The Ultimate Investment Opportunity

Harav Hagaon Shmuel Wolman Shlita

The Ramban, in his hakdamah to Sefer Shemos, highlights the common thread of this sefer, which begins with the kur habarzel of shibud Mitzrayim, followed by the geulah from Mitzrayim, and then Krias Yam Suf, all which is a preparation for Mattan Torah, which is the purpose of everything. But the Ramban explains that the culmination of the geulah occurred only after the Mishkan was built and the Shechinah began to dwell there.

Last week’s parashah ended with Klal Yisrael proclaiming “naaseh v’nishma,” which was the pinnacle of Kabbalas HaTorah, and this week’s parashah begins with binyan haMishkan. The parashah opens with the command: דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה מֵאֵת כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ תִּקְחוּ אֶת תְּרוּמָתִי, and the Baal Haturim points out that the term דַּבֵּר is a lashon of piyus, as in the passuk: דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם, which is also a lashon of piyus. Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu deem it necessary to appease Klal Yisrael in order to make them willing to participate in this mitzvah of donating to the Mishkan? The Baal Haturim explains that since this mitzvah required financial outlay, piyus was necessary, as Klal Yisrael had to be placated and encouraged to come forward with their donations.

This seems mind-boggling. We’re talking about the Dor Dei’ah, who just saw all the incredible nissim of Yetzias Mitzrayim and Krias Yam Suf and witnessed before their eyes the fulfillment of all the promises of Bris Bein Habesarim, and they still need piyus in order to be willing to contribute to the loftiest of causes — building a place for the Shechinah of the Eibishter Himself to dwell? Besides, this Mishkan was going to be the channel of shefa, of all goodness, and a way for Klal Yisrael to attain kapparah. So why did this fundraising drive require piyus? Moreover, Klal Yisrael just become instant billionaires from the spoils of Mitzrayim, especially after Krias Yam Suf; Chazal describe each member of Klal Yisrael walking away with eighty donkeys laden with gold and other treasures. Was it really so hard to get Klal Yisrael to donate a little something for the Mishkan?

In a letter, the Alter from Kelm adds another element to the question. All of Klal Yisrael’s wealth at this point is what we call “easy money” — it was given to them literally overnight, miraculously, straight from the Eibishter Himself. How could Klal Yisrael not relish the opportunity to give a little of it back to the Eibishter?

The Alter saw this statement of Chazal as a testimony to the power of kochi ve’otzem yadi. So prone are we to want to own our successes and assets that we can become completely blind as to how those things came about. Klal Yisrael was actually capable of starting to believe that this was their hard-earned money, to the extent that it would become hard for them to part with it. Therefore, Hakadosh Baruch Hu told Moshe Rabbeinu that he would need to use piyus to coax them into understanding the concept of וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל.

This is in itself a tremendous lesson in how to relate to wealth, and how we must constantly bear in mind that מִמְּךָ הַכֹּל וּמִיָּדְךָ נָתַנּוּ לָךְ— which gives us clarity in how we are meant to distribute our assets. But if we internalize this concept, it extends to more than wealth, and can transform our approach to avodas Hashem. Every physical capability, every talent, and every ounce of strength is nothing short of a matnas chinam from the Eibishter. And it goes without saying that we should be focused on using all of these resources to do His ratzon.

But perhaps we can offer a different explanation of this need for piyus. The meforshim offer numerous ways to explain the juxtaposition between Parashas Mishpatim and Parashas Terumah, and Tanna Dvei Eliyahu addresses this smichus as follows: וכיון שקיבלו ישראל מלכות שמים בשמחה ואמרו כל אשר דבר ה' נעשה ונשמע, מיד אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה דבר אל בני ישראל ויקחו לי תרומה.  Tanna Dvei Eliyahu is explaining that Klal Yisrael received the command to donate for the Mishkan as a result of their joyous declaration of naaseh v’nishma. How are we to understand the connection between this specific mitzvah of nidvas haMishkan to Klal Yisrael’s saying naaseh v’nishma?

The answer might lie in what seems to be a strange lashon: וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה. Why is donating to the Mishkan described in terms of taking, as if Klal Yisrael was given to the opportunity to take or receive something?

The key lies in the word after וְיִקְחוּ, which is לִי. The Midrash explains that this word does not merely describe the destination of the donation, or the motive behind the giving, but is actually a description of what Klal Yisrael will be getting through their donation. Their physical act was one of giving, but Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to drive home what was really happening: Through Klal Yisrael’s donating to build the place of the Eibishter’s hashraas haShechinah, they were receiving an incredible opportunity to, so to speak, “get” the Eibishter. Through the terumah, they would “take Me.” When a person donates to the Eibishter’s Mishkan, it creates a connection with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and hence the lashon וְיִקְחוּ לִי.

How do we understand this incredible power? How can a mere donation of material goods create such a dveikus in Hakadosh Baruch Hu that can be described, kaveyachol, as taking Him?

To understand this concept, we need to discuss a few more questions regarding the donations to the Mishkan.  The Dubno Maggid asks: Why did the Eibisher’s place of hashraas haShechinah, which was purely spiritual, require all these material items — gold, silver, copper, and the like?  Furthermore, the Nesivos, in his sefer Nachlas Yaakov, notes that the Midrash seems to state clearly that Moshe Rabbeinu, who transmitted the command to donate to the Mishkan, was never told to contribute or be part of the donations to the Mishkan on a personal level. How do we understand Moshe Rabbeinu’s exclusion from this tremendous opportunity for dveikus in Hakadosh Baruch Hu?

Lastly, we know from the Gemara in Kiddushin how precious and expensive the avnei miluim were, so why were they listed at the end, and not at the top of the list, with the gold?

The answer is that Hakadosh Baruch Hu does not require our financial assistance, as the passuk states: לִי הַכֶּסֶף וְלִי הַזָּהָב. He was looking for nothing more than an expression of nedivus lev. In building the Mishkan, He was not seeking a place for his Shechinah, but rather the opportunity to dwell in the heart of each Yid. He wanted the process of donating to the Mishkan to create a real connection between Himself and Klal Yisrael, and He told Moshe Rabbeinu that the way to create that connection is through donating to the Mishkan. When Klal Yisrael give happily of their possessions to the Eibishter, that expresses nedivus lev, and that is the hidden power that creates the תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה, the dveikus of וְיִקְחוּ לִי, which ultimately leads to וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם — in the heart of each individual.

Accordingly, explains the Dubno Maggid, the Eibishter commanded Klal Yisrael to specifically give their most expensive, valuable material commodities. This was not because he wanted or needed the Shechinah’s abode to be high-end; rather, it was a way for Klal Yisrael, who treasured these items, to display and embody nedivus lev through giving their cherished items to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. These items were merely a vehicle of nedivus lev. Accordingly, says the Nesivos, Moshe Rabbeinu — who was far removed from any desire for these riches — would not express nedivus lev through donating them, and he was therefore not included in this exercise.

The avnei miluim were extremely valuable, but the Gemara in Yoma tells us that they were literally dropped off by a cloud. Klal Yisrael did nothing to attain these items, so they felt barely any connection to them. Since the avnei miluim were just a handout from Hakadosh Baruch Hu, they were the easiest items for Klal Yisrael to part with. Therefore, they are listed last, because the items on the list are ranked according to the nedivus halev factor.

With this understanding of the deeper meaning of the donations to the Mishkan, we can now understand the need for piyus when Klal Yisrael were asked to donate. Had they been asked merely to donate their newfound riches for the sake of the Eibishter, they would have immediately jumped at the opportunity. But they knew that the Eibishter lacks nothing and was obviously not asking for help. This was no ordinary fundraising drive or building campaign — it was Hakadosh Baruch Hu asking for nedivus halev. Yes, the physical manifestation was parting with their cherished valuables, but that was not really the request. Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted Klal Yisrael not just to give, but to crave to give, to savor the opportunity, to appreciate how giving to the Eibishter is the ultimate receiving: וְיִקְחוּ לִי. And giving at that level requires a lashon of piyus: דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Perhaps this is the depth of the Tanna Dvei Eliyahu’s statement. When Klal Yisrael joyously declared naaseh v’nishma, they showed their appreciation for the opportunity to perform Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s mitzvos and do His will. The emphasis of the Tanna Dvei Eliyahu is not just Klal Yisrael’s willingness to commit to naaseh v’nishma, but rather that they did this b’simchah, as it says: וכיון שקיבלו ישראל מלכות שמים בשמחה.

When Hakadosh Baruch Hu perceived that simchah for avodas Hashem, he saw that Klal Yisrael had reached the madreigah at which their giving would be with the nedivus halev that would create the dveikus of וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם — בתוך כל אחד ואחד. That’s when He immediately issued the command of דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה.

As we read through these parashiyos of Sefer Shemos and experience the shibud, and Yetzias Mitzrayim, with the understanding that this is all a conduit for Klal Yisrael to become the Am Hanivchar — bnei chorin, or geulim, in the words of the Ramban — we can begin to appreciate that the climactic moment of naaseh v’nishma, coupled with the construction of the Mishkan and the donations to it, created the dveikus with Hakadosh Baruch Hu that allows each one of us to feel the Shechinah deep in our hearts. But we are very clearly taught that the one and only way to create that connection and relationship is through authentic nedivus halev and avodas Hashem that is not self-serving, but is, rather, an outgrowth of appreciating that doing the Eibishter’s ratzon is never an expense — it’s the ultimate investment, which results in the precious dividend of וְיִקְחוּ לִי and קִרֲבַת אֱלֹקִים לִי טוֹב.