Nedivot Lev

From the Mir parsha sheet by Rav Shmuel Wolman.

Why was Moshe Rabbeinu not given the opportunity to be involved in the donations to the Mishkan? The sefer Maalos HaTorah, written by the brother of the Gaon, offers a mind-boggling insight. The Torah tells us the entire creation of the Mishkan needed to be an active nedivus lev. The men and women that ran to give all their precious possessions towards this cause were acting out of nedivus lev, parting with their most prized assets. Yet Moshe Rabbeinu was such an ish Elokim, says the Maalos HaTorah, that despite his vast wealth, he was totally detached from his worldly possessions, and they were completely meaningless to him. Therefore, although technically Moshe Rabbeinu had plenty to offer towards the cause, his donation could not possibly be an act of nedivus lev, and he therefore could not contribute to the cause.

Besides providing a powerful insight into Moshe Rabbeinu’s ability to totally negate the finer things in life, the Maalos HaTorah is conveying an entirely new understanding of the concept of nedivus lev. It was not an added element in the building of the Mishkan, but rather the entire essence of the drive to donate to the Mishkan, to the extent that Moshe Rabbeinu’s contribution was worthless, since it could not come with nedivus lev.

In fact, throughout these five parashiyos that discuss the Mishkan, the Torah repeatedly emphasizes the component of nedivus lev, which seems to confirm how essential it was. But why, indeed, was it such a vital element in the donations to the Mishkan?

I think the Torah is conveying a fundamental lesson that could revamp our entire attitude towards avodas Hashem. Hakadosh Baruch Hu asks us to, build Him a home, kaveyachol, and this request necessitates a huge fundraising campaign to provide the resources for this home. We could get the feeling that this is all a very practical project: Get the resources to make this building campaign a success, so we can provide a home for the Shechinah Hakedoshah.  But this is obviously absurd.

Does the Eibishter — who proclaims, though the navi Chaggai: לִי הַכֶּסֶף וְלִי הַזָּהָב — really need our donations of gold and silver? Does the Creator of all the worlds, who is מחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד really require our craftsmen to provide Him with a home? Obviously not. So what is this all about? The answer is that רחמנא לבא בעי — all the Eibishter wants is the relationship that is created through Klal Yisrael’s nedivus lev and the heartfelt sacrifice and devotion of giving up all their dearest belongings. The Eibishter was not focused on the creation of the Mishkan itself, but rather on the תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה, the tremendous love that permeated every bit of the Mishkan.

We can now understand the Torah’s unusual focus on Klal Yisrael’s nedivus lev, as it describes in detail how zealous the men and women were to give the shirts off their back at the first opportunity. Because that’s what it’s all about! What was important wasn’t what they gave, but how they gave it. The nedivus lev is all the Eibishter is focused on.

This idea sheds light on Chazal’s criticism of the nesi’im, who waited to see what would be brought by others so that they could fill in whatever was missing. Chazal say that the reason the word nesi’im is written missing a yud is to indicate that their attitude was lackluster. The meforshim wonder, wasn’t their offer to fill in any missing donations a noble one? Rabbeinu Bechaye says that their intentions were l’sheim Shamayim — to be practical and ensure that nothing would be lacking. So why were they faulted?

The rosh yeshiva, Rav Chaim Shmulevitz zt”l, explains that when it comes to nedivus lev, there’s no room for cheshbonos. If you crave the relationship with Hashem and you’re so desperate to participate in the project of וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם, then there’s no place for waiting until the end. A person involved in a labor of love and a display of devotion is desperate to secure a slot.

This principle — that the Eibishter doesn’t need our help or donations, and is concerned solely with our nedivus lev — yields a whole new approach to avodas Hashem. It’s not merely about the results; it’s not about saving the day and getting the job done. Rather, it’s all about רחמנא לבא בעי, about pushing ourselves to our limits — בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ. The rest is not our concern.

The Eibishter does not need our help, and either way, the results are in Hashem’s hands and do not reflect our accomplishments. We need to do our best, and the rest is beyond the scope of what we are expected to accomplish.

Moshe Rabbeinu was not able to be part of the meleches haMishkan, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants to give him a chelek in it, so He performed a nes that would compel him to make believe that he was accomplishing. Isn’t that strange? If Hashem was already awarding Moshe a bona fide share in the building of the Mishkan, why make him go through the motions of a charade in which he wasn’t really accomplishing anything?

The answer is that this is precisely what the binyan haMishkan is all about! The Eibishter does not care at all about the accomplishment, but is concerned, rather, about the nedivus lev — giving it your all. That is exactly what the Eibishter told Moshe Rabbeinu: עסוק אתה בידך נראה כמקימו, והוא נזקף וקם מאליו. This was not a charade at all; rather, Hakadosh Baruch Hu was telling Moshe Rabbeinu, “Put your whole heart into it. Imagine that you’re able to lift it, and give it every ounce of your strength. The rest is on Me.”

This is the quintessential message of nedivus lev: Don’t own the result or the accomplishment, but give it your all, with nedivus lev.

Accordingly, we can understand that this is actually the fulfillment of the command ofוַהֲקֵמֹתָ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן , because all that a person is ever meant to do is to invest the effort towards the result. In this vein, the passuk in Parashas Nasso states: וַיְהִי בְּיוֹם כַּלּוֹת מֹשֶׁה לְהָקִים אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, clearly indicating that the Torah considers Moshe Rabbeinu to be the one who put up the Mishkan.

The Nefesh Chaim teaches that the binyan haMishkan is a microcosm of the binyan ha’adam. Each Yid contains within him a Mishkan, and we need to build that Mishkan with the same focus on nedivus halev, understanding that רחמנא לבא בעי. At the same time, we can draw comfort and chizuk that we are not being asked to own the result, but rather to give it our all, as the Mishnah teaches: לא עליך המלאכה לגמור. The Eibishter has nachas ruach only from a Yiddishkeit born of nedivus lev, where our hearts are fully invested in avodas Hashem.

Despite the noble intentions of the nesi’im, they were criticized for not approaching Yiddishkeit with nedivus halev and the yearning for a relationship. As the chassidim explain, the letter yud was left out of their name to indicate that although they were engaged in mitzvos and avodas Hashem, they were missing the yud — representing the Yid, the heart, which is the essential ingredient in our Yiddishkeit.

As we try to survive in a world that is so focused on the bottom line, that worships accomplishment and belittles effort, these parashiyos convey a message that can revitalize our Yiddishkeit: עסוק אתה בידך — give it your all, with your whole heart, and that’s what the Eibishter wants from us.

The Daas Zekeinim MiBaalei HaTosafos tells us that Rosh Chodesh Nissan was the day when Klal Yisrael experienced the joy and satisfaction that resulted from the nedivus lev they invested in the hakamas