Historical backgrounds

influences on Judaic and Christian number symbolism.

 ¨     Exodus 31:1-3
Then the LORD said to Moses,  "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.

In his introduction to Sefer Yetzirah (an early Cabbalistic work), Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan writes about the Exodus from Egypt:

"The mysteries of Sefer Yetzirah were used again after the Exodus, when the Israelites were building the Tabernacle in the desert. The Talmud states that Betzalel had been chosen to build this Tabernacle because he “knew how to permute the letters with which heaven and earth were created.” Such esoteric knowledge was required, since the Tabernacle was meant to be a microcosm, paralleling both the universe, the spiritual domain, and the human body. It was not enough merely to construct a physical building. As it was built, the architect had to meditate on the meaning of each part, imbuing it with the necessary spiritual properties.

The Talmud derives this from the verse where God says, “I have called in the name of Betzalel.. and have willed him with the spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge” (Exodus 31:2-3). “Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge” (Chakhmah, Binah and Daat) refer to states of consciousness.. It is through the manipulation of the letters that such states of consciousness can be attained".