Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Exodus 36:7/אור החיים על שמות ל״ו:ז׳

אדַּיָּם וְגוֹ׳ וְהוֹתֵר. הֵם שְׁנֵי דְּבָרִים הַפְכִּיִּים: אִם דַּיָּם אֵינוֹ הוֹתֵר, וְאִם הוֹתֵר אֵינוֹ דַּיָּם, וְכָאן אֵין מָקוֹם לוֹמַר ״לֹא זוֹ אַף זוֹ״ לְצַד שֶׁשְּׁנֵיהֶם סוּג אֶחָד וּבְחִינָה אַחַת, וְאֵין דֶּרֶךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת סוּג אֶחָד שְׁנֵי סוּגִים כִּי יֵשׁ בַּנִּשְׁמָע הַכְחָשָׁה. וְעוֹד, לֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר ״דַּיָּם״ אֶלָּא ״וְהַמְּלָאכָה הָיְתָה הוֹתֵר לְכָל הַמְּלָאכָה״. וְעוֹד, כָּל הַכָּתוּב מְיֻתָּר, שֶׁהֲרֵי אָמַר לְמַעְלָה ״מַרְבִּים הָעָם לְהָבִיא מִדֵּי הָעֲבוֹדָה לַמְּלָאכָה״, וּפְשִׁיטָא שֶׁלֹּא אָמְרוּ כֵן עַד שֶׁשִּׁעֲרוּ, וּמַה צֹרֶךְ עוֹד לוֹמַר ״וְהַמְּלָאכָה״ וְגוֹ׳?
1 דים…והותר, sufficient and too much. How could there be "too much" and "sufficient" at the same time? There seems to be something contradictory here. Why did the Torah have to mention that "the work was sufficient" at all? The Torah only needed to inform us that the requirements for the Holy Tabernacle were oversubscribed! Besides, the entire verse seems superfluous as we have already been told in verse five that the people brought more than was required and had to be restrained. Obviously, such a statement had to be based on the quantities having already been either counted, weighed or measured!
בוְאוּלַי שֶׁיַּשְׁמִיעֵנוּ הַכָּתוּב חִבַּת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעֵינֵי הַמָּקוֹם, כִּי לְצַד שֶׁהֵבִיאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹתֵר מִשִּׁעוּר הַצָּרִיךְ, חָשׁ ה׳ לִכְבוֹד כָּל אִישׁ שֶׁטָּרְחוּ וְהֵבִיאוּ, וְנִכְנַס כָּל הַמּוּבָא בֵּית ה׳ בִּמְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן. וְזֶה שִׁעוּר הַכָּתוּב וְהַמְּלָאכָה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ לַעֲשׂוֹת בַּמִּשְׁכָּן הִסְפִּיקָה לְהִכָּנֵס בְּתוֹכָהּ כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה שֶׁעָשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֲגַם שֶׁהוֹתֵר, פֵּרוּשׁ שֶׁהָיָה יוֹתֵר מֵהַצָּרִיךְ, הִסְפִּיק הַמְּקַבֵּל לְקַבֵּל יוֹתֵר מִשִּׁעוּרוֹ עַל יְדֵי נֵס. אוֹ עַל זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ וְהַמְּלָאכָה שֶׁהֵבִיאוּ הָיְתָה דַיָּם, לֹא חָסֵר וְלֹא יוֹתֵר, הֲגַם שֶׁהָיְתָה יוֹתֵר כְּפִי הָאֱמֶת, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ וְהוֹתֵר, כִּי נַעֲשָׂה נֵס וְלֹא הוֹתִיר.
2Perhaps the Torah wished to tell us that G'd's fondness for the Jewish people increased as a result of the oversubscription of the materials needed for G'd's Sanctuary. As an act of recognition, G'd miraculously absorbed all these donations and they were used in the Tabernacle, i.e. דים, they were sufficient, none was rejected, i.e. remained unused. The word דים refers to המלאכה, the finished work was all used, though והותר, the raw material contained therein seemed quite excessive. There was a miracle which reconciled the paradox which the report of the Torah implies. Alternatively, the Torah means that the ready-made work which the people contributed appeared to be adequate, whereas in terms of the raw materials used it was actually excessive. It required a miracle for nothing to remain as "left-over."