Parashas Vayakhel

Exodus 35:34

And he gave the ability to teach , him and Ahaliav, the son of Achisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

RASHI

And Ahaliav: Rashi: [He] was from the tribe of Dan, of the lowliest among the Tribes, one of the sons of the maidservants, yet G-d equates him to Bezalel in the work of the Tabernacle, who was from the greatest of the tribes. This exemplifies what it says (Job 34:19) "He does not recognize the wealthy over the poor."

What Is Rashi Saying ?

Rashi's message is clear. He says that Torah teaches us a moral lesson i.e. that G-d does not show preference to the privileged over the less privileged. We derive this from the fact that G-d chose Ahaliav, the son of one of Jacob's maidservants, to be on an equal footing with Bezalel, the son of Leah, one of Jacob's wives, in the holy work of constructing the Tabernacle. And we are made aware of this by the phrasing of our verse.

But when we compare our verse with a previous one, we have a question. See 31:6 (parashas Ki Sisa). There it says:

"I have given with him (Bezalel) Ahaliav the son of Achisamach of the Tribe of Dan, etc."

Questioning Rashi:

A Question: On the above words Rashi has no comment. Why didn't he make the comment he made on our verse on this earlier verse? This verse also mentions Ahaliav together with Bezalel.

Hint: Compare the wording of the two verses.

Your Answer:

Understanding Rashi

An Answer: In verse 31:6 it says "with him (Bezalel.)" The word "with" can be understood to mean "subordinate to" and not necessarily "equal to." While in our verse we have the words "him and Ahaliav etc." Here the two are placed on an equal basis. Thus it is not by chance that Rashi makes his comment here and not earlier; only here does the wording of the verse stress their equality.

Lesson

It is always wise to assume that Rashi will make an appropriate comment at the earliest opportunity in the Torah. If he does not, then we must strive to understand why.

Shabbat Shalom
Avigdor Bonchek "What's Bothering Rashi?" is a product of the Institute for the Study of Rashi and Early Commentaries. All 5 volumes on What's Bothering Rashi? are available in Jewish book stores.

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