Adapted from: Living the Parashah — Shemos by Rabbi Shimon Finkelman

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל מֹשֶה לֵאמֹר מַרְבִּים הָעָם לְהָבִיא … וַיְצַו מֹשֶׁה … אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה אַל יַעֲשֹוּ עוֹד מְלָאכָה לִתְרוּמַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ

They said to Moshe as follows: “The people are bringing more than enough … [Therefore] Moshe commanded … “Man and woman shall not do more work toward the gift for the Sanctuary” (Shemos 36:5-6).

The builders and artisans informed Moshe that there were more than enough materials for the construction of the Mishkan, its vessels and the making of the Kohanim’s vestments. Moshe therefore issued a call which brought the preparation of materials to an end.

Why did Moshe say, “Man and woman shall not do more work”? Why didn’t he say, “Man and woman shall not bring any more materials”? Sefer Kli Chemdah suggests the following:

Picture a person who had prepared materials for the Mishkan, was getting ready to transport them to where the construction was taking place, and then heard the announcement that nothing more was needed. Surely, he would be hurt to see that his efforts were for naught. Moshe Rabbeinu did not want this to happen. Therefore, he announced that no more “work,” meaning preparation of materials, was needed. However, if someone had already prepared the materials, he was asked to bring them. They could be used for future repairs or to make additional vessels.

It is upsetting and frustrating for a person to see that his efforts were fruitless. Great people are careful to recognize the efforts of others on their behalf and to make them feel appreciated.

For Yonason Goldberg, it was a moment for which he had been waiting for a long time. He had traveled from Queens to Monsey to seek advice on an important matter from one of the generation’s luminaries, Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky.

The discussion did not last as long as Yonason had expected. With his keen insight and unparalleled wisdom, R’ Yaakov quickly cut through to the heart of the matter, resolving it clearly and succinctly. With the discussion apparently over, the sage asked his visitor, “Are you returning from here to Queens?”

Yonason nodded in the affirmative.

“Well, then,” R’ Yaakov went on, “I have a favor to ask of you. Our grandchild has been staying with us and needs to go to the airport in Queens. We already arranged for a neighbor of ours to undertake this mitzvah. But for whatever reason, he is not comfortable driving alone. My rebbetzin and I had said that we would accompany him on the round trip. However, if you can take our grandchild, there will be no need for us to go along.”

Yonason was only too happy to save R’ Yaakov and his rebbetzin from having to make such a trip. However, he was not ready to leave just yet. He had waited so long for this opportunity; there were other questions, none of them terribly urgent or important, that he wanted to ask R’ Yaakov. He proceeded to ask his questions, one by one. As soon as R’ Yaakov answered a question, Yonason had something else to ask. Only later did he realize that R’ Yaakov had been trying, in his very polite and friendly way, to draw the visit to a close.

Then the doorbell rang. It was R’ Yaakov’s neighbor, who had come to make the trip to the airport. R’ Yaakov had been unable to reach him at home and cell phones did not yet exist. “We’ll be with you shortly,” R’ Yaakov told his neighbor with a smile.

Then he said quietly to Yonason, “We will have to go with my neighbor. Had you left before he came, I would have explained to him that we found a ride that made it unnecessary for my rebbetzin and me to come along — and he certainly would have understood. But now that my grandchild is still here and the neighbor is ready and eager to make the trip, I think that he will feel bad if we tell him that we have found a different ride.”

And so, to avoid hurting the feelings of their neighbor, R’ Yaakov and his rebbetzin made the trip to Queens and back.