Vayakhel – I Want More

Perashat Vayakhel

I Want More

When something is delicious you want more of it. Even after leaving the table you would be happy to know that there is still more. Even if you are stuffed at the end of a meal it is nice to know there is more. The knowledge that you can have more after you digested the delicious food feels like a blessing.

In our Perasha we see that B’nai Yisrael gave so much to the building of the Mishcan – portable temple that after building it they had extra. Torah Shelemah in the name of Lekach Tov says that there is only blessing when there is extra.

It never fails that when you expect something to cost a certain amount and allot this exact figure you are hit with hidden expenses. However, when you add a figure called miscellaneous to your list of expenses it is inevitable that you will have extra money left over.

In our Perasha Moshe Rabeinu Asks B’nai Yisrael that each person who is of giving heart should bring:

Gold, Silver, Brass. Blue Cloth, red cloth, fine leather… red leather… Cedar wood. Oill for light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the insence alter. (Precious stones) and the list goes on and on.

Additionally, Moshe requested people to give their time. Weavers, smiths and all other talented people were needed such to build the Mishcan.

Logically, the people should not have had too much desire to give. They just made donations to the Golden Calf fund which was not recycled but was pulverized and thrown into a river. Instead, the Jews started to give gold, silver, and brass and to work on all of the garments which were needed for the Mishcan.

The whole nation went into gear and started to work on every item which was needed for the Mishcan. In no time they started bringing the most elegant item as a present from their heart to G-d. This they brought every morning.

The people brought so much goods that the smiths had no place to store the wealth. These craftsmen went to moshe and told him that the nation is bringing too much. Moshe had to have a Shofar blown to announce to the people not to bring any more. After the completion of the Mishcan there were left over materials. Imagine, just a few extra rubies and sapphires. They also made all of the utensils for the Mishcan and the special uniforms for the Kohanim.

Later on in Jewish history when King Chiskiyahu (Chron. 2 31-10) wanted to come closer to G-d he asked the people to bring Terumah to support the Kohanim. Here they also brought a tremendous amount of grain. It is said that they brought enough for the Kohanim to “eat and be satisfied and to have left over because G-d had blessed his nation and there was a tremendous amount left over.”