Pekudai

All the work of the Tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished. The Israelites did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they did.

39:32

Although all of Israel had contributed in providing the various sections of the tabernacle and its furnishings, when it came to assembling it, the people could not manage, where Moses unassisted did manage. The people’s contribution then consisted only in preparing the material, providing the basis for the tabernacle’s ultimate form, to be erected when it would be ready for use…When our sages warn that we should not assume that Moses had erected the tabernacle by his own strength and ability, they imply… (that even though) he was deemed to have erected the tabernacle, “the tabernacle was erected by itself” that is, no human effort by itself would have sufficed, not even that of Moses.

Akedat Yitzchak (15^th Century)

Regarding the phrase “so they did,”…Moses observed two things when he inspected the works: first, he verified that the workers followed orders they were given, and with all their enthusiasm they did not change or “improve” on those orders. What pleased Moses, however, was the discovery that even as they followed the orders exactly, they did not do so as mechanical robots, fulfilling the ordered instructions and nothing else. “They did it.” Although following orders, they managed to put into the work much of themselves, their “personal touch,” feelings and dreams.

Pinchas Peli (20^th Century)

In Chapter 40:18 – 33…the text wants us to know that it is Moses who is doing this work – his name is repeated 8 times and “he” is referred to 15 times…the creation of the Tabernacle is Moses’ special project…Perhaps, the message the text wishes to give is that the Tabernacle, as a symbol of the people’s unity and God’s holiness, is “the final realization of Moses vision and belongs to him.”

Leila Berner (Contemporary)

Though it was Betzalel and his fellow craftsmen who actually performed the tasks, a man’s agent is as himself and the making was attributed to Israel. Though Betzalel only did what God had instructed, it was the Children of Israel who delegated and approved him. Evidently, the text wished to indicate the mutual, interlocking character of Torah observance…The Torah was given to be collectively observed by Israel as a whole… (Yet) there are some Mitzvot that can only be fulfilled by Kohanim, Levites and women…In what way is it feasible for the individual to observe all the precepts…The answer must be that the Torah can be observed collectively, by the people as a whole…

Oh Hachayim (18^th Century)

Our Torah then is a social code designed for observance in the communal context and not for a solitary Crusoe on his desert island. The Jewish people as a whole, all classes, great and small were entrusted with the Divine law and His covenant was made with the understanding that the Torah can only be realized in practice by the nation as a whole.

Nechama Leibowitz (20^th Century)