(1) And Bezalel and Oholiab shall work, and every wise-hearted man, in whom God has put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that God has commanded.’ (2) And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted person, in whose heart God had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred them up to come unto the work to do it. (3) And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, wherewith to make it. And they brought yet unto him freewill-offerings every morning. (4) And all the wise people, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came everyone from the work which they wrought. (5) And they spoke unto Moses, saying: ‘The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which God commanded to make.’ (6) And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying: ‘Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.’ So the people were restrained from bringing. (7) For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
אמר רבי יצחק אין מעמידין פרנס על הצבור אלא אם כן נמלכים בצבור שנא' (שמות לה, ל) ראו קרא יקוק בשם בצלאל אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה משה הגון עליך בצלאל אמר לו רבונו של עולם אם לפניך הגון לפני לא כל שכן אמר לו אף על פי כן לך אמור להם הלך ואמר להם לישראל הגון עליכם בצלאל אמרו לו אם לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא ולפניך הוא הגון לפנינו לא כל שכן א"ר שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יונתן בצלאל על שם חכמתו נקרא בשעה שאמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה לך אמור לו לבצלאל עשה לי משכן ארון וכלים הלך משה והפך ואמר לו עשה ארון וכלים ומשכן אמר לו משה רבינו מנהגו של עולם אדם בונה בית ואחר כך מכניס לתוכו כלים ואתה אומר עשה לי ארון וכלים ומשכן כלים שאני עושה להיכן אכניסם שמא כך אמר לך הקב"ה עשה משכן ארון וכלים אמר לו שמא בצל אל היית וידעת אמר רב יהודה אמר רב יודע היה בצלאל לצרף אותיות שנבראו בהן שמים וארץ כתיב הכא (שמות לה, לא) וימלא אותו רוח אלהים בחכמה ובתבונה ובדעת וכתיב התם (משלי ג, יט) יקוק בחכמה יסד ארץ כונן שמים בתבונה וכתיב (משלי ג, כ) בדעתו תהומות נבקעו
R. Isaac said : "We must not appoint a leader over the Community without first consulting them ; as it is said, "See, the Lord hath called by name Besalel, the son of Uri" (ibid. xxxv. 30). The Holy One, blessed be He, asked Moses, "Is Besalel acceptable to thee?" He replied, "Lord of the universe, if he is acceptable to Thee, how much more so to me!" He said to him, "Nevertheless, go and tell the people." He went and asked Israel, "Is Besalel acceptable to you?" They answered, "If he is acceptable to the Holy One, blessed be He, and to thee, how much more so to us ! " R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R. Jonathan : He was called Basalel because of his wisdom : for at the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Go, tell Besalel, 'Make for Me a tabernacle, an ark and vessels'," Moses went and inverted the order, saying to him, "Make an ark and vessels and a tabernacle." He replied, "Moses, our teacher, it is the way of the world for a man to build a house and afterwards furnish it ; but thou sayest, 'Make for Me an ark, vessels and a tabernacle'! Where shall I place the vessels which I make? Perhaps thus spake the Holy One, blessed be He, unto thee, 'Make a tabernacle, an ark and vessels'." Moses replied, "Perhaps thou wert in the shadow of God and thou knowest this." Rab Judah said in the name of Rab : Besalel knew how to combine the letters with which the heavens and earth had been created ; for it is written here, "And He hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge" (Exod. 35:31), and it is written elsewhere, "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens" (Proverbs 3:19) and "By His knowledge the depths were broken up" (Proverbs 5:20).
(ז) לעשות אותה והותר לעשות אותה המלאכה ולהותיר, באופן שלא היו צריכים לצמצם אופן עשייתם מדאגה פן יחסר החומר:
(7) לעשות אותה והותר, in order to complete the work, and more. The craftsmen did not have to skimp on anything for fear that there would not be sufficient materials of the required quality to execute the plan in the best possible fashion.
(ז) והמלאכה היתה דים ומלאכת המתנדבים בכל דבר שהתנדבו היתה די לעושי מלאכת המשכן:
(7) והמלאכה היתה דים, the work performed by volunteers for all spheres of the artisanship and craftsmanship required was adequate for the needs of the project
The work was sufficient for them for all they were to do, and more (Exodus 36:7)
There are two words that seem to contradict one another. If it was "sufficient," what is the "more"?
"Betzalel knew the permutations of letters through which heaven and earth were created." (Brachot 55a). God placed wisdom understanding and awareness into their hearts. God grants this power to the righteous of each generation. As righteous people engage in Torah and offer new interpretations, they are creating a new heaven and a new earth. In construction the Tabernacle, its builders directed their holy spirit to be in the precise accord with divine wisdom, performing acts of union and permutations of letters with each vessel they formed and each deed they undertook. Had they wanted to direct their labors in accord with expansive mind, they could have gone on endlessly, for the spiirt of God was upon them. But they had to put limits on their wordk. Thus they left room for the righteous still to come along in the future to teach about the consrutcion of the Tabernacle, each of them using their minds to uncover secrets of wisdom in every word and in eeach vessel. Thus they would bring about ever new acts of sublime unoin.
In creating the world, God left over some of the creative energy, putting a limit on Creation in order to leave room for the righteous yet to come to be creative as well. So too with the building of the Tabernacle. That is why Scripture says both sufficient for them and more. Sufficient means that they placed limits on their work. For all they were to do, setting it up so that it would bring about unification in the upper mind.
They carried this as far as their own minds would permit. But more means that they left room for the righteous and wise in every generation, who would hear and learn of the erection of the Tabernacle, to continue the building and add of their own mind, as far as their own understanding can reach.