ותכל כל עבדת משכן אהל מועד ויעשו בני ישראל ככל אשר צוה ה’ את משה כן עשו. ויביאו את המשכן אל משה את האהל ואת כל כליו קרסיו קרשיו בריחו בריחיו ועמדיו ואדניו
(שמות ל”ט ל”ב- ל”ג)
“And (the verse) says, ‘and they brought the Mishkan to Moshe, the Tent and all its implements’ to relate their wisdom that they brought to him everything in its proper order, that not one of them brought his work in front of (Moshe) until all the work was finished, as (the verse prior) says, ‘All the work of the Mishkan, the Tent of Meeting, was completed.’ And after it was finished, they all gathered and showed (their work) to him in order. First, they said, ‘Our Teacher, here is the Tent and here are its implements,’ and afterwards, ‘here is the Aron and here are its staves,’ and so with everything.” (Ramban Shemos 36:8)
Imagine you are chosen to design one of the keilim (implements) for the Beis Hamikdash. The Rav explains to you, clearly and slowly, how the kli should be made, which materials should be used. He carefully describes its intricate design, illustrating for you just how the final product should look. And then you must begin. How much time would pass before you brought your ‘just started’ kli to the Rav, just to make sure that you were doing it right – fifteen minutes, a half an hour? And then: “Is this okay?” “Can the Rav just tell me if I doing it right?” “I just want to double-check with the Rav…” Regardless of how clear the instructions were, still, you have never actually seen such a kli before, let alone made one yourself. There aren’t even any pictures or models to work from. Yet the Ramban here writes that every one of the craftsmen finished his job completely, and only then did they present their work to Moshe Rabbeinu.
This is not a matter of self-confidence, but rather of commitment and responsibility. The Ramban earlier writes that the workers were not prepared to build the Mishkan “עד שישמעו כל המלאכה ויבינו אותה ויקבלו עליהם שידעו להשלימה”— until they were instructed in all the work, and understood it, and accepted upon themselves that they would know to finish it. If they had checked with Moshe Rabbeinu, “just to make sure” that they were doing it right, that would have signified a lack of commitment. They were responsible to make that judgement on their own, to “know to finish it”. To do otherwise would have been an evasion of responsibility.
You might ask, “What is the problem? Let the Rav be the one responsible, and not me!” That is a mistake. If you discovered within yourself the ability to partake in the building of the Mishkan or Beis Hamikdash, that means that you must do it, with your understanding and perspective. Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants you, so it is your responsibility.
We discussed in last week’s Hisbonenus that Moshe Rabbeinu wanted the Mishkan to be built through Bnei Yisroel’s active involvement. The “wisdom and understanding and fine insight” of the builders was not just a means for the creation of the Mishkan; rather, it played a central role in and of itself, because Bnei Yisroel’s involvement was essential. An important aspect of their involvement was this taking responsibility, because only then is the builder fully involved, only then is it really him.
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The idea can be applied even to simple, mundane tasks. Walk into the grocery store, and you might overhear a husband speaking to his wife on the phone. “What type of rice should I get: Basmati rice, or Persian rice”, he asks. “Okay, the Basmati… Wait, they only have the Basmati rice in 700 grams – do you want a kilo of Persian rice, or 700 grams of Basmati?” Even better, he takes a picture with his phone and sends it to her, so she can see the rice firsthand. He believes he is the most considerate, helpful husband, but this is not what his wife needs. What she really needs is that he take responsibility. True responsibility does not entail checking and rechecking with others, but rather a firm commitment that the person himself will know how to complete the task. “ויקבלו עליהם שידעו להשלימה.”
