Parshat Nasso: True Devotion
by Rabbi Lobel

Numbers; Chapter 7, Verse 1: "It was the day that Moses finished erecting the Tabernacle that he anointed it and sanctified it and all its utensils."

The Medrash Rabba (Numbers 12:8) states that Moses received complete credit for three things: the Torah, judging honorably, and the Tabernacle. The Torah, as it says, "remember the Torah of my servant Moses" (Malachi 3). Judging honorably, as it says, "He [Moses] carried out the righteousness of G-d and his ordinance with Israel" (Deuteronomy 33:21). The Tabernacle, "it was the day Moses finished erecting the Tabernacle."

The Medrash Rabba explains why Moses received all the credit. Moses did not construct the actual Tabernacle but he was intimately involved in it laws and technical operations. He constantly supervised its construction and operation making sure to relate the word of G-d exactly and properly.

Moses' care for the tabernacle was what gave him the credit for its construction. He wanted to make sure that all was correct. Moses did not just deliver G-d's word, he also ensured G-d's instructions were followed. This devotion gave Moses the honor of receiving credit for building the Tabernacle.

True devotion comes with care and dedication. Even though Moses did not physically construct the Tabernacle, his care and devotion added much more than manual labor. It was not his actual teaching or expertise of the Torah that gave him the title "the Torah of my servant Moses." It was his devotion and care.