Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei
This Parsha repeats the command of taking materials for the Mishkan, and also states the actual construction of the Mishkan. When the Torah describes the bringing of materials, first it says the people brought, and only afterwards mentions that the leaders, the nesi’im, brought. The Torah writes נשאם leaving out the letter yud. We know that letters are important and are not usually left out. We see this by Sara: her name was originally שרי and it was changed toשרה . The yud went to Hashem and said, “what will be with me?” Hashem answered, “you will be added toיהושע .” His original name was הושע and a yud was added to become יהושע. Since we see that letters are important, why was the letter yud left out of the word נשאים?
Rashi explains in the name of R’ Nosson that Hashem took out the yud because of the nesi’im’s laziness. What was this laziness? R’ Nosson says that the nesi’im did not donate to the Mishkan right away. Instead they said, “We’ll wait for Bnei Yisroel to bring, and then we will donate the rest.” Bnei Yisroel came and brought everything that was necessary. The nesi’im then said, “What will we bring?” Then they brought the stones for the choshen and eifod. They learned their lesson, and therefore by the Chanukas haMizbeyach they made sure to be the first to bring the korbanos.
We can still ask: wasn’t it very generous of the nesi’im? They were willing to oversee the entire project of collecting to build the Mishkan and were happy to donate anything that would be needed. Wherein lies their fault that the Torah takes out a yud from their title?
R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz explains: We find by the mitzvah of ואהבת את ה’ אלקיך, letting oneself be killed for Hashem, that it should be done without much thought and contemplation, for then one will come up with excuses why not to do it. The same is true by the nesi’im. Had their ahavas Hashem been burning they would have hurried to contribute first. Since the nesi’im were missing in their ahavas Hashem, the Torah takes out the yud.
May Hashem help us increase our ahavas Hashem and with that grab every opportunity to do mitzvos!
