Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Exodus 39:43/אור החיים על שמות ל״ט:מ״ג

אוְהִנֵּה עָשׂוּ וְגוֹ׳ כֵּן עָשׂוּ. טַעַם שֶׁחָזַר לוֹמַר פַּעַם שְׁנִיָּה כֵּן עָשׂוּ, כִּי אָמְרוֹ ״וְהִנֵּה עָשׂוּ״ נִמְשֶׁכֶת לְמַעְלָה ״וַיַּרְא וְגוֹ׳ וְהִנֵּה הִיא עֲשׂוּיָה״, פֵּרוּשׁ גּוּף הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, וְהַכַּוָּנָה בָּזֶה שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה שִׁעוּר בַּזְּמַן וְרָאָה שֶׁהִנֵּה עֲשָׂאוּהוּ בִּזְמַן מוּעָט.
1 והנה עשו…כן עשו, and behold they had done it…so they had done. The additional word והנה in this verse alludes to the speed with which the Tabernacle was built, something that was very pleasing to Moses when he looked at the components the people presented him with.
בעוֹד יִרְצֶה בְּאָמְרוֹ עָשׂוּ אוֹתָהּ לְשׁוֹן תִּקּוּן, שֶׁתִּקְּנוּ אוֹתָהּ כַּמִּצְטָרֵךְ. וְעוֹד מוֹדִיעַ שֶׁהִשְׂכִּיל בָּהּ שֶׁעֲשָׂאוּהָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ בִּפְרָטֵי הַמִּשְׁפָּט, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר וְגוֹ׳ כֵּן עָשׂוּ.
2The addition of the word אותה in the line עשו אותה, testifies to the quality of the work. The artisans had put to use all their intelligence in constructing these parts and the result had proved successful.
געוֹד יִרְצֶה עַל פִּי דִּבְרֵיהֶם זַ״ל (זבחים סב.) כִּי יֵשׁ פְּרָטֵי הַמִּצְווֹת שֶׁאֵינָם לְעִכּוּב אֶלָּא לְמִצְוָה, וּמָנוּ חֲכָמִים דְּבָרִים הַמְעַכְּבִים זֶה אֶת זֶה, וְהוֹדִיעַ הַכָּתוּב בְּכֶפֶל הַמַּעֲשֶׂה לוֹמַר שֶׁעָשׂוּ כָּל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה, אֲפִלּוּ דְּבָרִים שֶׁאֵינָם אֶלָּא לְמִצְוָה מִן הַמֻּבְחָר:
3If we follow the approach of the Talmud Zevachim 62 that every commandment contains details which are not mandatory but which are desirable, the Torah tells us that the artisans performed even all those details which were not mandatory. This explains why the Torah repeated the word עשו, they did, i.e. the artisans did both what was mandatory and what was in effect optional.
דוַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם מֹשֶׁה. טַעַם שֶׁהֻצְרַךְ לוֹמַר מֹשֶׁה וְלֹא סָמַךְ עַל זִכְרוֹנוֹ בְּסָמוּךְ, לוֹמַר לֹא תִּהְיֶה בְּרָכָה זוֹ קַלָּה בְּעֵינֶיךָ, כִּי מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים בֵּרְכָם, וְדָבָר גָּדוֹל הוֹדִיעַ הַכָּתוּב בְּדָבָר זֶה. וּלְטַעַם זֶה הוּא שֶׁהוֹדִיעַ הַכָּתוּב וְאָמַר וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, וְזוּלַת הֱיוֹת מֹשֶׁה אֵין הַתּוֹרָה מַגֶּדֶת אִם יְבָרֵךְ אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ.
4ויברך אותם משה, Moses blessed them. The reason the Torah wrote the name Moses instead of simply "he blessed them," (seeing that his name was mentioned at the beginning of our verse) is to teach us not to take this blessing lightly. It is something very special to be blessed by a man of G'd such as Moses. If the people had been blessed by someone of lesser stature the Torah would not have recorded this as something we have to know so many thousands of years later. Normally, the Torah could have written משה ברך אותם, or: הוא ברך אותם. By placing the name Moses at the end of the line the Torah taught us the significance of being blessed by someone of Moses' standing.