Shabbat Parashat Pekudei - 5782

Shabbat Parashat Pekudei - 5782

Rabbi Hal Miller

And they brought the Mishkan to Moshe, the tent and all its implements

[Shemot 39:33]

After this verse, Moshe goes through the process of assembling the Mishkan,

which appears here to have been delivered to him in kit form. Why did those

who built all the parts bring it all to Moshe?

Rashi says, "Because they were unable to erect it." He then goes on to explain

that Moshe had not done any of the work thus far, and this was his form of

involvement. Rashi also brings that the reason the people could not erect it

themselves is that it was too heavy. Moshe, of course, found it heavy too, so

God told him to put his hand on the pieces and they would stand by themselves.

From this we learn the concept of hishtadlut, that even though we rely on God to

make things work in the world, we are still required to act as though everything is

working in a natural way. But this still does not tell us why the people had to bring

all the heavy stuff to Moshe. Why couldn't he go to where they had it?

Ramban wonders whether Mishkan really means the entire thing, and points to

verses where the linen curtains are called Mishkan and goat hair curtains are

called Tent. Thus this verse means they only brought the curtains and various

other items. But this also does not answer our question.

We could say that it was done out of respect for Moshe, so he didn't need to walk

across the camp. But Moshe the humble would not likely have stood for such a

thing. We could say that Moshe was standing at the very point where the Mishkan

needed to be assembled, but since it was assembled again and again, all over the

desert, that too does not seem likely, and the Torah would presumably have told us

somewhere that the placement of the Tent was important for each iteration.

Certainly, Moshe could have gone to them and he would not have thought a thing

of it on his own behalf. With this, he began a career of 40 years of erecting this

tent. Yes, he had Divine help, but that Divine help could have occurred at the place

where the craftsmen had been building the parts. There has to be another lesson.

It is well discussed that God does not need the Mishkan. He does not need our

sacrifices or our prayers. We do. Moshe did not commission the Mishkan on God's

behalf, but on behalf of the people. Perhaps what this verse is teaching is that when

someone commissions something from an artisan, it falls to the artisan to deliver it

to those for whose benefit it was commissioned. Rather than make Moshe, who was

the agent of the people, come pick it up, Betzalel and his crew needed to fully

complete the project with delivery. Whether this applies to all situations, or only to

times when the entire congregation is the beneficiary is not clear from this verse, but

we must look elsewhere for that guidance.

It may not be established halacha, but it appears that for derech eretz, doing the right

thing, one should complete projects they take on, and in this type of scenario, completion

includes delivery.