Like everyone else is contributing something amazing, and you're just... there? Our sages wrestled with that feeling too, even someone as towering as Moses.
Rabbi Tanhuma, in his opening to Vayikra Rabbah, begins with a powerful verse from Proverbs (20:15): “There is gold, and an abundance of gems, but lips of knowledge are a precious vessel.” What good is all the wealth in the world if you lack wisdom and goodness? It's like the old saying: if you have knowledge, what do you lack? But if you lack knowledge, what do you really have?
The midrash here uses this verse to explore a moment of potential despondency for Moses. The people are bringing their gifts, their gold and precious stones, for the building of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. We read in Exodus (25:3) about the gold offered: "This is the gift you shall take from them: gold." And then Exodus (35:27) details the princes' contributions: "The princes brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breast piece."
Everyone is contributing something tangible, something beautiful. But what about Moses? He didn't bring gold, or gems. Did he feel like he was coming up short?
The text suggests that Moses's soul was indeed downcast. "Everyone brought his gift offering for the Tabernacle, but I did not bring." Can you imagine? Moses, the leader, the lawgiver, feeling inadequate?
But then, Adonai, the Holy One, blessed be He, reassures him. He says, in essence: "As you live, Moses, your speech is dearer to me than all of it." All the gold, all the gems... and God values Moses's speech even more.
Why? Because from all of them, from all those offerings, the Divine voice called only to Moses. "Vayikra el Moshe," "He called to Moses" (Leviticus 1:1). That call, that connection, that ability to communicate God's word to the people – that was Moses's unique and invaluable gift. That was his offering.
And that, perhaps, is the message for us. We might not all have gold or gems to offer. But we all have a voice. We all have the potential for knowledge and wisdom. And sometimes, the most precious gift we can give is simply to speak, to share, to connect with others through the power of words. It is a reminder that true value often lies not in material possessions, but in the wisdom and knowledge we cultivate and share. Maybe our own unique "offering" is closer than we think.