The Mitzvot: A Group Effort
By Rabbi David Polsky

Who built the Tabernacle?
In this week’s parasha, the Torah implies that the Tabernacle was constructed by all of the Israelites: “And all of the work for the Tabernacle was finished…and the children of Israel did everything according to God’s command…” (Exodus 39: 32). On the other hand, other verses suggest that Betzalel was the main craftsman behind the effort (Exodus 36:8; 37:1). R. Chaim b. Moses ibn Attar, the 18th century author of the commentary Or Ha-chaim, solves this contradiction by enlightening us about the relationship between individual and collective responsibility.

The Torah’s obligations are not incumbent upon individuals but on the Jewish people as a whole. This principle helps us understand how we can be expected to keep all 613 commandments even though it is technically impossible for any of us to fulfill them in their entirety. Some commandments like blessing the people were given only to priests, other commandments like tzitzit were given only to men, while certain commandments regarding family purity were given specifically to women. Nonetheless, when each person observes the commandments of which he or she is capable, it is said that as a collective we have performed all of the Torah’s commandments. The same concept applies to peoples’ differing talents. While one person might have the personality to excel at visiting the sick, another’s talents could lead him to specialize in Torah study. Our responsibility to fulfill other commandments beyond our specialties requires us to enable our fellow Jews to excel in their areas of expertise.

Going back to the Tabernacle, the entire people of Israel are contributors even if Betzelel was the main designer. Those able to donate their possessions towards the Tabernacle did so, and those able to perform manual labor performed their part. Although Betzalel was the brains behind the operation, the Torah rightly considers the Tabernacle to have been built by everyone.