Thoughts on parashat Vayakhel 5785.
When we get to the Torah portions that meticulously lay out all the details of how the Mishkan was built – who among us has not thought – WHY all these details? Because there is a profound meaning behind the details. As always, the devil (in this case God) is in the details.
As we have read the Torah over the last few weeks, we learned about all kinds of details on how the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, should be constructed: what to do and how to do it, what to use and how much to use, and so on. This week, we see the culmination of all these careful instructions—it’s time for action. The Torah presents us with a detailed account of what is done to construct it—because Judaism ultimately is always about action.
The term Vayakhel literally means “to gather, to assemble.” The message is clear: to do something meaningful, important, and impactful, we need to gather a team of people—a kehillah—for a righteous cause. Once we have a kehillah of people with different skill sets, we need to delegate the work. Our next Torah portion, Pekudei, is about specifics—the individual pieces that make up the whole. That’s the way meaningful things are built: with visionaries (idea people) and skilled individuals (doers).
As a bit of a side note, this dualism isn’t just in reference to the outside world or building – Judaism always operates on these two levels: the collective and the individual. One of the key spiritual messages of Judaism is that we should view human life through both a collective AND an individual lens. Finding the right balance between these two aspects is crucial. In our spiritual and everyday lives, we need to keep the big picture in mind, but we also must not overlook the importance of each individual action. This approach helps us remember that both our community and our personal contributions are essential.
The building of the Mishkan wasn’t just a logistical task—it was a deeply spiritual one. And at the center of this effort was Betzalel, the artisan whom God entrusted with the vision and execution of the Mishkan. Betzalel was said to be blessed with Ruach Elohim, God’s spirit—an incredibly rare occurrence in the Torah. It happens only four times: before the Creation of the world, when Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, in our parasha when Betzalel is granted wisdom to construct the Mishkan, and when Balaam blesses Israel instead of cursing them.
This rarity is important. We can’t rely on Divine inspiration to just descend upon us. Even Betzalel, though filled with Ruach Elohim, had to act—using his imagination, wisdom, and skills to implement God’s plan. And he didn’t do it alone. Oholiab was his helper, and they had an entire team of people to get the work done.
There are two fundamental messages our Torah portion conveys: practical and spiritual. The practical message is nothing truly meaningful and impactful is accomplished alone. The Israelites did not rise up one morning to find a completed Mishkan. It took planning, it took skilled craftsmen, and it took a whole community to provide resources and time. And by the way, so much was given that Moshe Rabbenu had to tell people to stop giving—this might be the only time in recorded history where a rabbi had to tell people to stop giving because they were contributing too much!
The spiritual message is that the Divine spirit, the Divine voice that guided the work of Betzalel and all his subordinates, was the same Divine voice that created the world.
Here’s where these two big ideas connect: Judaism demands action. It is not a faith of passive acceptance. In some philosophies, like Wu-Wei in Taoism effortless action is encouraged – to go with nature. But Judaism teaches the opposite. We don’t just accept the world as it is—we shape it into what it should be. We don’t wait for inspiration—we act, and through action, we create meaning.
But our actions aren’t random. The deeper purpose of building the Mishkan was to restore the Divine order in the world—the same order that existed at Creation, the primordial order that was planned when the world was created, where everything was pure, good, and holy. The world tends toward chaos and decay, and our role is to counteract that disintegration. Holiness isn’t something that exists on its own—it’s something we restore through effort. This is our fundamental human and Jewish mission: to prevent the world from degenerating, to maintain and restore the sacred order God intended.
We are all part of this Divine restoration work, too. Under the leadership and vision of first Dima and now Steve, our current president, we have moved toward a model of lay leadership that is now becoming a reality. Rather than struggling to find people to take part, we now have more Board members, active committees, and individuals eager to contribute. The Mishkan wasn’t built by just a few inspired individuals but by a community willing to work, to give, and to grow. If something is missing, we don’t walk away; we step up. It wasn’t through miracles that the Mishkan was built—it was through human hands, with God guiding them.
What a special, beautiful, and unique community we have at TBS, rich in history and shaped by the contributions of those who came before us. Let us honor their legacy by continuing to build upon their work with our ideas and efforts—together, with our heart and our hands.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Mirski
