Rabbi
Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi,
Kehillat New Hempstead
Social
Worker, Yeshiva Bais Hachinuch/ASHAR
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
PEKUDEI 5774
PARSHAS
SHEKALIM - EREV ROSH CHODESH ADAR II
“MAY
IT BE THY WILL”
The American
investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a
small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several
large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of
his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied that
it had only taken him a little while.
The American asked why
he didn’t stay out longer to catch more fish. The Mexican answered that he had
enough to support his family's immediate needs.
The American then
asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The Mexican
fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take
siesta with my wife, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine
and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."
The American scoffed,
"I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing
and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger
boat you could buy several boats, and with time you would have a fleet of
fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell
directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would
control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this
small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico
City
The Mexican fisherman
asked, "But, how long will this all take?" The American replied,
"15-20 years." "But what then?"
The American laughed,
“That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and
sell your company stock to the public and become very rich; you would make
millions."
"Millions?! Then
what?"
The American said,
"Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you
would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your
wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and
play your guitar with your amigos."
The labor involved in the construction of
the Mishkan was arduous, but finally it stood complete. “Moshe saw the entire
work; and behold! – they had done it as G-d had commanded, so they had done!
And Moshe blessed them.”[1]
Rashi, citing the Medrash, quotes the blessing that Moshe gave them, “יהי רצון שתשרה שכינה במעשה ידיכם – May it be
the will that the Divine Presence rest upon your handiwork.” Moshe concluded
his blessing by stating the verse “May the pleasantness of my Lord, our G-d, be
upon us – our handiwork may He establish for us; our handiwork may He
establish.”[2]
Kesav
Sofer questions the diction of the blessing. When G-d began teaching Moshe
about the construction of the Mishkan, He explained the purpose, “They shall
make a Sanctuary for Me – so that I may dwell among them.”[3]
If the purpose of the Mishkan was so that the Divine Presence could rest there,
what was Moshe’s added blessing? If the Divine Presence did not rest there the
whole effort would have been a futile endeavor! Was Moshe’s blessing no more
than a message of hope that everything work out as planned?
Furthermore,
when one begins a blessing with the words, “יהי רצון - May it be the will” the next words invariably are, “Hashem,
our G-d”, thus reading, “May it be the Will of Hashem, our G-d…” What did Moshe
mean “May it be the will”? Whose will was he referring to?
The verse
in Divrei Hayamim[4]
quotes the words of Dovid Hamelech’s instruction to his son and successor,
Shlomo, about the materials he prepared for the construction of the Bais
Hamikdash. “With all of my strength I have prepared for the House of my G-d, the gold for [things
to be made] of gold, and the silver for silver, and the copper for copper….”
The wording seems superfluous. Why does Dovid say that he prepared “gold for
gold, silver for silver, and copper for copper”, and not merely that he prepared
gold, silver, and copper?
When G-d originally instructed Moshe
to solicit contributions for the Mishkan from the nation, He stated, “Let them
take for Me a portion.” Rashi explains that the term “for Me” indicates that
the contributions should be purely for the sake of G-d’s Name.
Kesav Sofer notes that when one
donates money or resources he may be doing so to increase his prestige and
honor. He may be motivated by the knowledge that he will be lauded and praised
for his magnanimity.
One who contributes with such underhanded motivation
essentially does not give “gold for gold”. Rather, he gives gold for the sake
of honor and to see his name on plaques. For this reason, even one who loves
money and wealth may be able to donate great amounts of money to charity. In
his mind it is an investment. Some people buy goods and merchandise, while he
buys glory and a prestigious reputation.
For the construction of the Mishkan, G-d
demanded donations that were offered for no ulterior motive other than for the
sake of glorifying His Name. Those who donated gold to the Mishkan had to do so
solely for the construction of the golden vessels. Giving to the Mishkan
required inner strength to overcome one’s natural selfish love of money and
material possessions. There was no personal glory to be gained from the
donation, only the benefit of knowing that one had a share in the construction
of the House of G-d.
When Moshe blessed the Mishkan by stating
that G-d should rest His Divine Presence there, he was not invoking “the Will
of G-d.” Rather, he was referring to the “will of the people”. Moshe was
conveying to them that the sanctity and merit of the Mishkan was dependent on
their desire and will to sanctify the Name of G-d and to perform His Service
altruistically. Moshe was saying to the people, “May it be your will that
the Divine
Presence rest upon your handiwork.”
“It is essentially in your hands. If you desire it and strive for it then G-d
will surely fulfill His Word that, “They shall make a Sanctuary for Me – so that I may dwell
among them”.”
The first of the four
special Torah portions read during the weeks prior to Pesach is Parshas
Shekalim. The portion discusses the mandatory contribution of a half-shekel to
the Temple
The first collection
of the half-shekel was done in the desert. There is a prohibition to count Jews
directly. In order to reach a consensus the nation was called upon to each
contribute a half-shekel. The half-shekels represented the population of the
nation. The shekalim were then used for the construction and upkeep of the
Mishkan.
“…This shall they give
– everyone who passes through the consensus – a half shekel of the sacred
shekel…The wealthy shall not increase and the destitute shall not decrease from
half a shekel – to give the portion of Hashem, to atone for your souls.”[5]
The equal contribution
of the nation symbolized the necessity for unity and harmony in their pursuit
of national goals. “Passing through the consensus” in the same manner, i.e.
contributing the same amount, represented the need for every individual to give
up his selfish personal interests for the sake of enhancing national welfare.
The unity also
accorded the nation atonement and forgiveness. When the masses join together,
the unification alone is an incredible merit for the entire nation.
While the Bais
Hamikdash stood, each year the entire nation was required to donate a
half-shekel to cover the cost of the daily public offerings. The law demands that all sacrifices be purchased from
money collected for that year. The fiscal year for public offerings began and
concluded in the month of Nissan. Therefore, the Rabbi's ordained that the
portion of the Torah describing the first giving of the half-Shekel be read on
the Shabbos of or before Rosh Chodesh Adar, one month before the half-shekel
was due this served as a reminder that the due date for the obligatory donation
of a half-shekel was imminent. In exile, we read the Torah portion as a
reminder of the events that transpired at the juncture of the year when the
Bais Hamikdash was standing.
The half-shekel served as a reminder that ultimately we
are a people with a collective responsibility to utilize all of our assets and
resources for the Service of G-d, which includes caring for all His elite
Children.
Our Sages relate that the merit which enabled us to
triumph over Haman and his nefarious plot was unity. Queen Esther demanded of
Mordechai, “Go, assemble all the Jews to be found in Shushan, and fast for me… Then
I will go into the king though it’s unlawful; and if I perish, I perish.”[6] It was not only with the
merit of penitence, fasting, and prayer with which Esther sanguinely enter into
the chambers of Achashveirosh. It was also with the merit of the assembly of
all the Jews together!
Unity is not limited to feelings and lofty thoughts. It
also includes resources and physical abilities. This is part of the reason why
giving gifts to the poor is one of the mitzvos of Purim[7]. On Purim – when we were
saved because of our selfless unity - we must demonstrate that our money is not
merely for retirement funds, luxurious vacations, and self-pampering. “Go,
assemble all the Jews” includes being cognizant of the plight of our brethren
and seeking to assist them in whatever manner we are able.
Every human being has desires and things that he wants.
“Where there’s a will there’s a way”. The question is what the “way” we are
seeking is and does that way include the needs of others?
“May it be the will”
“Gold for gold and silver for silver”