D’var Torah Vayakhel

And Moses said to the Children of Israel: “See, the Lord has called by name Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the Tribe of Judah." (Exodus 35:30)
It is unusual for the Bible to include the grandfather as part of one’s name.
Rashi [37:1] notes that Betzalel devoted himself (literally: “gave his soul”) to the work of the Tabernacle.
My father suggested that Hur is mentioned in Betzalel’s genealogy based upon our Sages’ tradition that Hur was killed trying to stop the nation from worshipping the golden calf. Further, our Sages teach us that the Tabernacle was the rectification of the sin of the golden calf. Thus, Hur literally “gave his soul” in an attempt to stop the grave sin of the Children of Israel, while his grandson Betzalel “gave his soul” figuratively to rectify the sin. Thus, the Torah mentions Betzalel’s descent from Hur, because he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps. (David Magence)

Shabbat Shalom!
The Va’ad