The Finest Workmanship (Vayakhel)

The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. -Vince Lombardi

There is a story told to young design engineers about a car inventor who was always looking to improve the efficiency of his cars. He would visit junkyards to examine the remaining components of discarded vehicles. Upon discovering a bolt that was still in good condition while the rest of the car had fallen apart, he exclaimed, “This bolt was overdesigned!”

The inventor’s goal was for the entire car to break down around the same time. If a single bolt remained useful, it meant that too much steel had gone into its construction. Multiplying that waste by thousands or millions of units would lead to significant inefficiencies.

Thus, we now see a plethora of products purposely designed to fall apart shortly after the warranty expires.

The young Israelite nation was not without its own design engineers. However, they had a different design philosophy.

When the Children of Israel began building the Tabernacle in the desert, the Jewish people were called upon to donate materials for its construction. They responded with such generosity that the artisans eventually instructed Moses to stop collecting—they had more than enough.

Rabbi Ovadia Sforno (1475–1549), commenting on Exodus 36:7, reflects on the unusual repetition and phrasing in the verse that emphasizes the surplus of materials.

Sforno draws an interesting lesson from this excess. In an age of “just-in-time” manufacturing, short supply chains, cost-cutting, and ensuring that manufacturers have only what they need—no more—his insight may seem surprising.

He explains that, in order to do a good job, the workers needed extra material. Simply knowing that additional resources were available ensured that they wouldn’t skimp on any aspect of construction. They could invest everything required to build in the best way possible. Cutting corners, Sforno suggests, is not the way God wants us to approach our work.

May we always be both creators and patrons of only the finest workmanship.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the memory of my great-aunt, Mrs. Sima Ovadia. May the family be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.