והנשאם הביאו את אבני השהם ואת אבני המלאים (ויהקל לה:כז)

Rashi explains that the Torah writes the word “והנשאם” without the letter “ י “because the נשיאים – Nesi’im did not rush to bring their donations. They said, “Let the Yidden bring their donations first, and if necessary, we will contribute afterward.” As a result, they were punished by having a letter removed from their name. They rectified this by bringing the Korbonos first at the Chanukas HaBayis of the Mishkan.

We must ask: if the Nesi’im were the leaders of Klal Yisroel, what caused them to make this mistake?

This can be understood through a story of the Baal Shem Tov zt’’l. Once, he was davening with his congregation, and his Shemoneh Esrei was taking a long time. After a while, his talmidim began leaving the Beis Medrash. Only then did the Baal Shem Tov conclude his davening.

He explained this with a parable: someone who wants to reach the top of a tree to retrieve something cannot do it alone; he needs friends standing on each other’s shoulders. If the bottom person leaves unexpectedly, everyone falls, and the top person cannot reach the peak.

The Baal Shem Tov concluded: “The same is true for Yidden. A tzaddik cannot attain the highest spiritual levels without the support of his talmidim, who stand with him in learning and prayer. When his talmidim left, he too ‘fell’ from his lofty level and had to complete his davening.”

When the Yidden received the Torah, they were united and full of love for one another. However, after the sin of the Egel, their spiritual heights were lost, and peace among them faltered. This also affected the Nesi’im, who fell from their elevated status. But when the Mishkan was completed, it restored peace and unity among them. As we see: after the blessing “וישם לך שלום”, the Torah continues: “ויהי ביום כלות משה להקים את המשכן” — when Moshe completed the Mishkan, the Nesi’im brought their Korbonos, and all was atoned.