Terumah
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken
"And G-d spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel, that they
should take a gift for Me, from every person whose heart moves him you
should take My gift... And let them build Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell
in their midst." [25:1-2,8]
The Torah obligates us to do many things. Parshas Mishpatim, which we read
last week, describes 53 of those obligations (according to the Sefer
HaChinuch) - only three other readings contain more Mitzvos than Parshas
Mishpatim.
This week, on the other hand, the call goes out to those of a generous
heart, to go beyond their obligations. The first Mitzvah in our parsha
concerns the result of the donations - to build the Sanctuary. There was
no commandment to give. The beginning of our parsha does not say "Speak to
the Children of Israel, that they shall give..." - rather, the Abarbanel
says that the verse is speaking to the Gabbai, the collector, who was to
take the gifts of those whose hearts moved them. The gifts themselves were
completely voluntary.
The verse uses the expression "asher yidvenu libo," which we translated as
"whose heart moves him." Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch says that the word
"yidvenu" means to inspire, or even to prod (actually, the translator from
German used the word "incite," but its connotations are usually negative).
This, according to Rabbi Hirsch, denotes the highest level of free will and
choice.
The Ohr HaChaim says that when we know a person is a "Nediv Lev," that he
(or she) has a generous heart which moves him to give, we cannot argue with
him or try to determine the amount which we will be given. On the contrary,
when we know a person is generous, we know that he will do what he can. G-d
Himself testifies that this is "My gift" - this is what the personcan do.
According to the Ohr HaChaim, the verse is also telling us that something
can only be called a "Trumasi," My - G-d's - gift, if it comes from the
heart - from the internal motivation of the heart to give. And the Bais
HaLevi tells us that no one profits from the giving, more than the giver
himself or herself. The Bais HaLevi says the verse uses "take" rather than
"give" because the donor is the one who benefits. All the money and the
worldly possessions which we gather for ourselves, we pass on to others -
while the money which we give to charity, to support the poor and needy, to
support Torah learning and Jewish growth, this is money which we invest in
ourselves. The Tzror HaMor says the same thing - and this, he says, is why
the verse says to "take," because the donor is really receiving as much as
he or she is giving.
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Yaakov Menken
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