Exquisite Endowment
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Parshat Terumah begins with Hashem asking Bnei Yisroel to bring Him gold, silver, and all sorts of material:"...Let them take for Me a portion, from every man whose heart motivates him, you shall take My portion." Only after listing all the materials Hashem requests, does Hashem tell Bnei Yisroel what these materials will be used for, to build a Mishkan, a dwelling for His presence. As so many commentators point out, this is the reverse of the logical order. One usually starts with the project, and then lists all the necessary materials for its completion. Further, Hashem does not say, "Give to Me," but, "Take for Me." Rabbi Tuvyah Weiss zt”l quotes Chazal who points out that the command to build the Mishkan comes right after Bnei Yisroel received the Torah and proclaimed, "Na'aseh venishma, we will do and we will hear." Here too the logical order seems reversed. One usually hears and then does what has been asked. What is the connection between these two reversals?
Rabbi Birnbaum zt”l suggests that by asking for the materials before providing the reason, Hashem wanted to reward Bnei Yisroel for bringing these material and for building the Mishkan as two separate mitzvoth rather than one mitzvah with the necessary preparation. [It is necessary to own a lulav and esrog, even temporarily, in order to recite the appropriate blessing over them. Merely owning the lulav and esrog without reciting the blessing is not fulfilling any mitzvah. CKS] It is for this same reason that Avraham Avinu was told lech lecha, go to the land which I will show you without being told the destination; Hashem wanted to reward him for each step of the journey.
Did Hashem really want material contributions? Rabbi Kofman zt”l, citing Rabbi Shneur Kotler zt”l, notes that Hashem's request was actually a choice for Bnei Yisroel. Hashem asked to take "kol asher yidvenu libo/from every man whose heart motivated him." Hashem wanted the heart of every individual, and the donation of his heart would be actualized through material gifts. It is for this reason that the nesi'im, the tribal leaders are faulted. They thought they were needed to give materials, and they would donate whatever was still needed after the collection had been completed. But the interior of the Mishkan "was inlaid with love from the daughters of Yerushalayim" (Shir Hashirim 3:10). The leaders fell short because they were not burning with desire; they should have been motivated to rush to contribute.
This is the atonement for the golden calf. There Bnei Yisroel rushed to bring their gold for constructing the abomination of the golden calf. Now Hashem wants the commitment to use the gold and silver, and all that they possess to elevate the world, to use the gifts Hashem has given them appropriately. Hashem wants connection. The gold and silver is only the vehicle for that connection. Everything in this world can be used for spirituality, for understanding that Hashem gives it all.
In Megillat Esther, we are told that that the Jews had ohra/light, vesimcha/and gladness, vessasson/joy, veyekor/and honor. [Also part of our week Havdalah service] Our Sages find here four bedrocks of Jewish life: Ohra is the light of Torah; simcha is the joy of yom tov [vesamachta bechagecha]; sasson refers to the mitzvah of bris milah; and yekor alludes to the tefillin. Rabbi Kofman wonders why the Megillah just alluded to these mitzvoth instead of citing them directly. Rabbi Kofman suggests that once Bnei Yisroel saw how Hashem upended all the circumstances to give them this victory over their enemies, they understood that everything in this world, not just these particular mitzvoth, is for Hashem's glory, to be used as a means of connecting to Him. The is the echo of na'aseh venishma, that we accept everything to connect to him.
That fierce love we demonstrated at Sinai by proclaiming na'aseh venishma is engraved on our souls, writes Rabbi Kluger in My Sole Desire. We want to do even before we hear. Our challenge is to retain that passion for the mitzvoth as we observe them throughout our lives.
Rabbi Wolbe zt”l brings our focus to what seems like an anomaly in Pirkei Avot. Rabbi Yehudah ben Teima tells us to "be as light as an eagle" to do Hashem's will. However, biologically, an eagle is quite heavy. Nevertheless, it can majestically spread its wings and float upward. Rabbi Wolbe explains that what Rabbi Yehudah ben Teima teaches us is that we also have wings, When we perform Hashem's mitzvoth with joy, we uplift ourselves; the mitzvah is not a burden but an uplifting experience. What is important is not just what you do in observing the mitzvah, but how you do it, writes Rav Kestenbaum, for Hashem wants the heart.
Let us now circle back to the first words of Hashem's instructions, "Let them take for me..." The Oshorover Rebbe zt”l tells us very clearly that we are not giving Hashem anything of our own when we donate. Since everything belongs to Hashem, although it is in our safekeeping, we are only taking from Hashem's wealth and repurposing it according to His, the Owner's, will. This, in fact, should be our attitude every time we "give" tzedakah, that it is Hashem Who rules the world and to Whom everything belongs. This attitude will hasten the redemption.
Actually, reversing the order of the mitzvoth, first take the money and then you will know its purpose, is an actualization of Bnei Yisroel's proclamation of first "We will do," and only afterwards will "we learn" what we need to do, writes Rabbi Weiss.
In Be'er Hachaim, Rabbi Steinwurzel zt”l presents a logistical dilemma. The amount of gold that was needed for all the holy vessels was much more than Bnei Yisroel could possibly have donated, could possibly have carried with them as they traveled. They gave whatever they had with full hearts. As Rabbi Steinwurzel so beautifully writes, they gave gold which Hashem then added to, which became ‘spiritual gold’, which weighs less than physical gold. Bnei Yisroel took whatever they had, and Hashem filled in the rest. The prerequisite was to give their heart, the same desire at the same level as at that first na'aseh venishma.
Along the same lines, the Ohr Doniel, citing the Shlah Hakodosh zt”l , says that when our minds say we wish we could give more, then Hashem blesses us with more to give. Because of their desire, Hashem gave Bnei Yisroel more than they actually had. Therefore, Hashem says, "From every man whose heart motivated him, you shall take My portion," for Hashem added to the human donation. This holds true in every spiritual situation. When the desire is there, Hashem help us reach that goal.
That is the power behind the directive that, on Purim, whoever extends his hand [for a donation or for help], it is given to him. This is not just the directive that one gives tzedakah to every person, but alludes to Hashem giving each of us a "hand" when we truly desire something spiritually, whether it is growth in Torah, more focused tefillah, or help in proper mitzvah observance. Hashem understands and gives, but the desire must originate with us.
Sometimes we feel inadequate or incapable of doing a mitzvah properly, but on Purim, the gates of heaven are open, and Hashem is listening, writes Rabbi Pincus zt”l. While it is true that every beginning is hard, that it gets easier with continued dedication is a gift, just as was the extra gold necessary for the construction of the Mishkan. On Purim, our desire and prayers are even more powerful. [Perhaps it is Hashem's way of modeling matanos la'evyonim by giving us what we need. CKS]
We need to live the passion of na'aseh venishma in our daily lives. It is not only about accepting the Torah at Sinai, or only about maintaining a connection in a Mishkan; it is about wanting to give of ourselves to Hakodosh Boruch Hu every day.
Rabbi Birnbaum takes us back to the donations. He points out how difficult it is for people to part with their money. Even in our daily recitation of Shema we acknowledge that loving Hashem with all our hearts and with all our soul may be easier than loving Hashem with our wealth. Many people will be happy to part with their wealth for honor or prestige, to see their name on a building, perhaps, or in the newspaper. But we are urged to donate not for these external returns, but simply for the loving joy of giving to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. This is what na'aseh venishma means.
It is difficult to commit to following someone else's will. After all, we were gifted with free choice. Human beings want independence. Additionally, we know we have tremendous potential, and we would like to actualize that potential through our own choices. It was in this area that Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, suggests Rabbi Tatz in Worldmask. Except for one small prohibition, not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam was completely independent. Adam felt this was too minimal a challenge for someone of his potential. If he ate from the forbidden fruit and fell from this rarefied spiritual level, the challenges he would face fighting the yetzer horo would be worthy of his potential. Withstanding those challenges would show more deeply his devotion to Hashem.
The only problem was that Adam was substituting his own will for God's will. The greatest freedom is choosing to align your personal will to His will so that by following his will, you are achieving the greatest happiness. This is the highest expression on na'aseh venishma. This is why that proclamation at Sinai rectified the sin of Adam.
We live in a world where Hashem's light is concealed. The word itself, olam, means concealment. The purpose of the Mishkan was to be a place where Hashem's presence could be manifest and revealed. As Jews, this is also our mission, to bring Hashem's light into a dark world. As we approach Purim, we are made aware of Amalek and their goal of obliterating the light of Hashem from this world. How do we fulfill our mission? By following the mindset of the builders of the Mishkan, writes Rabbi Eisenberger in Messilos Bilvavam. With generosity of heart we give of ourselves to form and strengthen our relationship with Hashem. We will do our small part, perhaps adding ten more minutes of Torah study a day, or slowing our tefillah instead of rushing through it. Maybe we have a rocky relationship with someone and we decide we will smile at them and greet them the next time we see, them. If Hashem sees us going beyond our comfort zone, giving with our hearts, He will fill in the rest to attach us to His world of eternity.
We follow the laws as written in the Shulchan Aruch. But those are guidelines for the bare minimum to have fulfilled one's obligation, writes the Sifsei Chaim. As we learn from building the Mishkan, our hearts should motivate us to do more. Our goal as Hashem's Nation is to be motivated to do all Hashem wants, to observe all mitzvoth, simply and completely because our sole desire is to do His will. The most meaningful exercise of our freedom of choice is to choose to sublimate our will to His will, to give Him our hearts full of love.