An Uplifted Heart

From the Mir parsha sheet.

Harav Hagaon Binyamin Cohen Shlita

In this parashah, the Torah describes two categories of people who contributed to the Mishkan, as it says: וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ אֹתוֹ הֵבִיאוּ אֶת תְּרוּמַת ה'. What is the difference between כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ andוְכֹל אֲשֶׁר נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ אֹתוֹ ?

The Ohr Hachaim and the Ramban offer different approaches to understanding these two categories.

According to the Ohr Hachaim, both categories refer to those who donated to the Mishkan, but there were two levels of donors. The lower of the two levels was נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ, which refers to a person who gave willingly and happily, according to his means and capabilities, with no heaviness in his heart. The higher level is נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ, which refers to a person whose heart spurred him to go beyond his capabilities. The Torah first mentions the higher level, using the word ish — כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ — which is a lashon of chashivus, as we see in the phrase וְהָאִישׁ מֹשֶׁה. The people in this category donated with an uplifted heart, meaning that they gave more than they were able to.

The Ramban explains that the category of נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ refers not to those who donated to the Mishkan, but rather to those who performed the actual construction of the Mishkan. He notes that the term nedivus is used in connection with those who gave donations — נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ — but that term is not a fitting description of those who did work; the term used for those people is נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ.

What does having an “uplifted heart” mean in the context of constructing the Mishkan?

The Ramban explains that the Yidden had just left Mitzrayim, where they worked with bricks and mortar, and were unskilled in the various forms of craftsmanship necessary for the construction of the Mishkan. In Parashas Ki Sisa (perek 31) the Ramban expands on this point, noting that when Moshe Rabbeinu used the word רְאֵה, see, in the passuk: רְאֵה קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה, he was telling Klal Yisrael: “Look at this wondrous phenomenon!” Klal Yisrael were not used to using their hands for delicate work, yet they were able to perform the skilled labors required for fashioning gold, silver, and stone, as well as embroidery. Even in the professional world, it is uncommon for one person to perform all types of crafts, yet here certain members of Klal Yisrael were able to do all the necessary labors. What was their secret?

With the words נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ, the Torah reveals the secret: Their hearts were uplifted. In this regard, the Ramban quotes the passuk: וַיִּגְבַּהּ לִבּוֹ בְּדַרְכֵי ה'.

A baal gaavah is someone who thinks he’s the richest, the smartest, the strongest — not necessarily in line with reality. When it comes to avodas Hashem, however, a person should have that gaavah. He has to think above and beyond his capabilities.

This principle applies not only to the building of the actual Mishkan, but also to the construction of one’s personal Mishkan: the avodas Hashem that creates one’s own dwelling place for the Shechinah. A person does not need money, knowledge, or brains to succeed. All he needs is one prerequisite: נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ — the desire to serve Hashem, independent of his capabilities. This nesius halev — the willpower and dedication to perform avodas Hashem — empowers a person to transcend his own abilities.

The passuk says: וְהַחָכְמָה מֵאַיִן תִּמָּצֵא, and the gematria of מֵאַיִן is 101. Learning 101 times indicates the person’s powerful desire to understand Torah — he chazzered so many times! Chochmah comes מֵאַיִן, from the yearning for avodas Hashem represented by the gematria 101. When a person has this nesius halev, then he’ll merit chochmah.

The Rambam (Hilchos Talmud Torah 3:6) uses this very term, נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ, regarding a person who wants to be zocheh to the crown of Torah, as he writes: מי שנשאו ליבו לקיים מצוה זו כראוי לה, ולהיות מוכתר בכתרה של תורה. When it comes to avodas Hashem and limud Torah, physical limitations should not hold a person back. If there’s נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ, if the person really wants, he can achieve beyond what is physically possible.

This week is also Parashas Shekalim, and I would like to mention one lesson that we learn from the machatzis hashekel. Chazal say that Hakadosh Baruch Hu showed Moshe Rabbeinu a matbeia shel aish, a fiery coin. When I was a bachur, before I came to Eretz Yisrael, I was learning in Yeshivas Torah Temimah, and on a Friday night of Parashas Shekalim, my friend and I were in Boro Park to speak to a rebbi of ours in learning. On the way back, at about midnight, we stopped in Bobov, where the rebbe, R’ Shlomo Halberstam, was speaking with great passion during his tish. He was saying: שקלי קודש – מטבע של אש, gelt is fire, fire! And he repeated this over and over many times: “Gelt is fire, fire.”

Fire can be very damaging and destructive – but it can also be very useful: it can repair, create, warm. It all depends on how you use fire. If you get too close, it’s a disaster. But if you use it responsibly, from farther away and in a proper way, it can be a tremendous asset. Money, the Rebbe was saying, is fire. If used improperly, it can wreak terrible damage. But if it’s used properly, it can become שקלי קודש, with the ability to accomplish tremendous things.