The Shell Or The Fruit?

Three contractors were visiting a tourist attraction on the same day. One was from New York, another from Texas, and the third from Florida.  

At the end of the tour, the guard asked them what they did for a living. When they all replied that they were contractors, the guard said, "Hey, we need one of the rear fences redone. Why don't you guys take a look at it and give me a bid?" So, off they went to check it out.  

First to step up was the Florida contractor. He took out his tape measure and pencil, did some measuring, and said, "Well, I figure the job will run about $900. $400 for materials, $400 for my crew, and $100 profit for me."  

Next was the Texas contractor. He also took out his tape measure and pencil, did some quick figuring,g and said, "Looks like I can do this job for $700. $300 for materials, $300 for my crew, and $100 profit for me."  

Without so much as moving, the New York contractor said, "$2,700."  

The guard, incredulous, looked at him and said, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?"  

"Easy," he said. "$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you, and we hire the guy from Texas."  

It is fascinating to observe how a single apparent “error” in a biblical verse teaches us a timeless lesson about a major theme in life.  

The Torah states in the  opening of the portion of Pekudei:  

"And Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that G- d commanded Moses."  

There is something subtly amiss in this verse. Betzalel was not communicating with G-d directly. Rather, he was getting his instructions from Moses, who was communicating with G-d. Why, then, does the verse state that Betzalel “made all that G-d commanded Moses," and not state in a more straightforward way that Betzalel did all that Moses commanded him in the name of G-d?  

The Rabbis saw in this subtle aberration an intimation to a daring Midrashic tradition that there was something Bezalel did when he built the Sanctuary which Moses did not command him to do, though G-d did command it to Moses. That is why the Torah attributes Bezalel’s work to G-d’s instructions, not to Moses’ directives “Betzalel made all that G-d commanded to Moses" even that which he did Moses did not instruct him. since there was something, he did which G-d said to Moses, but Moses never told him to do it.  

What was it?  Rashi, quoting the Talmud, presents the following account:  Moses commanded Betzalel to first make the furnishings for the Sanctuary [the ark, the table, the candelabra, the altars, etc.] and only afterwards to construct the external structure of the Sanctuary (the beams, roof, etc.). Betzalel responded, “It is the custom of the world to first make a house and then to put furniture into it.” Moses acquiesced “. This is what I heard from the mouth of G-d,” Moses admitted. You were in the shadow of G-d [the name Bezal-El read consists of two words which mean “in the shadow of G-d”], for that is what G-d commanded me.” And so, Betzalel did: He first made the structure, and afterwards he made the furnishings.  

There are numerous difficulties with this incident. Why did Moses change the order that G-d instructed him? Did he simply forget? Why did he forget only this detail? Did he distort the order intentionally? Why? How can we trust him if he was distorting words he heard from G-d?  

Furthermore, why was Moses so impressed by Betzalel’s response to the extent of considering him to be in G-d’s shadow? It is blatantly obvious that without the outer structure of a home you can't put your furniture there. No sane person sets up the refrigerator, the couch, and the paintings on an empty lot before they put up the walls and the roof. Yet Moses was deeply moved by Betzalel’s words and saw them as a mirror of Divine inspiration!  

Every project in life must include two components—the inner vision and the outer structure- allowing the vision to be facilitated and implemented. Your manuscript may contain the most creative and brilliant ideas, but if you lack the business structure to get it out there—the production, distribution, and promotion machines—your work will gather dust in the basement of your home.    

Which of the two comes first? The structure or the vision? The shell or the fruit? Moses said that what must take precedence and prominence is the interior furniture—the sacred items inside the Sanctuary, where the Divine presence would dwell (like the ark), and the vessels through which we perform the Divine service in the Sanctuary (the altars, the candelabra, etc.) After you complete the art, you can create an appropriate frame for it.  

Betzalel argued that this was not “the custom of the world.” In an idealistic and perfect world, the frame must indeed follow the art; the energy must precede the container; the vision comes before the implementation. But we live in a world where we can’t always capture the essence if we first do not build the form.  

They are both right, it merely depends on which stage we are talking about. Moses was the visionary behind the Sanctuary, its architect; Betzalel was the implementer of the vision, the contractor. From the perspective of vision, even Betzalel would agree that the light must precede the container; from the vantage point of action, the container comes before the light.  

Let me give a practical example.  

When a young woman and man are dating for marriage, they discuss the interior components of a relationship—the meaning of love, the focus of marriage, the importance of commitment, the power of intimacy, the beauty of family, and the principles of education.  

But when they get married and begin playing house, the great philosophical ideas about love give way to the practical burdens of day-to-day existence. In the world of actualization and implementation, the first and primary focus goes into the outer structure of marriage: paying a mortgage, tending to the house, cooking, cleaning, securing health insurance, fixing the leaks.  

And then we start having children... Now, you can then take all of your theories and throw them out the window. Life is about changing diapers, cleaning the mess, taking the baby to the doctor, and doing the laundry. If you can get to bed sane, you are doing quite well. We become busy with maintaining the structure of family life. Only afterward can we get to the inner core of it all.  

Now we will understand the story of Moses and Betzalel. When Moses, the visionary, speaks to Betzalel, he tells him to work first on the interior and then on the exterior. This is not a mistake or a distortion. There is a distinction between strategy and implementation, between thought and action. When we plan a project, the interior must always precede the exterior; the fruit must precede the shell; the art comes before the frame. If not, you may end up with an infrastructure devoid of a mission, with a husk devoid of the fruit.  

Furthermore, Moses believed that with the creation of the first home of G-d, the external reality would yield to the internal reality. Even in the arena of actualization, the outer structure will grow out of the inner vision and light. But Betzalel argued that this was “not the custom of the world.” In the world of vision and planning, indeed, the form must be shaped by the substance. But in the world of implementation, the outer structure assumes priority. Moses concurred with Betzalel. “You have been in the shadow of G-d,” he tells him. What is a shadow? An area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object— a person, a wall, etc. When light is blocked, a shadow is created. Moses lived in a world of light. We live in a world of shadows, where the light is often blocked.  We are forced to begin with the containers for the light, and through them, we ultimately access the inner light. If you do not want to bother with the shell, you will never get to the fruit.  

This is true of every meaningful project you are involved in, from running a family to founding a school, an organization, a charity, or a website. Sweet, powerful dreams suddenly turn into daily hassles of administration and all that comes with it. You ask yourself: I am trying to build a house for G-d, so why the headaches and politics of infrastructure? The Torah teaches us: do not get discouraged. Already during the construction of the first house of G-d, this issue came up immediately. Even Moses finally understood that in our world, we must begin with the outer to reach the inner; we begin with the shadow to access the light; we work through the husk to obtain the fruit.  

I want to give an example from my own life.  

When my wife and I were dreaming of our move to Great Neck, NY, with the blessing of the Rebbe, we conversed for hours about our grand visions to partner with the community and create a difference in people’s lives. We dreamed, analyzed, dissected, and brainstormed. We developed our vision, our mission statement, our objectives—to help every single Jew in our city experience the full majesty, beauty and depth of Judaism; to be here for every single Jew for all of their material and spiritual needs; to give every child the opportunity for a rich and beautiful education, permeated with the timeless values of Torah; to build bridges of respect and love for all segments of the community, the affiliated and the unaffiliated; to share with the our brothers and sisters the joy of Judaism instead of its long standing famous OY.  

Then we moved. The dreams needed to take on the shape of concrete reality. And suddenly, I found myself CONSUMED 18 hours a day in administration, infrastructure, and technicalities—finding a place, raising funds, and managing the operations.  

Believe me, sometimes it was frustrating. There were times I discovered myself as a plumber, an electrician, an engineer, a chef, a designer, a party planner, a soloist, or a good old shleper. I sometimes asked myself, Why me? And then I remembered how in the original house of G-d, too, Betzalel taught us that the containers draw down the light. And if you are not ready to deal with the structure, you are divorcing yourself from the opportunity of accessing the Divine light within a world of shadows.  

So here we are today B”H a beautiful Chabad Center for Jewish Life at 400 East Shore Rd, Great Neck, The Silverstein Hebrew Academy day school, Early childhood, Elementary School and Middle School at 117 Cuttermill Rd, Great Neck, serving hundreds of children every year and raising the leaders of the next generation.  The JCC sports center and Jewish Life at 143 Steamboat Rd, Great Neck, serve thousands of children and adults every month. There are so much more that Chabad brings to the community in addition to daily minyanim, daily Torah classes, the Hebrew Schools, The largest Summer Camp on Long Island Camp Gan Israel, The Friendship Circle for children with special needs and much more that you all are our partners and extended family with our community working to make this world a better place. May we celebrate together for many years to come. 

Thank you for your partnership!  

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yoseph Geisinsky