Parshas Vayakhel (Parah) 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Mar 20
- 2 min read
כל איש ואשה אשר נדב לבם אתם להביא לכל המלאכה אשר צוה ה' לעשות ביד משה ... (לה-כט)
This posuk is seemingly superfluous, as the prior posukim already enumerated Klal Yisroel’s myriad donations to the construction of the Mishkan. What, then, is this verse adding? The Shach al HaTorah, a talmid of the holy Arizal zt”l, explains as follows: Some people were able to give larger donations than others. It is entirely possible that there were some who struggled to offer even a minimal amount.
Thus, their donations were considerably less than those of the wealthy. The poor, who had nothing extra, could barely scrape together the מחצית השקל but they possessed something that was more precious and valuable: the ratzon, the willingness to partake in the בנין המשכן. It was for them that this posuk, "אשר נדב לבם", was written. They had the cheishek, the heart even if they didn’t have the financial means. And that was so beloved by Hashem. More than anything else.
This can also explain a perplexing line in the Ramban on Parshas Terumah regarding the building of the ארון הקודש. The Torah there says "ועשו" - in a plural sense, as opposed to "ועשית" - which is singular. The Ramban quotes the Medrash which says that Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted everyone to have a part in contributing to the Aron. How is that possible? He says three options. The last one is "ויכוונו לדבר". They should have kavana for its construction. What does this mean? In light of the above, perhaps the answer is simple. Utilizing the above-mentioned cheishek - the desire to have a part in the Aron - "מעלה עליו הקדוש ברוך הוא כאילו עשהו" - Hashem considered it as if they had partaken in its actual construction.
Additionally, from the Ramban, it seems that these are all equal and viable options לכתחילה and not just בדיעבד.
This machshava should infuse every single one of us with the realization that no matter what we actually do, or do not possess, no one can take away our ratzon. And that is ultimately what Hashem really treasures!