Exodus Exodus 36:6
וַיְצַ֣ו מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיַּעֲבִ֨ירוּ ק֥וֹל בַּֽמַּחֲנֶה֮ לֵאמֹר֒ אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֗ה אַל־יַעֲשׂוּ־ע֛וֹד מְלָאכָ֖ה לִתְרוּמַ֣ת הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ וַיִּכָּלֵ֥א הָעָ֖ם מֵהָבִֽיא׃
Moses thereupon had this proclamation made throughout the camp: “Let no man or woman make further effort toward gifts for the sanctuary!” So the people stopped bringing.
When the Israelites built the tabernacle, all the material was acquired through heartfelt donations. After enough had been collected to complete the project, the Israelites continued to bring more, to the point where Moses told them to stop bringing gifts. Why should Moses tell them to stop? They could have made it even more grand with additional goods!
In Jewish tradition, there are seven primary names for God, and one in particular holds the answer to this question. This is the name “shaddai.” It’s formed from the word “dai,” which means “enough,” and implies that one of God’s core attributes is knowing when to stop. We saw this in the creation story – after six days of creation, God established a day of rest to be set apart and sanctified. One might think that the day when God began creating would become the elevated holy day. However, the Torah teaches us that God’s stopping was more significant.
To say “enough” is a holy act, and it goes in two directions. The first is knowing when it’s time to stop. Whether it’s that extra TV show you don’t need, or the extra hour spent working when your family is waiting, knowing when to stop protects what is truly sacred – your time, relationships, and well-being. The second is knowing when what you have is enough. In a world that pushes us to want more – more money, more success, more possessions – the ability to say “I have enough” is holy. It’s a reminder that endless accumulation does not serve us as much as pausing in gratitude for all we have. Just as God’s stopping sanctified creation, and just as Moses stopped the giving to preserve the sanctity of the Tabernacle, we, too, find holiness in knowing when to say, “That is enough.”