Parshat Vayakhel
by Rabbi Avi Billet
In the preparation for the construction of the parts of the Mishkan, a few things happened, some of which we might define as strange.
1. Everyone came to contribute because everyone wanted ownership of a “portion” of the Mishkan
2. It is unclear whether men were more inspired to donate, women were more inspired to donate, or they were equally inspired.
3. It is unclear whether there were more artisan men or artisan women involved in the different tasks needed to build the varying part of the Mishkan
4. There were more donations than needed
5. Those collecting the donations told Moshe, “The people are bringing too much – more than is needed for the work.”
6. An announcement spread throughout the camp instructing all men and women to stop donating
7. The people – though obviously devoted to donating – listened! And they stopped bringing supplies!
What follows is a partial summary of Avos D’Rabi Nosson 1:11, first paragraph (reproduced after it in Hebrew).
Rabbi Yehuda ben Beseira is quoted as saying “Even if a person has no work, the person should stay busy. Even if he has an empty field, or a courtyard that serves no purpose (nothing grows in it), he should nonetheless work it. The Torah tells us that “Six days you shall participate in all of your labors…” Rabbi Yosi said, a person dies from being idle… we learn this to be true for both men and women from the verse crying out to men and woman to stop giving the donations for the Mishkan.
And how do we know the same is true for children? Because the verse says “And the nation was restrained from bringing.” [It could have just said ויכלאו – suggesting that the men and women stopped. Since it says ויכלא העם, the implication is that ALL of the nation, including the children, were restrained from further participation.]
מסכתות קטנות מסכת אבות דרבי נתן נוסחא א פרק יא
רבי יהודה בן בתירא אומר [אדם] שאין לו מלאכה לעשות מה יעשה אם יש לו חצר חרבה או שדה חרבה ילך ויתעסק בה שנאמר ששת ימים תעבוד ועשית כל מלאכתך (שם כ' ט') ומה תלמוד לומר ועשית כל מלאכתך להביא את מי שיש לו חצרות או שדות חרבות ילך ויתעסק בהן: רבי יוסי אומר אין אדם מת אלא מתוך הבטלה שנאמר ויגוע ויאסף אל עמיו (בראשית מ"ט ל"ג) הרי שנכפה ונפל על אומן שלו ומת הא אינו מת אלא מתוך הבטלה היה עומד על ראש הגג ועל שפת הנהר ונפל ומת אינו מת אלא מתוך הבטלה: שכן שמענו לאנשים. ולנשים מנין שנאמר איש ואשה אל יעשו עוד מלאכה לתרומת הקודש (שמות ל"ו ו'). לטפלים מנין שנאמר ויכלא העם מהביא (שם:(
It should not take much thought to see the common sense being conveyed through the teachings of Rabbi Yehuda ben Beseira and Rabbi Yosi.
We are all familiar with the term “If you don’t use it you lose it.” It can be applied to a foreign language, even one’s Hebrew skills, one’s Torah learning skills, any kind of skill. It can be applied to one’s motor skills, one’s brain capacity, and one’s body preservation.
Anyone I have ever met in rehab has told me how much the goal is to “get back to where I was before.” Sometimes it is an attainable goal. Sometimes the goal is “to get back as much as I possible can” because some injuries are worse than others, and some situations remove a degree of physical capacity to undertake certain activities.
What we learn from the involvement of the men and women and children who participated to their utmost and to their max is that as long as we have the strength and the ability, we should be volunteering. We should be taking active roles. We should be making sure to use that which we are gifted to use, our intelligence, our strength, our legs, our arms, to DO things.
Someone in our community once told me why he takes a walk every day, “I know that if I don’t use them, I’ll lose them” he said, referring to the use of his legs.
I have personally seen the benefit that people have from getting up each morning with a purpose, whether it is for daily minyan, for a walk, a learning session, to go swimming.
I recall once meeting a great-grandmother at a bris I did – in the country club of her development somewhere in south Florida. She was in her mid-90s, but could easily pass for an energetic grandma in her 70s (I never would have gotten close to guessing her real age). Of course I gave her a modest compliment of being a very “young great grandmother.” And she told me, “Rabbi, every morning I walk from my house to the clubhouse. I walk down the 40 some-odd steps to the pool. I do my laps for 45 minutes. I shower and get dressed. And then I begin my day.”
I personally am reminded each year that I undertake a more significant running challenge, that during the summer months, when it is harder and every excuse in the world comes up for not going out, how quickly the stamina and the drive to continue can waver.
We all know that genetics and the hand we are dealt (however we wish to understand God’s hand in our lives) has much to do with whether we may have some kind of medical challenge. But taking charge of our diet, our choice to get up and move, our determination not to remain idle all contribute to our building ourselves into the best versions of ourselves we can be. And this is true of all people at every age and stage of life.
I was once at a shiva house, where the niftar (deceased) had been 91. His son told me, “My father (who had been widowed) was living alone, was taking care of himself. He was an active, independent person through his 89th year. When he turned 90, something switched in his mind. He decided ‘I am old.’ And then it was downhill from there. He didn’t have a medical setback until that happened.”
I learned from that encounter (or it was confirmed for me) that often enough Age is a state of the mind. But it is also exacerbated by the state of how much a person remains engaged, doing things, keeping busy, remaining a part of the community, showing up, socializing, working with one’s hands, engaging and stimulating the mind – whether through books, lectures, classes, etc.
It should never be strange to want to give, to want to give more than is needed (though which fundraiser ever says “we have enough and don’t need more”?), or for everyone to feel “There is a role for me. I have what to do as a leader, or as a simple participant.”
Through our continued engagement with life, we should merit to have long, fulfilling lives, blessed with the good health that can help us enjoy every minute of it.
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