Whats in a Name?

 מה בשם?

Shmot 31.2

שמות 31.2

2. ‘See, I have called by name (to perform my work-Rashi)., Betzalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the Tribe of Judah- רְאֵה קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה(2061=1+8 or + 10 words=2071=10=1).

The verse can be divided so:

·         See I have called by name- רְאֵה  קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם (1259=17=8);

·         Betzalel son of Uri son of Hur- בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר (1988=26=8 counting final Nuns as 700);

·         From the Tribe of Judah- לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה (114+2 words=8).

Rashi comments here that Betzalel was called to perform Hashem’s work.

The verse starts off with the word “SEE”- רְאֵה.

The gematria of the word “see”- רְאֵה (Re’eh) is 206=8 .

Why did Hashem tell Moses to “see”- רְאֵה a "name"?! What can one see in a Name? The answer is that Hashem showed Moses how the name “Betzalel”- בְּצַלְאֵל in all of its permutations was a reflection of Hashem’s Name and how Betzalel had the capability to build the Sanctuary according to the Wisdom of Hashem in the Code of 1 and 8.

Thus we learn that the actual name “Betzalel” was significant; Because of his name“Betzalel”- בְּצַלְאֵל he was called by Hashem to perform His work. Betzalel was named by Hashem. This is learnt from the gematria of the entire verse- 2061- which corresponds to the number 216 -the number of letters in the Explicit Name of Hashem.

There was something inherent in Betzalel’s name which gave him the ability to perform the work of building the Sanctuary and its Vessels that were all constructed as a “shadow”- בְּצֶל of Hashem’s Name 'El"- אֵלthrough the Code of 1 and 8.

The significance of his name is learnt from its meaning and its gematria.

The name “Betzalel” means “in the shadow”- בְּצֶל “of G-d”-אֵל.

The gematria of the name Betzalel- בְּצַלְאֵל is 153=1+8 or + 1 word=10=1.

From this gematria we can understand why "Betzalel" means “in the shadow of G-d” because his name corresponds to 1 and 8. He lived in the physical world but he understood the “mechanical engineering” of the metaphysical world and how to construct a replica of it on earth.

The gematria of his full name and Tribe is also both 1 and 8:

Betzalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the Tribe of Judah

בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה

802=10=1 or + 7 words=17=8

The gematria of his full name without his Tribal status is:

Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Hur

בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר

688+5 words=693=18 or 1988=26=8

The number 26 is the simple gematria of the Name “Hashem”-YKVK- יְהוָה.

The gematria of his shortened name is:

Betzalel son of Uri

בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי

422=8 or 1072=10=1

The gematria of the name:

Son of Uri

בֶּן אוּרִי

269=17=8 or + 2 words=10=1

The gematria of the name:

Son of Uri son of Hur

בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר

535+4 words=17=8 or 1835=17=8 (Nuns 700)

The gematria of the name:

Son of Hur

בֶן חוּר

266+2 words=14=8 or 916+2 words=18 (Nun 700)

The gematria of the words:

Of the Tribe of Judah

לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה

114+2 words=8

Thus all of Betzalel’s names-in total or in part- and his Tribal affiliation were a reflection of G-d’s Name and a reflection of G-d’s manifestation in the physical world through Torah which is encrypted in the Code of Hai/Life (1 and 8).

This is why Hashem “called him by name”-קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם to build the Sanctuary and its contents in His Wisdom.

Hashem called him by His own “Name”! "Hai" -ח"י) 18)

 This is proved by the gematriot of the following division of the verse:

·         See-                                                    רְאֵה = 206=8

·         I Called him by name-                 קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם = 1053=1+8

·         Betzalel-                                           בְּצַלְאֵל = 153=1+8

·         Son of Uri, son of Hur, of the Tribe of Judah- בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה=649+6 words=656=17=8

206+1053+153+649=2061=1+8

216= 1+8

There are 216 letters in the Explicit Name of Hashem- השם המפורש