By Rabbi Joshua (forgivingly known as “the Hoffer”) Hoffman z"l
The Torah relates, that after the people brought their donations for the building of the Mishkan, Moshe told them that God had called by name, Betzalel ben Uri ben Chur, and filled him with wisdom and the ability to teach, together with Ahaliav ben Achisamach, all the necessary arts needed for building the Mishkan (Shemos 35:30-34). Rabbi Avrohom Korman, in his HaParsha Ule-Doroseha, points out that in regard to most of the Mishkan and its utensils we are not told specifically who did the construction, other than for the aron that housed the luchos (the tablets of the Torah) for which we are told who built it, namely Betzalel. Why was it necessary for Betzalel to be the one to construct this utensil? Rabbi Korman cites the Meshech Chochma, who notes that, unlike the other utensils of the Mishkan and Beis HaMikdash; the aron was only made once and lasted forever, being hidden by King Yoshiyahu under the Beis HaMikdash before its destruction, where it remained. Rabbi Korman adds that the aron had the unique quality, that, as the Talmud says, it did not take up space, meaning that it miraculously was contained in the Kodesh HaKodashim even though there was not enough room there for its dimensions. Moreover, the aron, with its inner and outer layers of gold, weighed several tons, and was too heavy to be lifted in a natural way by those assigned that duty. Rather, as the Rabbis told us, the aron carried those who carried it. Only Betzalel, with the special wisdom given to him by God, was able to build a utensil that was so unique. I believe that, by taking note of another observation regarding Betzalel made by Rabbi Korman, we can find additional reasons for him to be the one to build the aron.
Betzalel’s ancestry, as we have seen, is traced by the Torah back to his grandfather, Chur, while the ancestry of his helper, Ahaliav, is traced back only to his father, Achisamach. Why is this additional generation mentioned in regard to Betzalel? Rabbi Korman explains that Chur, as Rashi notes in parshas Ki Tisa, was killed in trying to prevent the people from worshipping the eigel. The worship of idolatry, says the Talmud, constitutes a denial of the entire Torah, and this is why Moshe, as Rashi explains, broke the luchos when he saw the people worshipping it. Since Betzalel’s grandfather, Chur, demonstrated so much self-sacrifice in attempting to preserve the Torah, rising above usual human conduct, it was fitting that his grandson be the one to build the aron with those unique supernatural qualities, symbolizing the self-sacrifice that Torah scholars need to transmit the Torah throughout the generations.
There is another point of significance in Betzalel’s descent from Chur that impacts upon his building of the aron. Rav Henoch Leibowitz, in his Chidushei HaLev, cites the commentary Da’as Zeakinim Ba’alei HaTosafos, that says that Betzalel was put in charge of the building of the Mishkan because it atoned for the sin of the eigel, and Chur, his grandfather, gave up his life to prevent that tragedy from happening. Rav Leibowitz points out, that, actually one would expect the opposite of this command in response to Chur’s martyrdom. Chur’s grandson, we would think, naturally had a grudge against the people for killing his grandfather and would not want to help them achieve atonement for the actions that led to his death. What we see here says Rav Leibowitz, is that it is possible for a person to overcome and control his natural feelings and forgive others for their offenses against him. We may add that this is the symbolism evoked by the two keruvim sitting on top of the aron. According to one opinion in the Talmud they were in the form of images of a male and a female. The Mishkan, in general, according to Rav Avraham Ibn Ezra and others, represents a typical home, with a table for eating, a menorah for light and other basic household utensils. The spirit of the Mishkan, with the Divine presence hovering over it, was thus meant to serve as a model for the Jewish home, and this depends largely on the relationship between the two spouses therein. A major factor in the success of such a relationship is the ability to forgive each other, and this was symbolized by the two keruvim which would face each other when B’nei Yisroel were following God’s will, as expressed in the Torah which lay in the aron below. When both spouses are dedicated to preserving the Torah and are willing to forgive each other in striving for that goal, they are able to bring the Divine presence into their home. Betzalel, the grandson of Chur, was therefore the proper person for constructing the aron, that carried that message.
