In this week's Torah portion of Vayakhel, we read that both men and women participated in the construction and preparations of the materials for the Mishkan (the portable Sanctuary). Yet two individuals were singled out: Beztalel, from the tribe of Yehuda, and Oholiav, from the tribe of Dan.
In many ways, the tribe of Yehuda was considered leader of all the tribes. The kings from the dynasty of King David were descendants of Yehuda and Moshiach, too, will be a descendant of Yehuda. When the Jews wandered in the desert for forty years, the tribe of Yehuda always traveled first. Spiritually, they were on a high level.
The tribe of Dan, on the other hand, was the very last tribe to travel in the desert. They were considered to be on the lowest spiritual level of all the tribes.
These two individuals represent two very opposite extremes of our people. By choosing them, the Torah teaches us that all Jews, regardless of their level of knowledge or observance, have an equal share in G-d's sanctuary.
In fact, even if all the Jews from the tribe of Yehudah had built the sanctuary themselves, G-d would not have rested His holiness there. G-d would say: if you want Me to dwell in your midst, I need every single Jew, including those who may be on the lowest spiritual level, to be involved and present.
For this reason, this Torah portion starts with the verse of, "Moshe gathered the entire congregation of the Children of Israel". Only after gathering all the people together-regardless their place on the spiritual spectrum- did Moshe speak to them.
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