A Real ‘A’ for Effort

Rabbi Maury Grebenau

The building of the awesome edifice known as the Mishkan (tabernacle) was
accomplished in part by the work of many artisans. They gave their time and talents to
create the splendor and beauty of the Mishkan and all that was housed inside it. Where in
the world did the Jews get the type of training necessary to make such splendor and
beauty? The Jews certainly worked in Egypt, but the work they did was much more
labor-intensive and crude than the type of work necessary for the Mishkan.

The Ramban (Shemos 36:21) tells us that there were two types of gifts that were
presented when the Jewish people were preparing to build the Mishkan. One was a gift of
raw materials which would be formed into the many utensils and pieces of the Mishkan.
The second type of gift was the gift of natural talent. The individuals who felt that they
had an innate ability for a certain type of artistry or task would come to Moshe and
donate their time and their raw skills. These innate skills flourished when they were
applied to the service of G-d.

Not all of us are blessed with the talents to be able to constructively add to the creation of
the Mishkan, but we are all blessed with unique talents that will add to the world. In the
shema we are told to love Hashem with all of our soul. The Midrash (Devarim Rabbah
2:37), picking up on the plural of „soul‟ in the verse, perplexingly says that we are to
serve Hashem with each and every one of the souls that Hashem has created within us.
We may be able to understand the Midrash in the same light as the Ramban. Each of the
unique abilities and talents that are present in each person are called a „soul‟ of that
person. We must harness each of these talents in our service of Hashem. We were each
given a skill set which matches perfectly with our specific task in this world and we must
do our best to use our talents in this way.

As parents, teachers, bosses and coworkers we frequently are forced to judge by a more
„one size fits all‟ approach than we would like. It is usually very difficult to ascertain if
someone is truly working up to their potential. When we are on the other end of this
yardstick we may feel frustrated and unfairly judged. It may seem to us that we truly tried
our best and that it went unnoticed and unappreciated. G-d truly knows our potential and
what we can accomplish. In terms of our spirituality there is no chance that we will be
taken to task for failing to accomplish goals that exceed our capabilities. Our efforts will
never be overlooked.

Reb Zushia, a Chassidic master, was said to have exclaimed that he was not afraid that
after his death G-d would ask him why he did not reach the heights of Moshe or of
Avrohom. Reb Zushia was afraid that G-d would confront him with the question, “Why
weren‟t you Zushia!?” When we examine our own lives and set spiritual goals, the
yardstick we must use is only our own potential. We are not expected to be better than the
next person, but we are expected to be the best we can be.