1995/5755

    In this week's Parsha, the Torah states "And Betzalel...did all that Hashem commanded Moshe (שמות ל"ח;כ"ב)."  Commenting on this Posuk, Rashi states that Betzalel realized on his own that the proper order was to make the Mishkan itself first, and then to make the vessels, unlike the order that Moshe had originally presented in Parshas Terumah, which was to first make the vessels and then the actual Mishkan.  After all, when building a house, one needs to build the house first and then acquire the furniture with which to furnish the house.  Although Moshe at first told Betzalel what to do in the reverse order, he agreed that Betzalel was correct in changing the order. Betzalel was thus able to act not only based on what Moshe had relayed in the name of Hashem, but based on what he himself understood was what Hashem really wanted. This is why he was named Betzalel (בצלאל), which represents the words "בצל ק-ל," meaning "in the shadow of Hashem," because Moshe attested to the fact that Betzalel must have been in Hashem's shadow when He gave him the instructions about the Mishkan.
    Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz commented that we may learn from here the importance of the concept of having things done in their proper and most practical order.  One should always put one's greatest and most immediate priorities ahead of other, less important priorities.  One must realize that to do everything is impossible, for there are only 24 hours in a day!  Once one is aware of this fact, one can then place the most important things first, and get maximum efficiency out of one's time and effort. Too many people try to accomplish too much, and thus act in a disorganized fashion, and end up accomplishing very little. If people would learn to prioritize, and set up for themselves a precise and orderly way to act, much more would be accomplished, and everyone would benefit.