What comes to mind for you when we say: “It was perfect” ?
Why should we care about the weight of gold and other precious metals used in the making of the sacred vessels in the sanctuary?
Why should we care?
Why should we care?
to work in gold, and in silver... People commonly say: The biggest problem is how to obtain money. Once a person has it, he will know what to do with it. But that is an error. "Give me neither poverty nor riches" (Prov. 30:8) is how Solomon expressed it. Money can elevate a person and money can bring him down to the nethermost depths. With money one can build the Sanctuary and with money one can construct a calf. Thus we are told that God inspired Bezalel "with a divine spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge" - one needs a great deal of wisdom and understanding to know how to use gold and silver properly.
Where do you use your gold, silver, and precious resources perfectly in order to build Divine sanctuary, and where do you construct golden calves?
כל הזהב, the Torah testifies that the contributions of gold, silver, and copper for the building of the Tabernacle were miniscule in value when compared to the amount of such precious metals which were used in the building of Solomon’s Temple. We read there about the opulence of that structure. Compared to the restoration of the second Temple in the days of Herod, even Solomon’s Temple could be considered a poor attempt at impressing the world with the Jewish people’s wealth. Notwithstanding all the material wealth invested in both Solomon’s Temple and that of Herod, Moses’ Tabernacle, a collapsible structure, enjoyed far more of G’d’s presence than the Temple Solomon built, not to speak of the second Temple in which the Presence of G’d was never manifest. All of these historical facts teach us that material wealth, even if donated generously, is not a major factor in the success of a Temple dedicated to house the Presence of G’d on earth. G’d’s presence in such a Temple depends on God’s approval of the lifestyle of the Jews who have built such a Temple for the Divine.
So, is it appropriate for us to adorn our holy spaces in gold?
(2) Moses then called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skilled person whom the LORD had endowed with skill, everyone who excelled in ability, to undertake the task and carry it out. (3) They took over from Moses all the gifts that the Israelites had brought, to carry out the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary. But when these continued to bring freewill offerings to him morning after morning, (4) all the artisans who were engaged in the tasks of the sanctuary came, each from the task upon which he was engaged, (5) and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than is needed for the tasks entailed in the work that the LORD has commanded to be done.” (6) Moses thereupon had this proclamation made throughout the camp: “Let no man or woman make further effort toward gifts for the sanctuary!” So the people stopped bringing: (7) their efforts/material were sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
...their efforts/material were sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. There seems to be a contradiction here: "Sufficient" implies enough for one's needs, while "too much" implies more than is needed. Had the donations been exactly the right amount, that would not have been enough, because the key element, God's Presence, would have been missing. Every person would have boasted inwardly and said, "I was one of those that built this building. Without my contribution, they could not have completed it." And where there is conceit, God's Presence does not rest. However, as there was "too much," it meant that some donations were not used at all. Each person, then, might feel broken-hearted, that it was possible that his donation had not even been used. The fact that they were broken hearted was what caused the Divine Presence to rest on them. Thus the "too much" ensured that there was "sufficient" - enough to cause the Divine Presence to dwell in the Sanctuary.
How does this idea exist in our world?
How do we create space for the Divine presence?