Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar;

Exodus 25:1-2:  “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering; of every man whose heart prompts him, you shall take My offering.’”

Why did God want the people to donote their gold,  silver and other possessions of their prosperity to build His sanctuary?  God is rich enough, why not provide this out his vast creation, why take it from his people?

The word “take” here is (tikechu) which comes from the root “lakach” which means to take as spoil or loot.   It is the idea of taking something that was earned not given.  The word offering is “terumah”  Interestingly this comes from the root word “rum.”  That was the easiest word for me to learn in Hebrew.  Rum – to be high, exalted.  Other words could have been used for offering but God chose His words carefully.  He does not need our gold or silver, but it is in that sacrifice of  that which we pour our life’s blood into obtaining that exalts Him. It declares that He is more important to us that our gold or silver.  The word lakach is appropriately used for it is a picture of a warrior who has faced combat, suffering the risk of injury, perhaps mortal injury and then when prevailing claims his right to take what he has from the conqueored enemy. Then after having risk all to obtain it, he turns around and just give it to his king, just to honor him.

Of every man whose heart “prompts him.”   Note the syntax here.  It is really, what prompts your heart.”  In other words let everyman give what is  prompting (nadav – impelling) his heart.  What is motivating you to go to work every day?  To get that pay check.  Then you are ask to give from that which has been impelling you or prompting you to give of your time away from your family, give your energy that you could spend on some hobby, to give of your emotional well being and take on the stress of the job so that you can bring home a paycheck. You are asked to give of that.

The sages teach that a person should seek ways to transform his tava’ot chitzonim (lit. external desires) – all that “his heart prompts him”  into good qualities.  From his habitual bad traits, he should learn how to serve the Creator with the same passion and desire, even more intensely.   For within every mundane desire the love of God can be found.

No, I am not pushing prosperity teaching, but yet, God wants us to prosper in order to give us an opportunity to exalt Him, to make a sacrifice to Him. How can you sacrifice something if you don’t have it in the first place.

There is a story in the Talmud of a king who had a son whom he wanted to teach the various subjects that a prince should now. But the boy failed to grasp a single area of knowledge.  The king gave up and only one sage remained to teach the boy.  One day the prince saw a beautiful young woman, who was a harlot and he desired her.  The woman as a harlot was not one for the prince to marry. Yet the sage told the king at least the prince desired something, perhaps this could lead him to desire knowledge.  So the king ordered the harlot brought to the palace.  The sage ordered the young woman to not listen to the princes solicitations, unless he agreed to master one branch of knowledge.  Afterwards she should demand that he learn yet another branch.  This continued until he mastered all areas.  Then when he acquired the knowledge, he became a wise man and rejected the harlot for a princess, as was fitting for him.

Yes, you give to the Lord He will repay you a hundredfold. So you must give more to continue the process.   True, you may give to get that hundred fold, your motives may be selfish.  That is only human. Yet God seems to have established a process in Exodus 25:1-2 whereby you will learn wisdom and in the learning of that wisdom the nadav of your heart will change and before long it will not be to acquire wealth, but to exalt the one that you truly desire to honor.

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