This week’s parashah, Vayakhel–Pekudei, describes the construction of the Mishkan, the Sanctuary in the desert. The Torah records every contribution — gold, silver, copper, fabrics, wood, oil, and precious stones — with extraordinary precision. On the surface, this may appear to be a simple accounting of materials. But Chazal explain that the Mishkan was not built by Moshe Rabbeinu alone, nor only by the artisans; it was built by the entire nation of Israel, each contributing according to their means, and every gift mattered.

The Torah emphasizes a repeated phrase: “kol nediv lev — everyone whose heart moved them” (Shemot 35:21). Rashi........

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