Money Matter The Ohr HaChaim and Don Isaac Abarbanel- Pikudei

 Audits and Public Trust   Parshat Pikudei begins with Moses giving acomplete accounting of all the raw materials collected for the building of themishkan along with details on how these materials were used. Realizing that wealready were given this information we ask why the need for an official auditwhich seems to be a redundancy. We know that audits typically followquestionable actions or accusations. So what led to this audit?   The Midrash tell us: “They gazed afterMoses” – People criticized Moses. Theyused to say to one another, “Look at that neck. Look at those legs. Moses iseating and drinking what belongs to us. All that he has belongs to us.” Theother would reply: “A man who is in charge of the work of the Sanctuary – whatdo you expect? Do you expect that he should not get rich?” As soon as he heardthis, Moses replied, “By your life, as soon as the Sanctuary is complete, Iwill make a full reckoning with you.”  We wonder was this idle chatter widespreador perhaps only the conversation of a very few? And how could they accuse Mosesof living off the communal till? Ironically they accuse Moses of taking what istheirs and using those funds to purchase and eat the choicest cuts of meats. Ifind the accusation itself the most ludicrous. Recall that the man who ascendedMount Sinai in order to receive the Torah on their behalf and following theincident of the Golden Calf when Hashem tells Moses that he will destroy thesepeople returns to beg forgiveness for them did not eat or drink for forty daysand forty nights.   What do they think that he was making upfor lost time and opportunity? Why even give substance to this ridiculouschatter by responding to it?  We can add to the question based onanother midrash which asks, “Why did Moshe make an accounting with them whenHashem trusted him, as the pasuk says:  לֹא־כֵ֖ן עַבְדִּ֣ימֹשֶׁ֑ה בְּכׇל־בֵּיתִ֖י נֶאֱמָ֥ן הֽוּא׃    “Myservant, Moshe, is not that way; in all My house he is trustworthy” If he hasG-d’s trust, is that not more than enough testimony to his honesty?   I would suggest that Moses may have notbeen looking to defend himself. After all, he was neither the storage manager,nor the artisan, nor the seamstress. Where others might have opportunity topilfer a bit of gold here or some silk there, he had none. So perhaps inseeming to defend himself, he was really looking to avoid any accusation everbeing made against Bezalel, Aholiav and their teams of artisans and he wassetting an example to future leaders involved in any sort of public funding.   Moshe Rabbeynu’s actions teach us that aleader must avoid even the slightest hint of impropriety especially when itcomes to the public’s money and their trust.