For all things artistic and architectural, Moshe appoints, at Hashem's command, Betzalel as the craftsman-in-chief for the design and construction of the Mishkan. The Torah describes that Hashem has imbued this master builder with wisdom, insight and knowledge that inform his artistic talents. With these attributes, Betzalel emulates HaShem, Who created the world using the same triad of wisdom, insight and knowledge. How does each of these different types of intelligence play a role in the creative process that Betzalel embodies? Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook discusses the unique nature of each intelligence. Wisdom, he explains, refers to the fundamental understanding of structure and balance. In Hashem's world that wisdom includes the balance and order of the natural world; in his craft, Betzalel displays wisdom in composition and color, shape and structure. The Hebrew word for insight, binah, relates etymologically to the word boneh or builder. This insight refers to one's ability to envision the evolution of a structure, the process as it leads to completion. Insight, in this sense, is about vision, possibility, and wonder. Finally, Rav Kook posits, that knowledge focuses on detail. G-d's knowledge informs every detail, the seeming minutiae of creation. Attention to detail is essential to every creative process.

At Akiba we strive to cultivate these three sacred approaches to creativity in our students. We want our students to look at the world through a creative lens that allows them to see the structure, wonder and detailing creation; we also work to teach them how to apply the same attributes of wisdom, insight, and detail to every challenge and to discover reactive solutions to the academic questions and conundrums that they explore.

Shabbat Shalom!