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 these materials were by “donations” only.

But you may ask yourself, why does Hashem dedicate so much of its Torah space to describing the Mishkan? Even our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob didn’t get as much airtime as did the Mishkan! The Torah who is so careful with the use of words, why does it elaborate so much about building the Mishkan? 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 the people didn’t complain to Moshe, and Moshe didn’t complain to G-d, and G-d wasn’t angry at the people! It was the only time that the Benei Israel lived in total harmony with Moshe and their Creator! And because Hashem loved this period of time so much, He dedicated so much of Torah’s airtime to building the Mishkan. It seems that donation and building a house for G-d brings out the best in people!

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, the Chachamim are puzzled by the wording of the phrase, “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 generous offer? Any fundraiser for an institution would jump at this offer! 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 opportunity to take part in this great cause, they should have snapped at it 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 were given the privilege to take part in this great cause, but unfortunately, they missed the opportunity. And that was their big mistake!

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 tradition 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 back a lot 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. May G-d bless them and everyone else who donates to the house of G-d!

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