Rabbi Riddle says...

This week's Torah Portion, Vayakhel, describes the materials used for the Mishkan in the desert. The Torah repeats the entire description to teach us the importance of each item, from the Holy Ark to the pegs that held down the curtains. Similarly, G-d made every person different, giving each a unique mission to fulfill!

Every Jewish soul was at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. Our sages say that if one Jew had been missing, the entire nation would have been incomplete, and we could not have received the Torah!
The value of the Hebrew word for One, Echad, equals 13. Our forefather Jacob and his twelve sons also equal 13. This teaches us that the entire Jewish nation is truly one! The Midrash states that the Jewish people are compared to a palm tree which has no waste. We eat the dates, use the branches for the Lulav on the holiday of Sukkos, the thin leaves to cover the Sukkah, its fibers for rope, its prickly leaves for brooms, and its trunk for roofing. So, too, the Jewish nation contains all types of people, from Torah scholars to simple people who perform good deeds and give charity.

• Rabbi Riddle