יְבִיאֶהָ אֵת תְּרוּמַת ה׳. פָּסוּק זֶה מַרְאֶה בְּאֶצְבַּע כִּי לְבַד הַמּוּרְגָּשׁ יֵשׁ הַמּוּשְׂכָּל, וְהוּא מַאֲמָרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (תיקונים תיקון כא) כִּי מַעֲשֵׂה הַתְּרוּמָה מוּשְׂכָּל הִיא בְּחִינַת הַשְּׁכִינָה, כִּי לָהּ יִקָּרֵא תְּרוּמַת ה׳, וְעַל יְדֵי מַעֲשֵׂה הַתְּרוּמָה יַפְעִיל בָּהּ דָּבָר טוֹב וִיחַבֵּר אֹהֶל בַּל יִמּוֹט, וְעִקַּר הָרָצוֹן בַּמַּעֲשֶׂה הוּא הַמּוּשְׂכָּל, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ יְבִיאֶהָ פֵּרוּשׁ יָבִיא לַבְּחִינָה הַנֶּעֱלֶמֶת עִם תְּרוּמַת ה׳, וּבֵאֵר הַכָּתוּב מִי הוּא אֲשֶׁר יְבִיאֶהָ, וְאָמַר כֹּל נְדִיב לִבּוֹ, פֵּרוּשׁ, הָעוֹשֶׂה דָּבָר מִנְּשִׂיאוּת הַלֵּב אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לְצַד הִתְנוֹעֲעוּת הָרוּחָנִית הַשּׁוֹכֵן בַּלֵּב בְּחֵשֶׁק הַדָּבָר יַפְעִיל בַּמּוּשְׂכָּל נֶעְלָם, אֲבָל אִם יָבִיא הַתְּרוּמָה בְּלֹא נְדִיבוּת לֵב אֵין זֶה פּוֹעֵל בַּמּוּשְׂכָּל. יביאה את תרומת השם, "let him bring it, i.e. the offering for the Lord." This verse clearly demonstrates that in the building of the Tabernacle we encounter both tangibles, perceptibles, and intangibles, imperceptibles. This is what is meant in Tikkunim 21 where we read that the תרומה, the donations for the Tabernacle, contained an intangible element, i.e. a contribution from the שכינה. The Torah calls this element תרומת השם, "G'd's contribution." It was this intangible contribution that enabled the tangible parts to be joined together and to form a sustainable whole, a tent that would not collapse. The most essential part in the construction was G'd's goodwill, i.e. an intangible. When the Torah writes יביאה, "he (the generously minded donor) is to bring it," this means that the donor is to elevate his gift to such a spiritual level that it may merge with the תרומת השם, G'd's contribution. When the Torah speaks of the כל נדיב לבו, it defines the kind of person whose gift will be of the calibre that can merge with G'd's intangible gift. If the human donor does not possess the spirit the Torah describes as נדיב לב, then the gift of such a person has no chance of merging with the Divine contribution described here as the invisible contribution תרומת השם.
זָהָב וָכֶסֶף וְגוֹ׳. רָאִיתִי לָתֵת לֵב בְּכָל הַפָּרָשָׁה בְּסֵדֶר הִתְחַבְּרוּת הַשֵּׁמוֹת וּפְרָטֵי הַדְּבָרִים, כִּי לֹא הִשְׁוָה מִדּוֹתָיו בָּהֶם. לִפְעָמִים יֹאמַר וָא״ו בְּכָל פְּרָט הַנּוֹסָף, כְּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ בְּסֵדֶר י״ג דְּבָרִים הַבָּאִים בְּנִדְבַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן שֶׁאָמַר וָא״ו בְּכָל נוֹסָף, וְלִפְעָמִים יֹאמַר וָא״ו בְּהִתְחַבְּרוּת הַג׳, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶת אָהֳלוֹ וְאֶת מִכְסֵהוּ״, וְתֵכֶף חָזַר בּוֹ בַּכָּתוּב עַצְמוֹ וְלָקַח סֵדֶר הִתְחַבְּרוּת אַחֵר וְאָמַר ״אֶת קְרָסָיו וְאֶת קְרָשָׁיו״, וְכֵן עַל זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ עַד סוֹף סֵדֶר פְּרָטֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן, כַּמָּה שִׁנּוּיִים בִּפְרָט זֶה. זהב וכסף, "gold and silver." I have given special attention to the manner in which the various items listed as materials required for the Tabernacle are connected to one another by the conjunctive letter ו. At first glance, the presence of that letter and the absence of that letter seem arbitrary. There are 13 items (verses 5-9) all of which are joined together with the conjunctive letter ו. On the other hand, sometimes three different kinds of materials are lumped together and joined by only a single conjunctive letter ו (compare verse 11). In verse 13 the Torah resumes the method of presenting each item by joining it to the following item with the conjunctive letter ו. What prompted the Torah to be so selective in the use of the conjunctive letter ו?
וְנִרְאֶה לְיַשֵּׁב בְּהַקְדִּים דִּבְרֵיהֶם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שמות רבה ל,ג) כִּי הַוָּי״ו יַגִּיד הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת הַנּוֹסָף עִם הָרִאשׁוֹן, וְחֶסְרוֹן הַוָּא״ו יַגִּיד כִּי הוּא גְּבוּל בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ. וּמִזֶּה נַשְׂכִּיל עַל כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר וְנֵלֵךְ לְיַשֵּׁב כָּל פְּרָט וּפְרָט בִּמְקוֹמוֹ, וְזֶה יָצָא רִאשׁוֹנָה בְּנִדְבַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן: אָמַר ו׳ בְּרֹאשׁ כָּל פְּרָט כְּדֵי לְהַסְמִיךְ וּלְהַשְׁווֹת כָּל הַי״ג דְּבָרִים, לוֹמַר שֶׁכֻּלָּם שָׁוִים לִקָּרְאוֹת תְּרוּמַת ה׳ וּזְכוּתָן שָׁוָה, מֵבִיא הַנְּחֹשֶׁת כְּמֵבִיא זָהָב, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב בְּעוֹלַת הַבְּהֵמָה ״רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ״ וּבְעוֹלַת הָעוֹף ״רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ״, וְאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (מנחות קי,א) לוֹמַר לְךָ אֶחָד הַמַּרְבֶּה וְאֶחָד הַמַּמְעִיט וְכוּ׳, וְעַיֵּן מַה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי בָּעִנְיָן בְּפָרָשַׁת וַיִּקְרָא (ויקרא א,יז). In order to comprehend this we have to quote a statement by our sages in Shemot Rabbah 30,3 that the letter ו indicates an addition to something that was recorded previously whereas the absence of such a letter where one could have expected it suggests that what is introduced at that point has no connection with what had been reported previously. Having learned this, we can proceed to evaluate the respective presence or absence of the letter ו in different parts of this paragraph. The paragraph begins by listing contributions for the construction of the Tabernacle, listing thirteen different materials and joining each one to the other with the conjunctive letter ו to show that each of these materials was of equal importance in the construction of the Tabernacle and was equally indispensable. All of these materials could be subsumed under the heading תרומת השם. The Torah considered someone who had contributed copper as on the same level as someone who had contributed gold, for instance. According to Menachot 110 the Torah describes the person who offered a bird as a total offering as having offered a ריח ניחוח, no less so than a person who offered a four-legged mammal as an עולה, a total offering. The evaluation is based on the principle אחד המרבה ואחד ההמעיט, that the quantity of a contribution does not determine how G'd evaluates it but the intent does. As long as the intent is to please Heaven that is all that matters. In this connection, you may wish to read what I have written on Leviticus 1,17.
גַּם נִתְכַּוֵּן לוֹמַר שֶׁכָּל הַי״ג דְּבָרִים חוֹבָה הֵם לְצָרְכֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן, דָּבָר קָטָן כְּדָבָר גָּדוֹל מְעַכְּבִין, אֲשֶׁר עַל כֵּן חִבְּרָם בְּמַחְבֶּרֶת הַוָּוִי״ן. כָּל זֶה בְּעֵרֶךְ דָּבָר הַנִּתָּן, אֲבָל בְּעֵרֶךְ הַנַּעֲשֶׂה מִמֶּנּוּ יֵשׁ בָּהֶם הַדְרָגוֹת הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, כַּמָּה קְדֻשּׁוֹת הֵם זוֹ לְמַעְלָה מִזּוֹ, וְלֹא תִדְמֶה שׁוּם קְדֻשָּׁה לְמַה שֶׁלְמַעְלָה מִמֶּנָּה. Another reason that these 13 items are joined together in the Torah by the conjunctive letter ו is that all of these materials were indispensable. The Tabernacle could not function if any of these materials had been absent. The aforesaid applied only from the point of view of the materials which had to be contributed; it did not mean that furnishings or other parts of the Tabernacle constructed out of, say gold, were of the same significance as parts made of copper, for instance. Different parts of the Tabernacle each represented different levels of sanctity.