Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei Schedule

Weekly Words of Torah

A Lesson in Professionalism

Insights into Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei by our weekday gabbai, Josh Vogel.

The building of the mishkan is a topic which receives a lot of coverage in the Torah, even though its application to our daily lives is seemingly minimal. If this is the case, then why is there so much space dedicated to describing its every detail, several times? Even Rashi steps back from commenting on this parsha as he has explained much of the work involved when it was mentioned previously (Rashi, 35:5). Nevertheless, there are still many lessons we can take away from the construction of the mishkan.

In today’s world, there is a large emphasis placed on the trait of professionalism. Whole websites and publications are devoted to seeking out the most professional carpenter, or the car with the best value. Self-help books exist teaching ways to make ourselves become professionals and many people invest much of their lives becoming leading professionals in their fields. But these aren’t modern concepts, they can be found right here in our parsha.

At the beginning of the parsha, Moshe calls upon Bnei Yisrael to give of their possessions to the construction of the mishkan. Immediately, Bnei Yisrael respond with an abundance of materials, more than is actually needed to complete the mishkan. They bring so much that some are pushed off to the next day, followed by a request to stop bringing materials.

The actual building of the mishkan was done by a few people who were considered wise enough to comprehend the various intricacies of its construction. Nevertheless, they, and the entire nation were praised for their contribution, as the pasuk states “the people are bringing more than enough” (36:5) On this pasuk Ramban comments that this was a statement to the praise of the nation and a glorification of the wise ones for their trustworthiness. Since there was such an abundance of materials, it was necessary for Ramban to point out that those in charge of overseeing the materials did not gain personally from what remained. They simply completed their tasks and were not tempted by the various distractions before them.

The strongest example of professionalism comes from the end of the parsha, as we see that all the parts of the mishkan were brought before Moshe all at once, not one at a time. In other words, those in charge were confident in their work and did not feel it necessary to seek approval at every step of the way (End of Ramban to 36:8).

We need to keep these lessons in mind as we go about our daily lives. By responding adequately and promptly to our tasks (both professionally and religiously), being honest in how we conduct ourselves, and having confidence in how we perform and deliver on our obligations, we will in essence be carrying around our own personal mishkan while contributing towards the completion of the permanent mishkan, the Beit Hamikdash, speedily in our days.

This d’var Torah is based on a shiur given by Rabbi Elchanan Adler on February 25, 2011.