By: Willie Recht
Chief Development Officer
Fun fact: before I became a Jewish communal professional, I worked for Neiman Marcus on Michigan Avenue selling women’s handbags and was on the buying track within the company. So, when I sat down to write this week’s Shabbat message on the Torah portion Tetzaveh, I thought back to that experience on the floor, surrounded by gorgeous and impeccably made items, and contemplated what to write for all of you. While I would love to tell you all about the grey pinstripe Dolce & Gabbana suit I bought on the 60/40 sale over twenty years ago (which still looks great!), I went searching for other interpretations to understand this week’s parsha.
This is how I found an interpretation by Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman, who referenced the work of Howard Gardner and his theories on multiple intelligences. Originally, Gardner identified eight core intelligences, but later added a ninth one called “existential intelligence.” This ninth type of intelligence is related to the ideas of transcendence and concepts overlapping with spirituality.
This comes into play in Parshat Tetzaveh when G/d instructs Moshe to instruct those who are “chochmei leiv” (translated as “wise of heart”), to make beautiful clothing for Aharon and his sons. The phrase “wise of heart” suggests that wisdom doesn’t just come from the brain—where classical wisdom or chochma is found—but also from the heart, which is linked to emotions. The beauty of the priestly garments, then, comes not from intellectual understanding, but from the emotional and spiritual wisdom of the heart.
Rabbi Naftali Berlin suggests that the wisdom of heart is equal to possessing the awe of G/d, and that the emotional experience associated with this is known as the beginning of wisdom. This is all a bit heady, but I very much appreciate the idea shared by Gardner that we all can harness and utilize our emotions (our heart) to shape our behaviors and that those behaviors, guided by the wisdom of our hearts, are integral parts of how we impact others. And that with all that is taking place in the world today, an increase in “chochmei leiv” is more needed than ever.
So, as we make way for Shabbat, I wish you all a time of peace and a heart full of wisdom. Shabbat Shalom.
Please email Willie Recht at wrecht@jewishcolorado.org with questions or comments.