Terumah- 5770Higher Authority
The classic appeal for any institution or
cause is simple. "We are collecting
money for the synagogue." "We are
collecting money for the poor." We are
collecting money to write a Sefer Torah."
But in this week's Parshas Terumah, when Hashem
commands His nation to build a Tabernacle in which He would figuratively dwell,
He does not ask for a collection for the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Instead Hashem charges Moshe: "Speak to the children of Israel and let
them take a portion for me"
(Exodus 25:2). For Me? Since
when do we take up a collection for G-d?
Why not just say, "Speak to the children of Israel and let them take a portion
for the Mishkan - the Tabernacle that they shall build"? |
The Story
Though comedian Jack Benny had a stage persona
as a tightwad he was, in real life, gracious.
He was proud of the fact that a school in his home town of Waukegan, Illinois
named a school after him and every time he would go back to his hometown he
would stop in the school and speak to the children. As time went by, he continued to visit, even after he retired from show business. One day Benny found himself addressing a group of twelve-year-old
children. After his little talk, he
asked the kids if they had any questions.
One boy did.
"Mr. Benny," asked the youngster. "Why did your parents name you after our
school?"
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The Message
In our lives we often get deeply involved
with reputable charities and worthy causes.
We spend hours of our time and large sums of our money in dedication to
these causes. But we forget about the real devotion behind every cause. G-d.
The Ribbono Shel Olam. How often
is there embarrassment, politics, pettiness, and other foibles of human nature that infiltrate
good intentions. How often does the actual project become more dominant than the good that it is was meant to
accomplish. In the Torah's first appeal, which would be ultimately
followed by endless ones, Hashem lays down a factor that should harness our
efforts and channel them in collecting the correct way. You are not taking for
your shul, you are not taking for your Mikveh, you are not collecting for your
school. You are collecting for me.
Speak to the children of Israel and let them take a portion
for me." I am not named for your cause; your cause is named for Me."
Good
Shabbos (c) 2010 Rabbi Mordecai Kamenetzky
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