Moses gathered all the congregation...and said to them: These are the words which the L-rd has commanded, that you should do them (Ex. 35:1)
As Rashi notes, this gathering took place on the day after Yom Kippur. On the holy day of Yom Kippur, everyone is in awe of G-d, suffused with a sense of peace and brotherly love for his fellow man. Moses gathered the Jews together immediately afterward to teach them that Jewish unity should not be limited to Yom Kippur, but should be felt throughout the year. (Olelot Efraim)
This is the thing which the L-rd has commanded to say...whoever is of willing heart, let him bring an offering...gold and silver and bronze (Ex. 35:4-5)
In his Responsa, Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet (the Rashba) writes that "it is a mitzva to publicize and make known those who do a mitzva." It is therefore incumbent upon us to "say" - announce publicly - the names of whoever donates money for "the thing, which the L-rd has commanded." (Pardes Yosef)
Moses called Betzalel and Oholiav, and every wise-hearted man (Ex. 36:2)
Why didn't the "wise-hearted men" come on their own to Moses, and waited until he approached each of them individually? Because a person who is truly wise-hearted doesn't consider himself wise; when Moses issued his call, none of them thought he was talking to them. (Ketoret Samim)
Reprinted from the Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei 5761/2001 edition of L’Chaim Weekly.
