How Many Times Have I Told You - Parshat Vayakhel

How many times have we said: "How many times have I told you?"1

Just think for a moment. No one really likes to repeat themselves. As parents, we don’t like to repeat admonishments. Kids don’t like hearing them anyway. As bosses or underlings we hate having to repeat ourselves. Part of that is due to a true sense of our own importance - we don’t wish that our efforts go wasted. Yet we repeat ourselves and are upset about it.

So why does the Torah in Parshat Vayakhel repeat all the details of the building of the Sanctuary (Mishkan) a second time? All of the details of the Sanctuary and the priestly clothing are repeated almost word for word! And usually the Torah is so careful in its use of words.

Accountability is the key, says Rabbi Berel Wein.2 Bezalel was entrusted with the task of building. " The praise for the architects, supervisors and builders of the Mishkan is that they did not deviate from the original plans and fulfilled their tasks completely and enthusiastically – with a full heart and great commitment. They fulfilled their obligation of accountability to God and man."

In a quite Franklian3 manner he continues saying," There can be no greater accomplishment for a human being than fulfilling that obligation of accountability."

Being accountable to ourselves may even be a higher form of accountability than ot others. Are we living the life we ought to be living? How often can we ask ourselves that question? Maybe once a year, possibly on Yom Kippur. Maybe once month, possibly on Rosh Chodesh. Maybe weekly, possibly on Shabbat. Maybe even daily.

How aware are we of our strengths? How often do we look at how our life has reached this point and tried to make sense of it?

We are accountable to ourselves. How do we wish our lives to be?

That only we can determine. And that is empowering.

Click here to read another logoParsha post on Vayakhel

Notes

  1. Just be careful not to answer or you may end up with an admonishment a la Eugene from Neil Simon's 'Brighton Beach Memoirs'.
  2. http://torah.org/learning/rabbiwein/5772/vayakhel.html
  3. Viktor Frankl speaks of our responsibility to ourselves, of finding our own meaning and of living according to that meaning.

Have A Great Shabbat!laughing

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