Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei 5786 - Betzalel and Oholiav - Everyone is equal before Hashem

00:00 Rabbi Nachman Brand, one of the prominent rabbis in South Africa, served for many years as a community rabbi there and was responsible for education and other matters. He used to relate that he had lived in a large city in America. As his children grew older, he became concerned about their education and the environment in which they would grow up, and wanted to move to New York. There he could sit and study Torah and educate his children. Once, he went into yechidus with the Rebbe and explained his plan. The Rebbe told him he could not do that. The Rebbe explained that this was how Jews were being lost. Jews around the world—hundreds of thousands of Jews—were waiting for him to come and save them, materially and spiritually, in Torah, mitzvos, and Jewish life. How could he sit and study Torah and forget about the world? He tried to answer the Rebbe with the verse from Shir Hashirim: “They made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I did not keep.” In other words, first I must look after my own vineyard: my Torah, my Jewish life, my children, and my family. The Rebbe explained to him that “my own vineyard” means all the Jews. The Jewish people, the entire Jewish people, Bnei Yisroel—that is our vineyard. And of this we say, “My own vineyard I did not keep.” A Jew must care for the Jewish people, for every Jew, for his brother—to save him and help him. There, the Rebbe persuaded him to go, no less, to South Africa. At the time, they were looking for a rabbi in South Africa, and the Rebbe told him he was exactly right for the position: he should go there, where hundreds of thousands of Jews were waiting for him, and he would be able to help save them for Jewish life. And so it was: he went, lived there for years, and served as a rabbi. One of the stories he told was that his daughter once wrote to the Rebbe while they were in South Africa. She complained about her situation; among other things, she wrote

02:07 to the Rebbe that she felt bad because she did not come from a lineage of chassidim. In other words, she did not come from a distinguished family in which her father had been a chossid, her grandfather had been a chossid, and so on, back to a chossid of the Alter Rebbe. She came from a more modern family, without a lineage of chassidim, unlike many other chassidim. That is what she wrote. The Rebbe answered her on various matters, but regarding this complaint, the Rebbe wrote: “Almost all of the Alter Rebbe’s chassidim were not children of chassidim, but became chassidim themselves.” In other words, almost all of the Alter Rebbe’s chassidim had become chassidim themselves. They did not come from distinguished families; their parents were not chassidim. They grew close to the Alter Rebbe, and that is how they became chassidim. “And it is known,” the Rebbe wrote, “[unclear].” Even among the Alter Rebbe’s chassidim who were great chassidim, not all had inherited a lineage of chassidim from father to son. And in our parsha, Parshas Vayakhel, we find that when the time came to build the Mishkan, Hakadosh Boruch Hu said: “See, Hashem has called by name Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Chur, of the tribe of Yehudah.” Later it says: “And He has put it in his heart to teach, he and Oholiav, son of Achisamach, of the tribe of Dan.” Rashi pauses over this. On “Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Chur,” Rashi says: “Chur was Miriam’s son.” And on “Oholiav, son of Achisamach, of the tribe of Dan,” Rashi says that Dan was among the lowliest of the tribes. Betzalel came from one of the most distinguished tribes, while Oholiav came from the tribe of Dan, one of the lowliest tribes, descended from the maidservants. Rashi says: “To fulfill what is said: ‘He does not favor the noble over the poor.’” So we see that the Torah writes this

04:29 here to tell us, “to fulfill what is said”—to uphold the principle that before Hakadosh Boruch Hu, “He does not favor the noble over the poor.” The rich person has no advantage over the poor person. Betzalel, from a distinguished family, and Oholiav, from one of the lowliest tribes—when it comes to building the Mishkan, they are all equal. All are equally worthy. But an interesting question arises here. The Rebbe devoted an entire farbrengen to this, apparently a Shabbos Vayakhel farbrengen, and asked several questions about this Rashi. The first question stands out immediately: those same verses already appear in the preceding parsha. In Parshas Ki Sisa, almost the exact same words are used, and there Rashi says nothing. Rashi does not explain that Chur was Miriam’s son. In fact, Rashi already said that in Parshas Beshalach; why does he need to tell us again? Yet here, in Vayakhel, Rashi says it. Nor does he say any of the rest in Parshas Ki Sisa; Rashi says nothing there. Only now, in Parshas Vayakhel, does Rashi find it necessary to say this. Why? What has changed here? And another question, seemingly an even greater one: why does he say, “To fulfill what is said: ‘He does not favor the noble over the poor’”? What does “to fulfill what is said: ‘He does not favor the noble over the poor’” mean? Earlier, in Parshas Ki Sisa, it already says regarding the half-shekel that “the rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less.” Everyone had to bring the same half-shekel. So there, too, we already have “He does not favor the noble over the poor.”

06:18 That the rich and the poor should be equal? And what does Rashi mean here by “to fulfill what is said: ‘He does not favor the noble over the poor’”? What difficulty is Rashi coming to resolve? The author of the Levushim, in his commentary Levush Ha’orah on Rashi, says that Rashi is resolving a difficulty: the change in the verse’s wording. In Parshas Ki Sisa it says, “And with him, Oholiav, son of Achisamach.” “With him” makes Oholiav sound secondary: Betzalel is the principal figure, and Oholiav is “with him,” in a subordinate role. Here, however, in Parshas Vayakhel, it says, “And He has put it in his heart to teach, he and Oholiav.” The Torah places them together, on the same level. This raises the question: why is it written that way? To this Rashi answers: “To fulfill what is said: ‘He does not favor the noble over the poor.’” That is why the Torah says, “he and Oholiav.” This is a very beautiful explanation, but it itself raises a question: why was it only in Parshas Vayakhel that the Torah needed to present “he and Oholiav” as equals? Why does Parshas Ki Sisa not say it that way? And does Rashi not need to explain that? If the Torah wants to teach us that “He does not favor the noble over the poor,” it should have said so in the previous parsha. What happens in Parshas Vayakhel that causes the Torah to change its wording, so that Rashi explains here that the Torah wrote it this way to teach us that “He does not favor the noble over the poor”—that the rich and the poor, someone from the highest

08:04 of the tribes and someone from the lowest of the tribes, are truly equal? Why does this happen specifically in Vayakhel and not earlier? Here the Rebbe gave a very beautiful explanation. The entire matter can be understood from what is said in Parshas Vayakhel. In Parshas Vayakhel, Moshe Rabbeinu comes to Bnei Yisroel and tells them to build a Mishkan. They are about to build a Mishkan—meaning that Moshe is conveying the mission to Bnei Yisroel. The parsha deals with Moshe’s words to Bnei Yisroel: they are about to build a Mishkan. The entire building of the Mishkan followed the sin of the Golden Calf and served as a form of rectification. What had happened in Parshas Ki Sisa, when Bnei Yisroel stumbled in the sin of the Golden Calf, needed to be rectified—and that was the whole purpose of building the Mishkan. It was to be a rectification for the entire Jewish people, with “I have forgiven, as you have said,” and all these matters. This was the rectification of the sin of the Golden Calf. When the Rebbe speaks about the half-shekel, he says that all Jews must be in a state where, from the outset, there is no difference whatsoever between poor and rich. And this was part of rectifying the sin of the Golden Calf. For the sin of the Golden Calf caused a separation between Hakadosh Boruch Hu and Bnei Yisroel, and it also caused separation among Bnei Yisroel themselves, between one person and another. The rectification therefore depended on this: the souls of the Jewish people had to be joined together again, and the point of unity had to be awakened. That is the power of the half-shekel. What does the half-shekel teach

10:08 us? That every Jew must connect with another Jew, get to know him, and grow close to him. The half-shekel expresses the idea of the Jewish people as a whole and Jewish unity, through which the Jewish people are rebuilt as a single entity. With the half-shekel, where “the rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less,” everyone is truly equal. There is no rich person here, no poor person, no differences of standing. There is only one thing. And by bringing out the point that all Jews are truly equal, we again bring out the connection between the Jews and Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Why? What unites all Jews? The fact that they are “a part of G-d above,” and that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is the Father of all souls. Therefore, as the Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya, chapter 32, “They are all of one kind, and they all have one Father”; because all Jews come from one Father, they are “truly brothers.” And that is Ahavas Yisroel, “Love your fellow as yourself.” This is accomplished through the half-shekel. But when it came time to build the Mishkan, Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted every Jew to bring a gift from his heart—“Everyone whose heart is willing shall bring it.” And that is the point of the verse “Vayakhel”: Moshe Rabbeinu gathers Bnei Yisroel, all of them as one. “Vayakhel”—unity. This is a central point in rectifying the sin of the Golden Calf: to bring them together again and fulfill the idea of “Vayakhel,” as they were at the Giving of the Torah, “as one person with one heart.” And this was a preparation for the Giving of the Torah. Therefore, once again, it was necessary

11:38 To set right everything connected with Yom Kippur and awaken that unity again. But here something new begins. Here Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not want everything to be the same. On the contrary, for building the Mishkan it says, “Let everyone whose heart moves him bring it”—gold, silver, and copper. The exact opposite of the half-shekel. Whoever has gold brings gold. Whoever has silver brings silver. Whoever has copper brings copper. And whoever has small things brings the small things; whoever has great things brings the great things. Now there are differences between people. Whoever knows how to make [unclear] makes [unclear]. A new confusion, an upheaval, could arise here. Their hearts could become divided. This one brings more and that one brings less; this one does more and that one does less. There will be differences. Once again, G-d forbid, all the unity among the Jewish people could be broken. That is why it says here, “Vayakhel”—“And he gathered.” In Parshas Ki Sisa, when Hakadosh Boruch Hu speaks to Moshe, there was no need to warn against distinguishing the noble from the poor. Between Hakadosh Boruch Hu and Moshe, these things are understood. When Hakadosh Boruch Hu speaks to Moshe, clearly there is nothing to worry about. But when Moshe comes to the Jewish people—and that is in Parshas Vayakhel—and is about to lead them in a building project where each person will act according to his strengths, his means, his level, and his qualities, then, on the contrary, differences in standing become visible, and it could

13:22 create a situation in which the rich and the poor, the wealthy and the needy, the prominent and the ordinary, contend with one another. [unclear]. Therefore, Rashi says, we must uphold the principle that the noble is not distinguished from the poor. That is why Rashi needs to make this clear. That is why the Torah changes the wording here, as the Levush says, from the way it was written in Parshas Ki Sisa. When the Torah relates Moshe’s words to the Jewish people, it specifically emphasizes Oholiav. You should know: although Betzalel son of Uri son of Chur was Miriam’s grandson—his grandmother was Miriam, of the most distinguished lineage. Who was Miriam? The sister of Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon Hakohen, with all that Miriam represents. And opposite him stands someone from one of the least prominent tribes: Oholiav son of Achisamach, of the tribe of Dan, descended from the maidservants. One had Miriam for a grandmother, and the other had a grandmother from among the maidservants. Even so, we must know: the noble is not distinguished from the poor. Everyone must give everything he can, the very best he can, and yet, to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, all are equal. And this is what is new about the unity here, compared with the half-shekel. With the half-shekel, there were no differences in standing to begin with. Here, what is new is that even where differences in standing are visible, where each person has his own qualities, his own concerns, his own importance,

15:01 his own worth, strengths, aptitudes, and talents, it is important to remember that the noble is not distinguished from the poor. [unclear]. To Hakadosh Boruch Hu, everyone is equally valued. You must give everything you can, your very best. At the same time, you must understand that being better at something does not set you above someone else—for the noble is not distinguished from the poor. Each person does all that is within his power, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu accepts what each person can do. So even where differences in standing are visible, everyone is equally valued. That is what the Torah wants us to understand here: we are not speaking only about matters where there are no differences to begin with. In Yiddishkeit, in serving Hashem, in Torah and mitzvos, there are matters where, from the outset, there is no difference between one person and another. As the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya, regarding [unclear], violating Shabbos, eating chametz on Pesach, and the like, there is no [unclear]. Whether it is Moshe Rabbeinu or [unclear], everyone is the same. All are equally bound by the same mitzvah. Even an unlearned person, and [unclear], and so on—as the Rebbe said there—even regarding every [unclear]. In this, it makes no difference who the person is. As the Rebbe cites the Rambam’s words in Mishneh Torah: even Yeravam ben Nevat, if he receives punishment, but someone who does not want to... Yeravam ben Nevat, who

16:49 leads the public to sin—they come to it because of him. But even Yeravam ben Nevat matters to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. How was this expressed? In the richness of the Rambam’s words. That is not the plain meaning, but what I want to say, as the Rebbe says, is that it matters. As the Rebbe says, every detail is taken seriously, even a detail like this, if you fail to do it. On the contrary, this expresses how great the matter is: how precious every thought, word, and action of every Jew is to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Even a Jew who failed so grievously—a one-of-a-kind case, Yeravam ben Nevat, who committed the gravest sins and led the public to sin—his eiruv tavshilin is precious to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It matters to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It matters that Yeravam ben Nevat, wherever he goes and wherever he stands, should take care with this detail, just as with every other detail. There are matters in which, from the outset, there is one Torah for everyone. And there are certainly matters that are the opposite: each person has his own circumstances and characteristics. There are businesspeople, there are differences in standing, there are people with particular talents, and each person, as the Gemara says, according to his work. Here we are told that even in matters of serving Hashem where each person acts according to his aptitudes and talents and must give according to his strengths and abilities, still the noble is not distinguished from the poor, because Hakadosh Boruch Hu accepts each one—and to Him

18:33 the simplest of the simple and the most esteemed of the esteemed matter alike, in the same [unclear], in that same fulfillment of what is said: the noble is not distinguished from the poor. And there, before Hakadosh Boruch Hu, even in these matters, lineage is not the main thing. What matters is that “whether one does more or one does less, the essential thing is to direct one’s heart to Heaven.” There, unity is found precisely amid differences in standing. And that is the main lesson our parsha teaches: we must know how to unite, all together, and do everything in our power, just as everyone took part in building the Mishkan. This is relevant today as well—to build the Mishkan even now, leading up to the third Beis Hamikdash, when “our deeds and our service” throughout the time of exile prepare us for the revelations of Moshiach. Each person should do everything in his power, giving the best and finest of his aptitudes, talents, and abilities, in both quantity and quality, and at the same time unite with every Jew. We should not calculate that this one does more and that one less, or let the yetzer hara make such calculations. Rather, we should uphold the principle that the noble is not distinguished from the poor, and bring unity and love even into the details where differences in standing exist. Through this, we will surely bring closer and hasten “Bless us, our Father, all of us as one,” together with all the blessings: that Hakadosh Boruch Hu grant peace in the land and rest and tranquility to all the Jewish people. And most important, that “in Nissan

19:59 they were redeemed, and in Nissan they are destined to be redeemed.” May we merit the complete Geulah through our righteous Moshiach, immediately, right now.