In this week's Parashah we learn about the construction of the Mishkan or Tabernacle. The Torah states “V’Asah Betzalel V’Aholi’av V’Chol Ish Chocham Leiv Asher Natan Hashem Chochmah U’Tevunah Baheimah Ladaat La’asot Et Kol Milechet Avodat Hakodesh L’Chol Asher Tzivah Hashem,”“Bezalel and Oholiab shall work with every wise-hearted man, in whom Hashem has put wisdom and understanding to know how to perform all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Hashem has commanded” (Shemot 36:1). The Pasuk teaches that Bezalel and Aholi’av will work with people that were bestowed with wisdom from Hashem on how to build the tabernacle. But why were these people picked if they needed Hashem to give them the wisdom to accomplish these tasks in the first place?

The Gemara states “Ein HaKadosh Baruch Hu Notein Chochmah Elah L’Mi Sh’Yeish Bo Chochmah,” “HaKadosh Baruch Hu only gives wisdom to those who are wise” (Berachot 55a). These people that Hashem picked are not your average Joe; they are intellectuals who simply needed more knowledge on this particular topic. Onkelos agrees with this and says that Hashem gave these people the knowledge that they needed to complete these special tasks. These people were specifically chosen and innately gifted, but Hashem needed to give them the skills to build the distinct parts of the Mishkan. The Ohr Hachaim puts all of these ideas together, stating that they each had special tools to work on different parts of the Mishkan. Each person was designated with unique talents that accomplished specific tasks. Just as tools are made for different materials, so too each person was given a specific talent to accomplish the different tasks given.

There is a very famous story about an illiterate man that tried very hard to find a job. He went to a local job agency and asked if they could help him find a job. The agency told him they would try their best but it would not be easy due to his illiteracy. After a short while, they told him that there is one job that he might be able to take. The man was thrilled that he was given an opportunity to get a job even though he couldn’t read. He was told to go to a government office and stay in the waiting room until he was called. The man waited and waited and nothing happened. After three hours had passed the man was called in and told he got the job. The man was ecstatic but confused because he didn’t do anything. The manager of this government facility told him that they were very skeptical that this man was illiterate so they had him sit near the magazines to see if he would read anything. After three hours they saw that he went to read the magazine, but he was holding it sideways. They understood then the man was indeed illiterate. The man was given a job to shred all confidential government documents that no one could know about. Following a very successful career, the man retired, but after a couple of weeks, the man got a call begging him to come out of retirement because there was no one to take his position. We can learn from this story that every person has a special task. There is a spot for every person in the world. We see from Bezalel and the other workers that they were specifically chosen to build the Mishkan because Hashem gave them the tools to do it. They didn’t have the wisdom to do the job but Hashem felt they were the best for the job and gave them the wisdom they had lacked. Every person has a designated task, and we must understand that there is a special place for everyone even if it may not seem like it.