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Trumah(Exodus 25:1-27:19)

The Right Intentions

Parshat Trumah begins with God's instruction to "take a donation" for the Tabernacle. This sounds strange. Shouldn't the Torah have instructed us to "give a donation"?

The explanation is that giving ― for the right reason and to a proper recipient ― is also a form of taking. You see, the money we own is temporary, but our good deeds are eternal. So a gift is to our credit. As a wise person once said: "All that I really own is what I've given away."

And in the truth, one of life's greatest pleasures is to give. God's most essential quality is that of a giver, so our emulating God ― by giving ― is one of the highest forms of spiritual expression.

This parsha also tells us the key to proper giving: it should be with a full heart. The Midrash says that Betzalel, the architect of the Tabernacle, was able to discern the intentions of those who donated. In this way, he determined how each donation would be used in the Tabernacle. For instance, when someone gave with pure intentions, their donation was used for the Holy Ark. Whereas someone who gave begrudgingly would have his donation used for pegs to hold up the Tabernacle walls.

Even today, when we give money to a synagogue, we don't know how the money will be used. But if we give with the right intentions, we can be sure it will be used in the best possible way.

Published: February 25, 2006

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Visitor Comments: 3

(3) manuel, February 18, 2010 8:48 PM

True holiness is in the act

Please let me argue that other rabbies comment that "true holiness is in the act", no matter the intention. If a father gives charity so his son can heal from a terrible disease, the act of charity is valid.

(2) SAMUEL FERNANDO, February 15, 2010 10:17 PM

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

THE LESSONS ON THE INSIGHT OF GIVING & TAKING WAS VERY TEACHING & INSPIRING. REMAIN BLESSED SENIOR, RABBI SHRAGA SIMMONS.

(1) ronen, February 11, 2008 1:34 PM

Thanks!

Thanks for the wonderful lessons!

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About the Author

Rabbi Shraga Simmons

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Rabbi Shraga Simmons spent his childhood trekking through snow in Buffalo, New York. He holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He is the senior editor of Aish.com and the director of JewishPathways.com.

An expert on media bias, he was the founding editor of HonestReporting.com, and is the author of David & Goliath: The Explosive Inside Story of Media Bias in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2012). With drama and a biting edge, David & Goliath is a definitive treatment, fully resourced with over 2,000 footnotes. Readers are privy to secret negotiations with CNN executives, and how a grassroots campaign was cited by the New York Times as effecting sweeping changes in Mideast media coverage.

David & Goliath has been praised by politicians, professors and journalists: Former New York Mayor Ed Koch hails it as "Invaluable for anyone wanting the inside story," and James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal calls David & Goliath "of crucial importance for the future of the Middle East."

Rabbi Simmons lives with his wife and children in the Modi'in region of Israel.

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