Parashat Teruma
Taking a Donation
In the beginning of Parashat Teruma, G-d bids Moshe to ask Benei Yisrael to donate materials towards the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Many Rabbis have addressed the peculiar terminology that G-d uses when making this request of Moshe: "Ve'yikchu Li Teruma" – "They shall take for Me a donation." A donor does not take a donation; he gives a donation. Why, then, does the Almighty tell Moshe to instruct the people to "take" donations for the building of the Mishkan?
Countless explanations have been offered for this phrase; we will discuss here two answers that present us with very meaningful lessons.
First, the Torah perhaps alludes to the fact that a person must never be too ashamed to accept a "donation," to seek guidance, advice or assistance. As much as we naturally wish to always be on the giving end, we must recognize our limits and look for help when it becomes necessary. G-d created people in such a way that we instinctively live together with others, perhaps for this very reason: so that we learn to ask for help. Rabbenu Ovadya of Bartenura (1445-1524) commented that one who shows no compassion for himself cannot possibly have compassion towards others. If a person's pride prevents him from seeking the help or advice of other people, then he is no position to offer help. This, perhaps, is why the Torah writes, "They shall take…a donation." Before a person donates, he must first be prepared to "take," as well. All too often people are reluctant to consult Rabbis, specialists or even friends when they need counseling or advice. We must remember that only if we are prepared to help ourselves can we be capable of helping others.
Secondly, the expression "They shall take for Me a donation" might allude to a concept developed by Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler (Lithuania-Israel, 1891-1954), in his famous work Michtav Mei'Eliyahu. There is a common misconception that one feels love towards someone from whom he derives benefit, from whom he receives. In truth, however, love is generated through giving; a person loves the most someone to whom he has given abundantly. The love husband and wife feel for one another grows over the course of their marriage, as they continue to give to each other more and more. Sports fans feel a sense of attachment to their favorite team because of the time and emotional energy they invest into that team. And, as the Gemara teaches, a person is happier with $100 that he has earned than with $1,000 that came to him effortlessly. The more one invests into a given person or item, the stronger an emotional attachment he feels towards that person or item.
G-d therefore tells Moshe that Benei Yisrael must "take for Me a donation." Towards the end of the previous Parasha, Parashat Mishpatim, Benei Yisrael declare their blind acceptance of the Torah without any knowledge of what this entailed. The Almighty wanted to ensure that they would proceed to carry out this commitment with love and excitement, rather than with a sense of burden or resentment. He therefore demanded that they give to G-d, that they donate expensive materials towards the Mishkan, thereby engendering a feeling of profound love and affection for the Almighty. In this sense, then, their "giving" was indeed an act of "taking." By donating to the Mishkan, the people walked away with a feeling of love and affection for the religion they have now accepted upon themselves. This ensured that they would observe the Torah not as a burdensome obligation, but with genuine fervor and love.
