The Mishkan was built by a team

This past Shabbos, someone asked me, “How many people were involved in making the items for the Mishkan?”

My answer: “We have no idea.” We are only told the names of two people, Betzalel and Oholiav, and beyond them we are informed of many men and women who volunteered their resources, talents and time to the production of the Mishkan’s items.

But even in the realm of Betzalel and Oholiav, we are given strange information which counters my actual assumption, which has always been that Betzalel was the foreman, and Oholiav either his equal partner or right-hand man.

As the Torah begins our parsha with a preliminary accounting of all that was brought in, it mentions that “Betzalel son of Uri son of Chur, of the tribe of Yehuda, [used these materials] to make all that God had commanded Moshe. With him was Oholiav son of Achisamach, of the tribe of Dan, who was a skilled carpenter, and [was also expert in] brocading and embroidering with sky-blue, dark red and crimson wool, and fine linen.”

Does this mean that Betzalel was a jack-of-all-trades while Oholiav was merely a master-of-some?

Bal Haturim and Netziv both point to Betzalel and Oholiav as auditors, making sure that all the donations were accounted for and utilized properly for the necessary items to which they were designated.

This role is different than the role of accountant, the role taken up by Itamar and the Levites (as notes in 38:21) under the overall supervision of Moshe.

Abravanel notes that the three roles described — Moshe as “donation collector,” Itamar and co. as accountants, and Betzalel and Oholiav as auditors, were all essential to the process. On top of these roles, Betzalel and Oholiav were also able to discern how to designate and apportion the materials they processed.

So our question is not adequately addressed. How much of a difference was there in the skillset of the Betzalel vs that of Oholiav? Ibn Ezra on 38:22 essentially equates their abilities in saying they were the top-tier artisans who did all that Moshe had been commanded. Rashi suggests Betzalel was even able to discern that which Moshe had heard on the mountain, including things he inadvertently neglected to tell Betzalel (see also Ramban, Chizkuni, Rabbenu Bachaye, etc.).

Interestingly, Rabbenu Bachaye notes that despite all the skills he may have had, the only item Betzalel made personally was the Aron (based on 37:1).

I believe all of this information, in the final analysis, is more of an exercise in futility, because it doesn’t really matter who was more involved or less involved, who was more skilled or who was less skilled. The point is that the job got done, and that these two artisans — of the tribe of Yehuda and of the tribe of Dan — are given just about equal billing throughout the process.

In the end, it does not matter. Their job was to see that the Mishkan’s vessels, walls, covers and garments were created. They had to oversee a lot of people, be ready to advise, to answer questions, and make sure that everyone had what they needed to check off the supply list item by item, and to fashion the vessels on the “made in the midbar” inventory list of the Mishkan.

Or Hachaim says at the beginning of Vayakhel that one of Betzalel’s jobs was to create the necessary tools for the various forms of labor needed to create the Mishkan’s vessels, and that skill — creating new tools — was unique to Betzalel.

All of this reflects a reality that we all know. Everyone is blessed with a different skill set. Some people can excel at new skills, some are blessed to have incredible hands or incredible coordination, and some can work with numbers like no one else can.

I do not think it is advisable for parents to ever say to a child, “You’re the artistic one” or “You’re the musical one” or “You’re the doctor.” Why limit a child, or an adult child, by putting them in a box?

At the same time, there is what to be said about knowing where our talents are and bringing them out in full force in our contributions to larger efforts. Some people have no money to speak of, but are great at getting those with excess to donate to the right causes. Some people can’t read a blueprint but have an intuitive sense of carpentry. Some people can fashion gold, others can fix cars. Everyone has something that is of value and benefit.

Parents have the awesome and noble responsibility to support their children’s best talents, and when possible, to help guide them in a direction in which those talents can be utilized in a professional arena where it can be beneficial to the individual in helping to give and get the most out of life — both in terms of personal satisfaction, and means of supporting oneself and one’s family.

Betzalel and Oholiav were a dynamic duo — bringing certain shared strengths to the table, but also each bringing a particular skill set that elevated their partnership into one that was able to see the Mishkan-project to its completion.