“And Moshe gathered together all the congregation of the children of Israel … six days shall you do your work and the seventh day shall be for you a holy Shabbat … take from yourselves an offering for God ….” (Shemot, 35:1–5) Why does the Torah mention Shabbat just before the work on the Mishkan (Tabernacle)? With the building of the Mishkan, all the hearts of Israel were united without anyone feeling superior to his fellow. At first, everyone possessing a heart of understanding performed his particular work on the Mishkan, and it was shown unto him that he had done wondrous work. Then afterwards, when they saw how all the disparate elements fit perfectly together, every curtain and board, and every element perfectly suited every other one as if it was the work of one man, they thus understood that all that they had done was only a product of their intellect out of the assistance of God to every one who contributed to the Mishkan, producing afterwards the perfection of the structure. So how then could one feel superior over another when all that was done was only with the help of God? Similarly we find in the Gemara Megillah (9a), “It happened with Ptolemy [king of Egypt, 285–246 BCE], that he brought together seventy-two sages of Israel, and asked them all separately, ‘translate the Torah of your teacher Moshe.’ They all answered in exactly the same way [without consulting with each other, ‘E-lohim created in the beginning’],” each one in his heart intended towards the deepest of wisdom. Then when they saw that they were all of the same opinion then they understood that it came about through the assistance of God. This is why the Torah mentions Shabbat immediately before the work of the Mishkan, for the principle of their union was from the mitzvah of Shabbat, for Shabbat is included in all the mitzvot when one has the intention that they are for the sake of Heaven. This intention is called Shabbat. So too, with the work on the Mishkan, all their work was intended for the glory of Heaven in order that the Shechina (Divine presence) would have a dwelling place in Israel. For this reason they united together, for if so much as a nail were missing the Shechina would not rest in the Mishkan. Therefore no one could in any way feel superior to another, even the one who made the ark to the one the tent-spikes of the courtyard, for, as it says in the Gemara (Sotah, 40a), “what does it matter, both this and this serve to exult the Highest.” This is “and Moshe gathered together all the congregation of the children of Israel.”
וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה כוּ' שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי יִהְיֶה לָכֶם קוֹדֶשׁ שַׁבָּת כוּ' קְחוּ מֵאִתְּכֶם תְּרוּמָה לַה'.הָעִנְיָן הוּא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר שַׁבָּת כָּאן קוֹדֶם מְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, כִּי בְּבִנְיַן הַמִּשְׁכָּן נִתְחַבְּרוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּלִבָּם מִבְּלִי שׁוּם הִתְגָּאוּת אֶחָד עַל חֲבֵירוֹ, כִּי בַּתְּחִילָּה עָשׂוּ כָּל חֲכַם לֵב בִּמְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן כָּל אֶחָד אֶת עֲבוֹדָתוֹ וְהָרְאָה לוֹ כִּי עָשׂוּ מְלָאכָה נִפְלָאָה לִמְאֹד, וְאַחַר כָּךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאוּ הַחִיבּוּר שֶׁנִּתְחַבֵּר יַחַד כָּל הָעֲבוֹדָה כָּל הַיְרִיעוֹת וְהַקְּרָשִׁים, רָאוּ כִּי כָּל אֶחָד שַׁיָּיךְ לַחֲבֵירוֹ כְּאִילּוּ עֲשָׂאָם אָדָם אֶחָד, וְהֵבִינוּ כִּי כָּל מַה שֶּׁעָשׂוּ לֹא הָיָה בְּשִׂכְלָם רַק בְּסִיֻּעַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּיַד כָּל הָעוֹשֶׂה בַּמִּשְׁכָּן, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה אַחַר כָּךְ שְׁלֵימוּת צוּרַת הַבִּנְיָן, וְאֵיךְ יוּכַל לְהִתְגָּאוֹת אֶחָד עַל חֲבֵירוֹ מֵאַחַר שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה בְּשִׂכְלוֹ רַק בְּסִיֻּעַת ה'. וְכֵן בַּגְּמָרָא מְגִילָּה [ט.] בְּמַעֲשֶׂה דְּתַלְמַי שֶׁכִּינֵּס ע"ב זְקֵנִים וְהִסְכִּימוּ כּוּלָּם לְדֵעָה אַחַת וְכָתְבוּ לוֹ כַּמָּה שִׁינּוּיִים, וְדִימָּה כָּל אֶחָד בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה וְכִיוֵּן לְחָכְמָה עֲמוּקָּה, אַךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאוּ כִּי כּוּלָּם כִּיוְּנוּ לְדֵעָה אַחַת אָז הֵבִינוּ כִּי הָיָה בְּסִיֻּעַת ה'. וְלָזֶה נֶאֱמַר פָּרָשַׁת שַׁבָּת אֵצֶל מְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, כִּי עִיקַּר הִתְחַבְּרוּתָם הָיְתָה מִמִּצְוַת שַׁבָּת, כִּי שַׁבָּת הִיא תּוֹךְ כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת הַנִּמְצָא בָּם כַּוָּונָה לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם וְזֶה הַכַּוָּונָה נִקְרֵאת שַׁבָּת, וְגַם בִּמְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן שֶׁכָּל עֲבוֹדָתָם הָיְתָה לִכְבוֹד שָׁמַיִם כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבָזֶה נִתְחַבְּרוּ לִבָּם כִּי הַשְּׁכִינָה לֹא הָיְתָה שׁוֹרָה אַף כְּשֶׁנֶּחְסַר יָתֵד אֶחָד, וְלָכֵן לֹא הָיוּ יְכוֹלִים לְהִתְגָּאוֹת אֶחָד עַל חֲבֵירוֹ כְּלָל, אַף עוֹשֶׂה הָאָרוֹן נֶגֶד עוֹשֶׂה יִתְדוֹת הֶחָצֵר כְּמַאֲמַר הַגְּמָרָא (סוטה מ'.) מָה אִיכְפַּת לְךָ, מִינִּי וּמִינֵּיהּ יִתְקַלֵּס עִילָּאָה, וְזֶהוּ "וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה אֶת כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל".
“And Moshe gathered together all the congregation of the children of Israel … six days shall you do your work and the seventh day shall be for you a holy Shabbat … take from yourselves an offering for God ….” (Shemot, 35:1–5)
Why does the Torah mention Shabbat just before the work on the Mishkan (Tabernacle)? With the building of the Mishkan, all the hearts of Israel were united without anyone feeling superior to his fellow. At first, everyone possessing a heart of understanding performed his particular work on the Mishkan, and it was shown unto him that he had done wondrous work. Then afterwards, when they saw how all the disparate elements fit perfectly together, every curtain and board, and every element perfectly suited every other one as if it was the work of one man, they thus understood that all that they had done was only a product of their intellect out of the assistance of God to every one who contributed to the Mishkan, producing afterwards the perfection of the structure. So how then could one feel superior over another when all that was done was only with the help of God?
Similarly we find in the Gemara Megillah (9a), “It happened with Ptolemy [king of Egypt, 285–246 BCE], that he brought together seventy-two sages of Israel, and asked them all separately, ‘translate the Torah of your teacher Moshe.’ They all answered in exactly the same way [without consulting with each other, ‘E-lohim created in the beginning’],” each one in his heart intended towards the deepest of wisdom. Then when they saw that they were all of the same opinion then they understood that it came about through the assistance of God. This is why the Torah mentions Shabbat immediately before the work of the Mishkan, for the principle of their union was from the mitzvah of Shabbat, for Shabbat is included in all the mitzvot when one has the intention that they are for the sake of Heaven. This intention is called Shabbat. So too, with the work on the Mishkan, all their work was intended for the glory of Heaven in order that the Shechina (Divine presence) would have a dwelling place in Israel. For this reason they united together, for if so much as a nail were missing the Shechina would not rest in the Mishkan. Therefore no one could in any way feel superior to another, even the one who made the ark to the one the tent-spikes of the courtyard, for, as it says in the Gemara (Sotah, 40a), “what does it matter, both this and this serve to exult the Highest.” This is “and Moshe gathered together all the congregation of the children of Israel.”