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‘U’Betzalel Ben Uri Ben Chur Lemateh Yehudah Asah Eit Kol Asher Tzivah Hashem Et Moshe,” “Now Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, had made all that had commanded Moshe” (Shemot 38:22).
Our Chachamim teach that Betzalel knew the depths and secrets of the Torah. He knew how Hashem arranged the letters of the Aleph Bet to create the world. He was able to figure out how to make the Mishkan on his own, so why did he have to specifically follow the command of Hashem?
If you read through Parashat Pekudei you will find a repetitive pattern in the following line: “They did…as Hashem commanded them to do.” Why is there a need to repeat those words after almost every paragraph?
The answer, in seven words, it that: Hashem is the One Who Knows measurements.
What is the primary difference between the various creations on earth? The fundamental elements are all the same, as there is only a limited number of elements on earth. It is the amount of each element and their unique arrangement that makes all the difference. Some creatures are cold-blooded while some are warm. Some are naturally dry and some are moist. We humans don’t know the measurements that Hashem used and how he arranged them. Had we known that we’d be able to create our own creatures from scratch!
The Kuzari explains that other religions may have good intentions. They all want to achieve closeness to their God. Various religions may utilize isolation, fasting, self-mutilation, pure faith, and many other means to attain nearness to their Creator. However, the one and only way to get close to Hashem is through the steps and actions that He instructed us to do in His Torah. Only Hashem knows measurements - how much to do, how to do it, where, and when. It’s after we take all of His assigned measurements and bring them together that we achieve closeness to Hashem. That is exactly the manner that the Mishkan functioned and accomplished its mission. Although Betzalel was in tune with Hashem’s will, he would only act on the spoken word of Hashem. He understood that following the precise word of Hashem is the one and only way to guarantee that Hashem’s Presence would rest on the Mishkan.
Hashem taught us through the Torah how to be a balanced nation. He taught us how to react to every single circumstance we are presented with in life. He taught us measurements. The word loosely translated as desirable character traits in Hebrew is Middot. The literal English translation for Middot is measurements. Someone with good Middot is someone whose actions and reactions are calculated and calibrated with the Torah’s values. The measurements that were set by Hashem alone. May we be Zoche to follow Hashem’s instructions.