Talents Are Gifts: How To Discover & Develop Them – Vayakhel 5783

Stories of heroes with superhuman powers fascinate us. Think of Hercules with his magical hair. The blond-long strands give Hercules the strength to beat all adversaries, it gives him the power to be a savior to others. Another hero, Spiderman and Wonder woman, both with talents that save the day. Heroes awe us. We want to be like them. Even in the Torah, we have Moses, the master prophet who brought us the Torah from heaven. Moses was given a gift, a talent, to receive and transmit teachings.

It’s an interesting story we learn from the Torah Portion of Vayakhel, about Bezalel. He is portrayed as another chosen hero worthy of admiration. Moses refers to Bezalel as a master artist. This is the first instance in the Torah we hear of an artist. He was imbued with divine inspiration who ultimately led the efforts of the construction of the Tabernacle.

Talented Artist

Bezalel, the artist, has skills to transform raw materials such as gold, and silver into beautiful, finished structures. He created a space that permeated holiness.

The story of Bezalel and the construction of the Tabernacle give us powerful lessons about the nature of talent, skills, gifts given to us, and how to use them to serve a higher purpose. It is not enough we discover we posses talents, we must develop them and use them to serve a purpose.

“Moses said to the children of Israel: “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel… He has imbued him with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with insight, and with knowledge, and with [talent for] all manner of craftsmanship.”

Bezalel is recognized as an artist who used his skills to bring down from heaven’s beauty in our world. Through his talent he made possible to build a space for God to dwell in. The passage “Bezalel was imbued with divine spirit” teaches us our talents and skills are God given. We are all imbued with unique abilities to bring good. Through our abilities we can make a positive impact in our world. In fact, the purpose for that talent and abilities is for that, to impact our world positively, to transform it into a place where light, love, and healing emanate.

The description the Torah gives us of Bezalel is significant in many respects. Every word in the Torah has significant meaning, it is not my chance that it is stated in it. First, it highlights that our God given gifts, they have a specific purpose. God grants us unique abilities to elevate the world in a specific way. Our talents are not ours to keep. That is the second vital message we receive from this passage; our talents and skills are to service a greater good. They are not only for a specific purpose, but we must include the service of others when we exercise our skills.

Talents: Nature Vs. Nurture

The concept that talents are God given raises an important question. If we imbued skills, is the artist born with natural abilities or is it the practice that got them to create work that transcends human capabilities? Is it the 10,000 hour rule by Malcolm Gladwell at play or natural genius?

This is a controversial idea which brings in the importance of inspiration and motivation. G-d, light or the universe, gives us divine inspiration. We are motivated with a force outside of ourselves which gives us desires and drives our behavior to create and achieve beyond what we think possible. When we are open to receiving from this energy force, we tap into creativity and a well that charges us.

However, we need to put into practice our talents to develop them. If we do not try to hone our creative talents, we will not be able to create and transmit. Although, Bezalel was given a gift, he put in great effort to unite the divine inspiration with actual skills. Ultimately, creating the aesthetically beauty we know was the tabernacle.

Now, this brings us to an important question, how do we discover our hidden talents and develop them?

Discover The Hidden Genius

To discover our talents is a journey of self-discovery. There are those lucky individuals that have always had an interest in a hobby or a topic that dominates their thinking to the point of doing something about it. Albeit, for many of us that is not the case.

The journey of self-discovery for our talents includes reflection. To create a holy space where divines dwells, it is important to set aside time for reflection. Reflect on what are your interest? Are there activities you find joy in? Which values drive you? Be open to trying new things to discover skills and passions.

An insight into strengths and weaknesses is significant in this step. This allow us to see what we are naturally good at, and from there be able to hone in those skills. What comes easy to us? Having friends and relatives give us feedback into what are strengths are helpful as they can see what we cannot.

Discovering talents is an on-going process that does not cease. We consistently evolve and develop as we move through different phases in our lives. Interest and skills evolve along with life experiences. Being open to discover these skills is part of the process.

From Naturally Gifted to a Known Genius

Whether you have discovered you are an artist, a composer, or a tech wiz, now you have to develop that creativity. Which leave us at: practice, practice, practice. From here, there is only one way to the destination: Regular practice. Time and effort will develop talents and skills. Regular practice draws from wellsprings of light, the idea becomes developed. We act as a channel to bring down beauty by achieving greater level of practice. Each day builds from the previous.

Achieving mastery requires mentorship, guidance from coaches or people with greater skills. Feedback from mentors or peers will allow you to refine your skills. Be open for constructive criticism to improve your craft. Look to learn from others by seeing their process, their techniques, and their finished product, their art.

Commitment to developing your hidden genius is crucial. Commitment in two dimensions: being determined and setting a schedule. Determination and perseverance are two topics pounded upon in all conversations of achievement, not for nothing, they are intrinsic steps in the process. Be determined to want it and making it happen. The journey will get tough, persevere through the struggle. Perseverance to get through the doubts, the downtimes, the discipline.

We, The Hero

To uncover our natural talents takes time to self-reflect and effort to develop them. Bezalel is the hero in our story this week, he was given divine inspiration. With it he created a dwelling place for God. Bezalel had to practice those talents to develop them into skills. They became skills worth of admiration and awe. Like the heroes in children’s stories, Hercules and Spiderman, Bezalel used his gift for the greater good.

God gives us talents to use for a specific purpose. It is in our hands to discover and develop them. We are all imbued with talents and abilities unique to us. We are the hero of our story. The power to bring down beauty and impact the world with good and holiness lies in each of us. We must discover and develop our talents.