22/23 Vayakhel-Pekudei: Day 2 (Monday) | The Craftsmanship of Betzalel and the Light of the Rebbe
Today's reading is Exodus 35:30 to 37:16.
This is the link to Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad.
The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled "The Dynamics of Relationship."
Today is 20 Adar 5786 AM. On 9 March 2026 at 6:27 AM EST, Jonathan writes:
Good morning, Jewish community. This morning, before I dig into the daily Torah reading with Chabad, the Rebbe, Bible Hub and Gemini, I need to make a confession and consider a course correction.
The confession has four parts:
- First and foremost, a word about Post-Missionary Messianic Judaism. I have been studying at the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute for a while now, but this doesn't mean I think it is my role on this blog or in my daily life to convert Jews to Christianity. If salvation is not completely universal, I think most Jews and indeed most people on Earth are basically righteous people who are saved by a combination of God's grace and their own merit. In my view, Christianity is a safety net for a specific "called out" flock of repentant sinners, not a belief system that everyone on Earth has to follow to be saved (Luke 5:32).
- Yes, I have bipolar schizoaffective disorder, and I take medication for it, and go to therapy for it, and yes, there has been a problem in the past with both religious paranoia and religious grandiosity. But I do think there is objective evidence I have stabilized considerably since I hit decompensation rock bottom in 2019, and now, since my 54th birthday on 25 January 2026, I've become uncharacteristically regular at keeping a 6 to 8 AM block of daily Torah study that I call my "Watch of the Yeshiva." Maybe this is a minor healing miracle on the part of Hashem?
- This "Watch of the Yeshiva" is part of a multiyear progression in Jewish studies, that much I can see, and now it is focused in part on the daily Torah readings, Chabad, and the obvious spiritual luminosity of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. I feel at liberty here in the state of New York to respond to the Torah portions and the writings of the Rebbe in an honest "Emmaus Debate" fashion. Nothing that I write is intended to disrespect Chabad or the memory of the Rebbe in any way.
- At the same time, I am not intending to send a message to the rest of the Jewish community, or to the Gentile world, that I think Chabad is the "true" Judaism. There are many branches of Judaism, and secular Jewish perspectives are also valuable. I admire and have much to learn from the complexities of Jewish unity in diversity.
As far as a course correction is concerned, I will do my best moving forward to aim my "Watch of the Yeshiva" writing at the Jewish community as a whole. The challenge will be remembering that this is my orientation. I have a tendency to fall into alternative orientations. Yesterday, for example, I addressed myself "To Gentile celibate cyber-monastics keeping the Five Cords on the Emmaus Road of daily Torah study." When I first started out, I addressed myself to administrators, faculty, students and rabbis affiliated with the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute. Today, I am thinking I need to address myself to Jews in general. Maybe tomorrow or later in the week, I will think I need to address the Jewish community specifically in Albany, New York. Please have patience with me as I sort out this latest phase of my mystical and political awakening in Jewish studies.
Yesterday morning, I heard cardinals chirping outside my window. Today, I hear geese flying overhead. Joyful signs of the approaching spring.
Now a few words about today's Torah reading. Here I will turn it over to Gemini:
In today's reading of Vayakhel and Pekudei, we encounter the archetype of the divine artisan, Betzalel. His legacy reminds us that true craftsmanship is never merely a matter of technical proficiency; it is a sacred synthesis where the material and the transcendent meet. To work with a wise heart is to infuse our daily labor with spiritual intentionality, turning physical objects into vessels for the Divine.
As we engage with this text, it is both understandable and common for the modern reader to experience a bit of spiritual friction as the mind drifts toward current headlines involving the politician Betzalel Smotrich. Rather than viewing this as a failure of focus, we can see it as an opportunity for birur (refining thoughts). By acknowledging these associations, we can consciously redirect our energy from the divisiveness of the sidebar back toward the biblical Betzalel’s mission: the building of a space where the community can experience a shared sense of the holy.
A beautiful application of this "technical and transcendent" synthesis is unfolding today right here in New York. News from Brighton (in the Rochester area) highlights a major community effort to save two iconic, decades-old kosher businesses—Malek’s Bakery and Lipman’s Kosher Market—by moving them into a new, combined "Jewish Food Hub."
The Technical: The project involves modernizing "old-school" facilities and serial-numbered ovens from the 1950s that are struggling to keep up with modern demand and logistics.
The Transcendent: As the owners and local rabbis have noted, these aren't just shops; they are the "community rhythms." The "craft" of the baker braiding challah is the physical anchor for the spiritual experience of the New York Shabbat.
Just as Betzalel had to balance the rigid specifications of the Tabernacle with a "wise heart," this project represents the "crafting" of a sustainable future for Jewish life in the state. It shows that preserving tradition often requires the technical skill to innovate without losing the transcendent spirit that makes the work holy in the first place.
Question: "This is a little bit of a tangent, but how do vegan bakeries in Tel Aviv handle challah bread - do they make a vegan challah?"
That is a fantastic tangent because Tel Aviv is often called the vegan capital of the world, and the way they handle challah is a perfect example of the technical and transcendent synthesis we’ve been discussing.
You’ll be happy to know that vegan challah is not just an alternative in Tel Aviv; in many places, it is the gold standard.
The "Water Challah" Tradition: Many bakeries in Israel already produce Challah Mayim (Water Challah). This is a traditional, naturally vegan version that uses no eggs or honey. In Sephardic and some Hasidic traditions, this is often preferred to ensure the bread stays in the Hamotzi (bread) category rather than Mezonot (cake-like) bread, which has different blessing requirements.
The "Yellow" Secret: To get that iconic golden-yellow "egg" look without the eggs, Tel Aviv bakers often use a pinch of turmeric or butternut squash purée. It provides the color and a subtle earthiness without making the bread taste like curry.
The Glaze: Instead of an egg wash, they use silan (date syrup), maple syrup, or aquafaba (the liquid from chickpeas) to get that perfect, shiny "Betzalel-esque" finish.
Where to find it: Famous spots like Goodness (known for their "Schnitzel in Challah") and Anastasia have mastered the art of the vegan loaf. They treat the lack of eggs not as a "missing ingredient," but as a technical challenge to be solved with "wise-hearted" innovation.
This actually circles back to the story I mentioned earlier regarding the Jewish Food Hub in Brighton, NY. As they modernize the legendary Malek’s Bakery, they are having to navigate these exact technical challenges—how to keep the transcendent soul of a 1950s bakery alive while using modern, efficient (and often more inclusive/vegan-friendly) methods. It’s a literal "Tabernacle" project for the local community.
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