Building the mishkan

KikarHashabat has an article about a suit purchased in Israel which was found to have shatnez.
Click here to read in Hebrew.


"There were two main contractors working on the mishkan together," says Rav Shimon Schwab. "The first was the Betzalel. He was a child prodigy,who Moshe admitted defeat to, and acknowledged the he was privy to special secrets of the Heavenly Court. He also came from the finest lineage in Klal Yisrael being from the Shevet of Yehuda, the grandson of Chur, who was a leader of Bnei Yisrael, who died Al Kiddush Hashem at the hands of the mob by Chait HaEigel, and the great grandson of Kalev ben Yefuneh.

His second in command was Oholiav ben Achisamach, a total unknown. The Torah never mentions any great details about him or his family. In fact, he came from Shevet Dan, from the Pechusim of the Shevatim. Apparently," says Rav Schwab," he was a simple Yid, a Yarei Shamayim, and was a straight and thoughtful person.

Hashem made this odd team to teach us that while the Bais HaMikdash is made by a great man with a fine Yichus, it is also made by a simple Jew who is a Tzaddik in Hashem's eyes. The reason is that we must understand that Hashra'as HaShechina is for every single Jew to be together with Hashem." http://revach.net/article.php?id=4985


I found it interesting that the HuffingtonPost has an article titled 'Masters of Fire' Copper Age Exhibit From Israel Debuts At Institute For The Study Of The Ancient World At NYU during the same week that this week's parsha discusses the construction of the mishkan and the various objects of gold, silver and copper that were made for use with the altar.