5784/2024

At the end of Shlishi of this week’s Parashah, Parashat Vayakhel, the Torah has a cryptic, superfluous line: “VeHaMelachah Hayetah Daiyam Lechol HaMelachah La’asot Otah VeHoteir,” “And the work was sufficient for them to do all its work, and to have extra” (Shemot 36:7). The Pasuk before had already said that Moshe told Bnei Yisrael to stop bringing material donations for the Mishkan, implying that they had enough, and therefore didn’t need any more. So why restate the obvious?

The Nitziv (in his Ha’Amek Davar) answers: if a metalworker needs to plug a hole in a Kli, he would typically use leftover pieces of metal to do so. Here, there was so much given by Klal Yisrael, the metalworkers didn’t have to scavenge for scraps. Similarly, the Seforno says that there were enough materials, so there was no need to be frugal, allowing them to work comfortably on the Keilim. 

The Or Hachaim notes the contradiction when the Pasuk says both ‘enough’, and ‘extra’, and explains that this teaches how much Hashem loves each contributor from Bnei Yisrael. Hashem was worried about everyone who brought, and wanted it all to be used. As a result, the ‘extra’ miraculously became exactly what was needed to complete the necessary work.

We can learn from the wording of the Pasuk to give all we can for Mitzvot, for Hashem will make it worthwhile. Additionally, like HaKadosh Baruch Hu, we should always have other’s feelings in mind, and make every Jew feel special.