Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

G-d commands Moshe to build a Mishkan (Sanctuary) which would serve as a “resting place” for Hashem’s presence amongst the Jewish people.

The Children of Israel are asked to contribute precious metals and stones, fabrics, skins, oil and spices. In the Mishkan’s outer courtyard are an altar for the offerings and a basin to wash these sacrifices. The Tent of Meeting is divided by a curtain into two chambers. The outer chamber is accessible only to the kohanim. It contains the table of showbreads (the 12 loaves of bread placed every Sabbath on a table as an offering by the priests to God), the menorah, and the golden altar for incense. The innermost chamber, the Holy of Holies, may be entered only by the Kohen Gadol, and only once a year, on Yom Kippur. In this section, the Ark is held which contains the Ten Commandments inscribed on the two tablets of stone that G-d gave to the Jewish nation on Mount Sinai.

All of the utensils and vessels, as well as the construction of the Mishkan, are described in great detail.

“ Dvar Torah “

“Mishkan”, G-d’s mobile sanctuary, is the main topic of discussion in this week’s Parsha and the following four Parashiot. The Torah describes in great details the way it was built, the way each vessel was made and the exact location of each object. The materials used in the Mishkan were of the finest quality; pure Gold, finest cloth for the curtains, best quality wood were among some of the materials used to built the glorious Mishkan. And the Torah tells us that the way they gathered all the materials were by “donations” only.

But you may ask yourself, why does the Torah elaborate so much about building the Mishkan? Why so much detail? After all, The Mishkan was only a temporary home for the Divine presence which eventually was replaced by the Temple in Jerusalem. The Chachamim give the following explanation. Building the Mishkan was the only time that the Benei Israel lived in total tranquility. It was the only time that they didn’t complain to Moshe! It seems that donation and building a house for G-d brings the best out of the people. When you start doing something for Hashem, it’s only then, when you start to appreciate His blessings! And that’s why the Torah devotes more airtime to building the Mishkan, since it was the only time that the Benei Israel lived in total harmony with Moshe and their Creator!

At the beginning of the Parsha, the Torah describes to us how everybody was welcomed to donate whatever they could to build the Mishkan. Hashem says to Moshe: ” Speak to the children of Israel and let them take for Me a portion, from every man whose heart motivates him you shall take my portion.” Once again, most commentators are puzzled by the use of the words in this verse. Why does it say “let them TAKE for me a portion”? Shouldn’t it say ” let them GIVE to me a portion”? Isn’t it true that when you are donating something, you are “giving” rather than “taking”?!

Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky gives the following beautiful explanation. When one gives to the Mishkan — or, when one donates to a House of Worship or a Torah institution, for that matter, — he is not really ‘giving’, but rather, he is actually ‘taking’ or benefiting himself. More precisely, he is taking more than he is giving. You see, for building a house for Hashem, or for doing any other holy tasks, G-d picks his agents. Only if you have the great “Zechut” (merit) and you are worthy of the task, then you’ll become an agent of G-d. And the reward for being G-d’s agent far exceeds the amount of your donations. That’s why Hashem says “take for me a portion”, because when you give to the Mishkan, you are actually taking far more for yourself.

Later on, in Parashat Vayakhel, we read about the donations of the Princes of each tribe to the Mishkan. They, very generously, offered to make up the deficit, after everyone else brought their contributions. According to Rashi, the Torah was unhappy with their offer. But you may ask yourself, why? What was wrong with their offer? It seems like a great offer if you ask any fundraiser. So why doesn’t the Torah appreciate the individuals who guarantee any shortfall in collecting funds for building a House for G-d? Well, financially, it may have been a great idea, but ideologically, it was a wrong concept. When the Princes saw that they have the merit to take part in this great cause, they should have snapped at the opportunity and offered their donations up front! What were they thinking when they raised the issue that the Mishkan is going to have a ‘deficit’? Did they think that the Mishkan might not be built without their coming to the rescue? That was a wrong way of thinking. G-d has no deficits. G-d did not need their help to build the Mishkan, since later on, we see that Moshe asks people to stop bringing donations because they have too much already. They never thought that they might miss the opportunity to take part in this great mitzvah. And that was their mistake, unfortunately.

Yes my friends, when you donate to a house of Worship or a Torah Institution, you are actually not giving, but rather, you are gaining a lot more for yourself. It’s a great privilege to be able to donate to a House of G-d. You have been given the Zechut to take part in this great mitzvah. Hashem says to Moshe to take anything from anybody to build the Mishkan, whether it’s gold, silver, copper, goat hair, oil or even spices, not because they have a deficit, but in order to give EVERYONE the opportunity to take part in this great cause. Hashem wants everyone to take part in this great mitzvah, because Hashem wants to give back to all his children and not just to a few individuals. Hashem loves all his children the same.

Well, I’m proud to announce that our Mashadi Community follows the same blueprint as in the Torah when it comes to building a House for G-d. All our Synagogues are built by donations! Everyone tries their best to participate in this wonderful cause. It seems that everyone knows already that they are not just giving, but they are actually taking more! And as far as the affluent ones of our community, they never repeated the same mistake as the Princes of our tribes. They are always the first ones to step forward and make their generous donations. It was only a week ago that we witnessed such an act. The Hajibay family donated generously to rename the YMJC Kanissa to Ohr Esther. May Hashem bless them a thousand times more and may their house be always lit (Ohr) with joy and happiness.

In English language “give” and “take” are two contradictory words which tend to oppose each other, but when it comes to donations however, they do live in perfect harmony!

Shabbat Shalom, Rosh Chodesh Tov and Regards;

Martin