Our Parasha, ‘Pekudey’ describes the execution of the instructions given in the section of ‘Tetzava’ – the preparation of the priestly garments and the construction of the Tabernacle. The contributions for the preparation of the Tabernacle and the priestly garments were given by the entire people, and the execution was carried out by Bezalel son of Uri and Aholiab son of Ahisamach together with “every wise-hearted man to whom the Lord had put wisdom, everyone whose heart stirred him up to do the work to do it.” It was a popular celebration of partnership in the creation of the holy place, concerning which God said: “And they shall make Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in the midst of them.”

But after the boards and curtains for the Tabernacle were prepared, who built the Tabernacle itself? Moses himself was commanded to do this. “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: On the first day of the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall erect the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting”.

And Moses did so, as described, “And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the Tabernacle was set up” But another verse says “And Moses set up the tabernacle… as God commanded Moses”

If we look carefully at the language of the Torah, we will notice that the setting up is described twice: once in a passive tense, “the tabernacle was set up,” and it is not specified who set it up. And in another place its mentioned as someone who acts actively – “And Moses set up the Tabernacle.” The sages of the Midrash noticed this duality and looked into it more deeply. They say that Bezalel and Aholiab and the other wise men who created the Tabernacle tried to erect it themselves but were unsuccessful. And there was a reason for this: Moses was sorry that he was not involved physically in the construction of the Tabernacle, and therefore God reserved for him the right to erect the Tabernacle himself: However, Moses himself did not erect the Tabernacle either because it was unusually heavy, but Moses only acted as if he was erecting it. The one who erected the Tabernacle was truly God Himself.

If so, the question is why did Moses act as if he himself was busy erecting the Tabernacle and not leave the rest in the hands of God, who could erect the Tabernacle automatically and miraculously?

There is a message here for the generations that is worth considering. Many times, we encounter an act that we should do, but we know that it is not within our power to complete the deed. Is this a reason to avoid it altogether? One might think that if I am unable to complete the deed, I should leave the work to other people. This is perhaps what Moses thought when he told God that he was unable to build the Tabernacle himself.

However, God’s answer to Moses presented a different approach: You will do what you can, and do not worry about completing the deed. God helps those who do everything in their power and grants them success even if human ability is limited. We cannot, for example, decide for our children their choices, but we are certainly able to invest in education, pass on our values ​​to them, and hope that we will have God’s help that will lead to success. This is true in education, this is true in relationships, this is true in observing the commandments, and in all areas of life. Man is not required to do what is beyond his abilities, but neither is he exempt from doing what is possible for him – and we will leave the rest to the Creator of the world to do.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Refael Cohen