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In this week’s parasha, Parshat Ki Tisa, several different events occur that define Bnei Yisrael as a nation. First, Moshe receives the luchot from Har Sinai.  Then, due to Moshe’s delay in returning, Bnei Yisrael decide to create the Golden Calf in order to possess something tangible to relate back to Hashem. Despite the fact that Chet HaEgel was a sin of a caliber all its own, it was committed in unison, as stressed in the pesukim bythe verbs used in the plural form, such as ויאמרו (they said) and ויעשו (they did).

When Bnei Yisrael were originally given the luchot, they did not properly appreciate their purity and beauty.  It wasn’t until after they recognized that they had sinned and accepted it upon themselves to do teshuva that they were capable of appreciating the radiance and meaning of the luchot.

On that account, Hashem told Moshe to appoint Betzalel to build the Mishkan for Bnei Yisrael to use as they traveled in the desert.  Rashi offers a deeper understanding into Betzalel's characteristics by extrapolating an idea based on the words בחכמה ובתבונה – with wisdom and understanding.  Rashi infers that he had both the wisdom to hear and learn from others, in addition to the understanding to comprehend ideas on his own and apply concepts he learned to new situations.

Not only did these attributes make Betzalel an excellent candidate for the job of chief architect of the Mishkan, but he also had the זכות (merit) of his grandfather, חור , who had attempted to prevent the building of the Golden Calf and was murdered for it. Rabbi Frand explains that selecting his grandson for such an important role in the Mishkan was how Hashem demonstrated His hakarat hatov, His gratitude, to חור .  This also explains why the pasuk mentions Betzalel's ancestors, tracing him back to his grandfather, Chur. 

We hope that the merits of our parents and grandparents help us achieve great things, and that then our merits will in turn pass on to help our own future children and grandchildren as well.