וַתֵּכֶל כָּל־עֲבֹדַת מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ׃

Thus was completed all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. The children of Israel did so; just as Hashem had commanded Moshe, so they did. (39:32)

Was it the Children of Israel who completed the work of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)? It was a specific group of them led by Betzalel and Oholiav. Why are all the Jewish people credited for it? The commentary of Seforno answers that it was the cumulative effort of all the people that completed the work. Some donated the materials for the construction while others did the actual construction. Together they got the job done.

The commentary of Ohr HaChaim explains this with a fundamental principle about the Jewish nation. Our Sages teach us that every mitzvah corresponds to a specific part of the body , which corresponds to a specific part of the neshama, and when the mitzvah is performed it sanctifies that part. But no one can fulfill every mitzvah in the Torah. There are mitzvot exclusive to Kohanim and mitzvot exclusive to non- Kohanim. There are mitzvot exclusive to men and mitzvot exclusive to women. How then can one person sanctify their entire being? The answer is that we are all inherently interconnected on the neshama ( soul) level. Every person’s neshama is rooted in the one central neshama of the Jewish people that exists in the highest levels of the Heavens. We are one and therefore your mitzvah sanctifies not only yourself but everyone else as well!

Therefore the Torah declares that Bnei Yisrael, all the Children of Israel, did as Hashem commanded Moshe because the actions of those who constructed the Mishkan were considered the actions of all the Jewish nation. And the actions of those who donated were considered the actions of all the Jewish people.

This, writes the Ohr HacHaim is the essence of the mitzvah of ואהבת לרעך כמןך, love your friend as yourself. Every person’s actions affect others as they affect themselves. When you elevate yourself through mitzvot you elevate everyone else as well. You and your friend are one and the same on the most essential level! Therefore, you love your friend as yourself.

Shabbat Shalom!
Yitzchak