(no subject)

This past week's Torah portion dealt with the commandment to build a tabernacle to God in the wilderness. I struggled, as I do every year, with a particular Midrash on the parsha.

God commands Moses that the Menorah will be constructed, in its particular shape, from a single piece of beaten gold. There are many beautiful explanations of why this is, why the Menorah in particular, a symbol of the luminescence of the Jewish people, must be formed of a single piece. But in addition to being singular in its symbolism, it's a really hard thing to make.

The Midrash, which Rashi brings down, says that Moses was unable to visualize the Menorah as described by God, so God demonstrated it to him in what I imagine to be a sort of holographic display of fire. And then when it was demonstrated, Moses couldn't imagine how it was made, so God formed it in the fire and provided it to Moses.

And my question every year on this Midrash is the same: Why is this Midrash about Moses, rather than Bezalel? Surely it was Bezalel's responsibility to create the menorah, not Moses?

I came up with an answer in my fic "In the Shadows"- Moses feels a responsibility to be part of the construction process since it is his responsibility to inaugurate the Mishkan. He is struggling because the menorah in particular is the symbol of the unified Jewish nation that he leads, and he wants that to be his contribution to the Mishkan, but he cannot figure out how to actually execute it. And God eventually says to Moses, because of your desire to contribute, because you have struggled with good intentions and a failure to execute, I will make it for you, so that you will be able to contribute. Your leadership is nothing without my support, but with my support it can accomplish the impossible.

cahn didn't directly tackle the question in her Moses und Aron fic, but I think she indirectly confronts it in one of my favorite little details from the fic: Bezalel crafting from the manna. cahn's Bezalel is a compulsive creator. He is a person who will always be making beautiful things no matter what the circumstances and what the equipment he has. It would make no sense for this version of Bezalel to be the protagonist of the Midrash because he couldn't not know how to make the menorah, and therefore it has to be a Midrash about Moses, because this lesson was important to deliver to the nation.


Neither answer fully satisfies, though. I've written plenty here about why Bezalel matters to me, about how he signifies the space that exists in Judaism for engineering, art, design, and science. The fact that this Midrash erases him from the story and turns the Menorah from an act of inspired craftmanship into a gift from God frustrates me.

(no subject)

A multifandom ficlet/art exchange focusing on female or Jewish characters,
and also some evil viziers.
Sign ups end on the night of Feb 10th.
Rules, FAQs, and sign ups here!


purimgifts, my favorite fanwork exchange of the year, just opened signups for this year. It's a small commitment of three short stories and three graphics. You should consider signing up! Yes, I mean you!