the people were going to suffer for this. Hashem was going to punish them all. It seems unfair that few people committed such a crime and everybody would suffer. The rest of the people were not able to step it up. They were not able to stop the ringleaders from creating the Golden Calf. Midrashically, as mentioned earlier, they killed Chur, Moshe’s nephew. Most of the people stood aside; there was no involvement and no objection. In fact, when Moshe called for support and action, only the tribesmen of Levi came forward. That meant that most of the people at that time were not ready to step up and act on behalf of Hashem for the glory of Hashem. The Golden Calf is a prime example of the sin of a few that can bring great harm to the many.