The good in others – Vayakhel-P’kudei
Look at the names of this week’s portions and you get a message, “Gather the people (Vayakhel) and assess the situation (P’kudei)”.
An assembly that judges the state of things will not all agree. All have their own emphases and interests. If everyone looks at the water they each see the reflection of their own face. Everyone assessed Moses from their own point of view.
This one was hungry and judged him on whether there was enough food. This one was lonely and judged Moses on whether the people were a chevra. This one was unwell and questioned whether sick people had been looked after. Poor Moses!
The lesson is that each person should think of others, not only themselves. Once they see that a leader’s task is to try to understand the needs of every individual and segment of the community, they will know how well Moses has done his task.
