By Rabbi David Cohen
The men came with the women. (35:22)
Targum Onkelos translates “AL hanashim” as al neshaya, on the women. This implies that the men brought the donations on the women, suggesting that the men accompanied their wives to the collection center, after which the women removed their jewelry and contributed it to the Mishkan. Why did they bring it this way? Could the men not just have brought the jewelry on their own?
Horav Moshe Feinstein, ztl, derives an important insight from here. The women wanted to show that they were wearing the jewelry, that it had great value to them. They were not taking jewelry from a box that no one was using, about which no one cared. On the contrary, the gold and silver jewelry which they gave was quite dear to them. The Mishkan, however, was more precious. Therefore, they were removing their jewelry and readily contributing it to the Mishkan. They showed that, as much as they cared for their jewelry, the Mishkan had greater significance. It gave them greater pleasure to give to the Mishkan than to wear the jewelry.
We should all merit to do mitzvahs in the most precious way.
Shabbat Shalom