8. It is written here, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle" (Shemot 38:21), and elsewhere, "These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth." THIS INDICATES THAT THE ACTIONS ARE THE SAME IN BOTH CASES, for all the generations produced by the heaven and earth were formed and came out by the power of the stored light, and also the accounts of the Tabernacle came out by that power OF THE STORED LIGHT. From where do we know that? From the verse, "And Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah" (Shemot 38:22), of the right side, WHICH IS ABRAHAM, THE STORED LIGHT AS SAID, and with him Aholiav, of the left side, and the Tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT, was founded by Right and Left. And Moses, who was between them, THE SECRET OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, founded it.

36. "And Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah..." (Shemot 38:22). Rabbi Yehuda said: We have already learned that Betzalel was of the right side, FROM CHESED, and arranged everything. Moreover, Judah was the king and ruler over the rest of the tribes. Therefore, he who accomplished the whole work of the Tabernacle issued from him. It was explained that BetzalEl means 'IN THE SHADOW' (HEB. BETZEL) OF EL. Who dwells in the shadow of El? The right side, AS CHESED IS CALLED 'EL'. From this side did he construct everything and he inherited the Wisdom to accomplish all the work.

47. "And Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur..." (Shemot 38:22): we learned by this verse that the Holy Spirit proclaimed concerning this verse before the eyes of Yisrael, and said, "Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah, did all that Hashem commanded Moses. And with him Aholiav, son of Achisamach." HE ASKS: What is the meaning of "And with him"? AND HE REPLIES: We learned that Aholiav did not do the work alone but with Betzalel he did what he did. This is the meaning of "with him" and not on his own. FOR BETZALEL IS RIGHT AND AHOLIAV IS LEFT. From here we learn that the left is always included in the right. Therefore it is written, "I have given with him Aholiav" (Shemot 31:6). The one is right and the other left. AND LEFT IS INCLUDED IN THE RIGHT.

53. Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Yitzchak were walking along the way. Rabbi Yosi said: Assuredly the Holy One, blessed be He wanted Betzalel to do the work of the Tabernacle more than the rest of Yisrael. HE ASKS: Why? He told him: It was because of his name, FOR HE WAS CALLED 'BETZALEL', BETZEL (ENG. 'IN THE SHADOW OF') EL, AND EL IS THE NAME OF CHESED. It was already explained that the Holy One, blessed be He placed names (Heb. shemot) on earth to be adorned by them and to do there the work of this world, as it is written, "who has made desolations (Heb. shamot) in the earth" (Tehilim 46:9), MEANING THAT IT IS INCUMBENT BY HASHEM UPON MEN TO CALL BY NAME ON EARTH.

55. HE EXPLAINS WHAT HE SAID: Judah started from the left side, FOR HE IS OF MALCHUT WHICH IS BUILT BY THE LEFT SIDE. And he joined the right, so the Tabernacle was ALSO constructed on that side, starting on the left side and joining the right side, BECAUSE THE TABERNACLE IS ALSO MALCHUT, and therefore Betzalel, who comes from Judah, built the Tabernacle and was established thereby. FOR HE IS CONSIDERED IN THE SAME WAY AS THE TABERNACLE. And it was already expounded that the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted him and preferred him above all Yisrael for the building OF THIS TABERNACLE.

56. And he gave him Chochmah and Tevunah, and Da'at as was explained, because he already possessed intelligence of heart, as it is written, "And in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom" (Shemot 31:6), MEANING THAT HE WAS GIVEN WISDOM FOR BEING ALREADY WISE-HEARTED. For the Holy One, blessed be He gives wisdom only to him who already has wisdom. The friends explained it and we learned. In the same manner Betzalel, WHO WAS WISE, THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE GAVE HIM WISDOM. Rabbi Shimon said: Betzalel, his name caused this to him, and was called by that name for his wisdom. And the secret of the word 'Betzalel' is "in the shadow of El."

57. He opened the discussion and said: "Like the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons... I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste" (Shir Hashirim 2:3). "Under his shadow (Heb. tzel)" refers to Betzalel, who prepared the Tabernacle and constructed it, as it is written, "I sat down...with delight." For it is delightful to sit in the Tabernacle, and it delights the Congregation of Yisrael. And the Congregation of Yisrael sits under the shadow of El. This is the meaning of Betzalel.

59. "In his shadow" refers to Betzalel. Therefore the Tabernacle was constructed by Betzalel. That is why IT IS WRITTEN, "Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur" (Shemot 38:22). "The son of Uri" is of the light of the sun coming out. "The son of Uri" is the right: "The son of Chur" is of the left. Therefore, it was by him that the Judgment of the Holy One, blessed be He was completed during the golden calf. FOR HE WAS KILLED BY THE MIXED MULTITUDES.

69. "And Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah" (Shemot 38:22) of the aspect of Malchut, "made all that Hashem commanded Moses" (Ibid.). For all the craftsmanship of the Tabernacle was prepared through them, by their hands. Betzalel performed the work and Moses after him made all ready. Moses and Betzalel were as one, Moses above, IN TIFERET, and Betzalel below, IN YESOD, the end of the body being also a part thereof, FOR YESOD AND TIFERET ARE ONE. Betzalel and Aholiav, it has been established, that the one is of the right, CHESED, and the other is of the left, JUDGMENT, and all is one, FOR ONE INCLUDES THE OTHER. That is why it is written, "and Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah...and with him was Aholiav, son of Achisamach, of the tribe of Dan..."

83. Come and see: Moses ordered and Betzalel executed, so that all may be in the secret of the body: THE SECRET OF MOSES, WHO IS TIFERET, and the final part of the body, the holy covenant, WHICH IS BETZALEL, so as to increase the love and bond of the unison in the Tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT. All was done in the secret of the right, and therefore, wherever the right side is present, the evil eye has no sway. That is why IT IS WRITTEN, "and the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation" (Shemot 38:25), FOR IT WAS NUMBERED AND COUNTED, IN THE SECRET OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH, AND IT WAS NOT WRITTEN, 'WAVE SILVER,' because this silver comes of the right side, CHESED, and therefore everything was numbered. THIS IS THE MYSTERY OF COMPRISING THE LEFT COLUMN, AND THE REASON IT IS POURED FROM ABOVE DOWNWARD.

87. Come and see: The evil eye has no power over the seed of Joseph, since it comes of the right side. Therefore the Tabernacle was constructed by Betzalel, who dwelt in the mystery of Joseph, being the secret of the Holy Covenant, NAMELY, HE WAS OF YESOD, AND YESOD IS CALLED 'JOSEPH'. Therefore Moses orders and Betzalel executes, so all may be in the secret of the body: MOSES, NAMELY TIFERET, and the final part of the body; BETZALEL, WHO IS YESOD, the sign of the Holy Covenant, so as to increase love and the bond of union in the Tabernacle, MALCHUT. And all was done according to the secret of the right, and that is why IT IS WRITTEN, "And the silver...numbered of the congregation," because that reckoning is the reckoning of the great grades in charge, NAMELY THE FIRST THREE SFIROT, combined on the right side. Therefore it is written, "a hundred talents..." (Ibid.) TO INDICATE THE TEN SFIROT, EACH INCLUDING TEN, TOGETHER WITH THE FIRST THREE.

130. For that reason, all the hooks made by Betzalel, WERE MADE to let them dwell upon the female, WHICH IS MALCHUT. They are issued by the secret of thousand, which is a complete reckoning, NAMELY, CHOCHMAH CALLED 'RECKONING'. The seven hundred are a whole secret, NAMELY, THE SEVEN SFIROT CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF BINAH WHOSE SFIROT ARE NUMBERED BY HUNDREDS. Five is also a whole secret, NAMELY CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH AND HOD OF MALCHUT, WHOSE SFIROT ARE COUNTED BY SINGLE UNITS. Seventy ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHOSE SFIROT ARE COUNTED BY TENS. And all pertain to one mystery. From that secret and that counting he made the hooks, and all are according to the secret of the Vav, MEANING FROM THE ASPECT OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, with the shape of Vav, and they were all formed according to the high mystery and counting.

273. So Betzalel carried out all the work of the Tabernacle using the secret of the engraved letters, with which heaven and earth were created, NAMELY, THE NAME 42. He was therefore called 'Betzalel', since he knew the engraving of these letters, with which heaven and earth were created. Unless he knew them, he could not have done the work in the Tabernacle. The sense thereof is that as the upper Tabernacle was built, and all its actions done, only by the secret of these letters, OF THE NAME 42, so here in the Tabernacle below, nothing was built save by the secrets of these letters.

274. Betzalel was combining the letters, OF THE NAME 42, and did the various works with different combinations thereof. He used each combination to do one task, and all that pertains to it. And so with all the works in the Tabernacle, together with its parts and amendments, he used combinations of the letters of the Holy Name 42.

275. When he started to erect THE TABERNACLE, he could not set it up. Why? Because the will AND MEDITATION regarding coming from these letters OF THE NAME 42 was given to no one but Moses, who knew the wish concerning these letters, and therefore, the Tabernacle was erected by him, as it is written, "and Moses erected...and put...and set" (Shemot 40:18-19). But Betzalel did not know, and therefore could not build it.

298. THE TABERNACLE BELOW was built in the same manner. Betzalel and Aholiav worked, one on the right side, CHASSADIM, and the other on the left side, CHOCHMAH. Betzalel was of the right and Aholiav of the left, this one of the tribe of Judah, THE RIGHT SIDE OF MALCHUT, and that one of the tribe of Dan, OF THE LEFT. THEY CORRESPOND TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES OF ZEIR ANPIN. After them, "every wise hearted man" (Ibid. 1), "and all the wise men, that carried out," CORRESPONDING TO THE OTHER SIDES OF ZEIR ANPIN. And we explained that all IN THE TABERNACLE BELOW was like THE TABERNACLE above.

399. Come and see: Though He showed him eye to eye, Moses did not want to do them. And if you say that he did not know how to do or did not have the skill, come and see: Betzalel, Aholiav and all the others, though they did not see THE SHAPES as Moses did, it is written, "and Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it..." (Shemot 39:43). If those who did not see THE SHAPES, nevertheless did it, Moses, who saw ALL THE SHAPES ON THE MOUNTAIN, how more so WAS HE ABLE TO MAKE THEM. HE ANSWERS: Moses, though he retired from the construction of the Tabernacle, everything was under his supervision, and under him ALL WAS DONE. It was named after him, and therefore it is written, "and see that you make" (Shemot 25:40).

400. Another explanation: Moses withdrew FROM THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE, and gave his place to another, BECAUSE HE WANTED OTHERS TO HAVE THE MERIT. So the Holy One, blessed be He told him, "See, I have called by name Betzalel...with him Aholiav" (Shemot 31:2). And it is written, "And Betzalel and Aholiav, and every wisehearted man" (Ibid. 36:1). And if that honor was reserved for Moses, that he will make THE TABERNACLE, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "AND SEE THAT YOU MAKE," it will be forever his. WHY THEN DID THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE ORDER, "AND BETZALEL AND AHOLIAV...DID"? BECAUSE FROM THIS WE UNDERSTAND AND MOSES HIMSELF WITHDREW FROM THE WORK TO GIVE MERIT TO OTHERS.