Rhythmic and Hypnotic

I began reading Parasha Vayakhel tonight.  As I do with all my Torah study, first I read the aliyah or several aliyot in Hebrew.

There is something so totally utterly transfixing and hypnotic about the verses beginning in Shemot 35:5.  I know that the demarcation of chapter and verses surely helps us as a reference point and has made learning easier and more convenient, but the seemingly "run-on" list of items required for the building of the ohel and the mishkan - all in one place, beautifully summarizing the last few portions - is so beautiful, rhythmically gorgeous, and divinely patterned - this list alone is, to me, proof of the Torah's holy origins.  I would love to see as a very long poem, perhaps each item in its own line, without the chapter and verse interrupting the flow.  That would be quite an astounding poem.  

And then the imagery of each person somehow instantly being directed to do their tasks - you can just see, crystal clear, before you the entire camp humming - the wise women spinning yard, others bringing terumah offerings, other working under the guidance of Betzalel and Ahaliav.  The camp is not silent, but humming with pure spiritual energy - holy work in action as far as the eye can see.  Each individual of the entire "assembly" working in total unity, a unity they had maybe never seen, as even if they stood together at Sinai, the Midrash states that (and this rings true to me) that Sinai was a totally subjective experience, each person hearing the precise Torah they needed to hear.  Instead, this scene at the beginning of Vayakhel - this beautiful scene - is of a people totally united in a singular, holy task of building a home for G-d.

I need to read more commentaries on the ambiguity of Shemot 36:7, which in the Schottenstein version translates as: "But the work was enough for them, for all the work to do it - and there was extra."  If I were to translate it, I might write "And the work was enough for all; the work to do, was it, and there was extra."  Mine isn't entirely different - with the key subtraction of the hyphen.  Without the hyphen, the "extra" seems to refer to the work; with the hyphen, the commentary sets forth that the "extra" refers to a surplus of materials brought by Bnei Yisrael.

What's the difference?  There is a massive chasm.  Under my interpretation, at least until Moshe commanded the bringing of materials to cease, the raw materials brought were exactly what was needed to build the ohel and mishkan.  But the work?  Well, there was enough for everyone to be involved, and then some - there was extra; there was always more to do.

This verse immediately brought me to our own precious time on earth - we are given all the raw materials we need to exact - in fact, exactly the right amount - and there is work to do, and when that work is done, there is always a little extra.  In a spiritual sense, as Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld says, when we are finished doing our teshuvah, we need to then do teshuvah on our teshuvah.  There is, quite simply, always more work - returning - praying - meditating - enlivening our soul to do.  Each little step works toward building a home for H' on this earth and maybe, just maybe, one day the work will be complete, on an individual, national, international, and spiritual level.