Wisdom in the Heart not the Brain
A lesson from the Tiferes Shlomo Parshas Vayakhel
וכל חכם לב בכם יבאו ויעשו
And all the wise of heart from amongst you shall come and do...
And all the wise of heart from amongst you shall come and do...
Wisdom is a quality that is associated with the brain, not the heart. So why does Moshe refer to those who should be involved in building the Mishkan as “wise of heart”?
A person may have an intellectual understanding or appreciation of something, but it can remain in their brain as a cerebral thought. A person’s ideas do not necessarily flow through to reflect in their actions.
This is because between the mind and action lies the heart.
The heart is the seat of our selfish worldly and material desires, which may not “agree with” our intellectual understanding of right and wrong or what we should really do. If this happens, it is unlikely that we will be able to act upon our understanding.
This is why understanding cannot remain in the brain, and must flow into and influence our hearts.
This is alluded to in the first passage of the Shema. After reading that we are to love Hashem with all of our heart, we continue “and these words shall be upon your heart”.
The reference to loving Hashem with all of our heart, is the mental resolve that this is what we should do. But this is not enough, for our hearts may not embrace this resolve, as the second passage of the Shema warns warning “be careful, lest your heart lead you astray”. We need to ensure that “these words” will be upon our hearts to direct them.
Moshe was not looking for people whose “wisdom” was stuck in their brains. Moshe was seeking people whose wisdom penetrated their hearts, so that their spiritual convictions would inspire them and translate into meaningful actions.
A person may have an intellectual understanding or appreciation of something, but it can remain in their brain as a cerebral thought. A person’s ideas do not necessarily flow through to reflect in their actions.
This is because between the mind and action lies the heart.
The heart is the seat of our selfish worldly and material desires, which may not “agree with” our intellectual understanding of right and wrong or what we should really do. If this happens, it is unlikely that we will be able to act upon our understanding.
This is why understanding cannot remain in the brain, and must flow into and influence our hearts.
This is alluded to in the first passage of the Shema. After reading that we are to love Hashem with all of our heart, we continue “and these words shall be upon your heart”.
The reference to loving Hashem with all of our heart, is the mental resolve that this is what we should do. But this is not enough, for our hearts may not embrace this resolve, as the second passage of the Shema warns warning “be careful, lest your heart lead you astray”. We need to ensure that “these words” will be upon our hearts to direct them.
Moshe was not looking for people whose “wisdom” was stuck in their brains. Moshe was seeking people whose wisdom penetrated their hearts, so that their spiritual convictions would inspire them and translate into meaningful actions.