Teruma 5764
Parashat Teruma discusses the collecting of the monies in order to build the Mishkan. This was an expensive venture being that it was made up of a lot of gold and a lot of silver and other expensive materials. So it is customary to talk about some of the laws and the concept of giving charity. As the beginning of the Parasha opens up, "Veyikchu Li Teruma," already Bore Olam tells Moshe Rabenu to speak to the Jewish people and tell them to give a donation, to give Teruma for the Mishkan. And the Parasha continues and writes that this is the donation that you should take from them, you should take the gold, the silver, and the copper.
So I heard once from Chacham Ovadia Yoseph, may he live an be well, that this Pasuk is not only hinting to us about the donations and what they brought, but it is discussing different levels of givers. He says there are three types of charitable people. There are people that are ‘Zahav’ (gold), there are people are that are ‘Kesef’ (silver), and there are people that are ‘Nechoshet’ (copper).
What does that mean? He explains as follows.
There are certain people that give when they are healthy and when things are good. They don’t wait until troubles come and problems occur. They have a good heart and are very generous. These people are like Zahav (gold.) Zahav is Rashe Tevot (abbreviations for) ‘Ze Hanoten Bari’. Then we have another guy who when healthy doesn’t see a reason to give. It’s only when Chas Veshlaom, he gets sick or something happens or he is in a dangerous situation, that he feels he has to give some charity in order to redeem himself. This fellow is Kesef. Kesef stands for ‘KeShiroe Sakana Poteach’, meaning when he sees danger he then opens his hands. Then you have the third guy who even in the face of danger and crisis remains stingy and still won’t put his hand in to his pocket to give charity. When does he give charity? Only when he is on his death bed, when he no longer can give himself anymore. Then he has to instruct others in his will to give out money to this place and money to that place. This fellow is the third level. He is called Nechoshet. The Rashe Tevot of Nechoshet is ‘Nedinat Chole SheOmer Tenu’, meaning the giving of a sick man that says he has to instruct others to give because he himself was too stingy to give in his lifetime.
And therefore the Torah is instructing us in this week’s Parasha to be from the level of Zahav, and not to wait until Kesef or Nechoshet, when troubles befall us or Chas Veshalom when we are not going to have the ability to give on our own. Ze Hanoten Bari- we must train ourselves as per the Parasha to give when times are good and when things are good. It is life maintenance and preventive medicine as the Pasuk writes Tzedaka Tatzil Mimavet , which means it can actually save a person from death itself, and all the more so from troubles ands sickness and hardship. The pasuk is telling us ZAHAV- we should give in a generous fashion at all times.
