1. The
parsha begins,
"דבר
אל בני ישראל ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש
אשר ידבנו לבו .../speak
to the children
of Israel and
have them take
for me a
contribution from
every man whose
heart impels him
…" (Shmos 25:2) The
purpose of this
command is for
the people to
give towards the
building of the
Mishkan. Why
then does the
Torah use the
word "ויקחו/have
them take",
instead of
"ויתנו/have
them give"?
The first
Midrash1
on the parsha
addressing this
issue associates
this pasuk with
a pasuk in
Mishlei (4:2),
"כי
לקח טוב נתתי לכם תורתי על תעזובו/For
I have given
you a good
teaching. Do not
forsake my
Torah." The
word לקח/teaching
has the same
root as the
word מקח/purchase.
The pasuk is
advising us to
remain connected
to the Torah
for it is
a good purchase.
Unlike other
purchases, the
Torah contains
everything as we
find, "תורת
ה' תמימה
.../God's
Torah is complete
…" (Tehillim 19:8).
Furthermore, the
seller – God –
comes with the
purchase.
The Sfas Emes explains. On our own, we are incapable of
understanding the depths of the Torah. However, by constantly "taking" the Torah – by constantly trying
to understand, God gives us the gift of understanding. This is the
meaning of "על
תעזובו/Do not leave it."
This Midrash relates to learning Torah. The
Sfas Emes expands this concept to include all of our activities.
Whenever we "take" anything for ourselves, anytime we want
to commence an activity, make a purchase, start a program, our intent
should be to give to God. We should have in mind that our action
give nachas ru'ach/satisfaction to God. When this is our
intent, we will find that events conspire in our favor so that we
succeed as Koheles said, "טוב
אחרית דבר מראשיתו .../The end of
a matter is better than its beginning …" (Koheles 7:8)
We can also understand this from the pasuk,
"ויקחו
לי תרומה מאת כל .../Take for me a
contribution from everything …" By taking for ourselves in
order to give to God, we elevate everything to God.
We find another allusion to the concept of
doing everything for God in the Zohar2
on the words, "כל
איש/every man." The Zohar interprets
this as, "the entire man." The Torah is telling us that
whatever we do, our intent should be to do it for God with our entire
being.
Another allusion to this idea can be found in
the drasha from which Chazal3
learn that a man can marry a woman by giving her money or something
of value, as in fact, we do today. The groom gives the bride a ring.
The pasuk states, "כי
יקח איש אשה/When a man takes a wife …"
(Devarim 22:13) The pasuk that relates Avraham Avinu
purchasing Efron's field states, "נתתי
כסף השדה קח ממני/I have given the
price of the field, take it from me …" (Breishis 23:13)
Since both pesukim use the word קיחה/taking,
Chazal learn from one to the other. Just like Efron's field was
purchased with money, so too, a wife can be acquired with money.
Money in Hebrew – כסף
– has the same root as the word for pining –
כיסופין.
The woman in the pasuk is a metaphor for the Torah4.
When we pine for God we are able to feel His presence in our lives.
We "acquire" Him, as it were. Purchasing a field is a
metaphor for physical activity. We learn from the desire we have
regarding worldly activities how to fulfill God's will as well with
all our heart.
The same concept is alluded to in the first
Midrash5
of our parsha. The Midrash tells of a king who gives his daughter in
marriage to a prince who will take her to a far away place. The king
cannot bear to leave his daughter but also does not want to prevent
the marriage. The king resolves the problem by asking the prince to
build a room for him so that he can visit.
As before, the daughter is a metaphor for the
Torah. The king represents God and the prince represents each member
of the nation of Israel. To the extent that a person is connected to
the Torah he can merit living with the Divine presence just like the
king in the allegory could not bear separating from his daughter.
The Sfas Emes broadens this concept to include all activities for the
sake of God. And this is the meaning of the pasuk from Mishlei
mentioned earlier, "תורתי
על תעזובו/Do not leave my Torah."
If the pasuk tells us not to leave the Torah, we can infer that being
connected to the Torah is a continuous lifetime job that affects and
influences everything we do.
2. From the pasuk, "... מאת
כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו .../…
from every man whose heart impels him …", we also learn that
there are two components to success. The first component is that
each person should do what his heart compels him to do, "... אשר
ידבנו לבו .../as his heart impels him …"
But this is not enough. Certainly each one of us is unique and was
created for a unique purpose. Still, fulfilling that purpose alone
is not enough. We also need to identify with the nation of Israel.
Our unique purpose is not only for us alone. It is also for the
nation. This is alluded to by the words, "מאת
כל איש/from every man," as we find in
parshas Nitzavim, "אתם
נצבים היום כולכם ... כל
איש ישראל/You are standing today, all of
you … every man of Israel." (Devarim 29:9)
To succeed the nation needs each person to
fulfill his unique mission, his raison d'être. Each person also
needs to identify with the nation. This is the meaning of, "...
כל
איש אשר ידבנו לבו/… every man
who's heart impels him." The Chiddushei Harim notes that this
is also the meaning of a Mishna in Avos (1:14), "אם
אין אני לי מי לי וכשאני לעצמי מה אני/If
I am not for myself, who will be for me and if I am only for myself
what am I." Each of us needs to "be for himself" –
to accomplish that unique thing the reason for which he was created.
But we must do it as a part of the nation of Israel.
1
Shmos R. 33:1
2
Zohar 2:134b
3
Kedushin 2a
4
As in the first Midrash of the parsha mentioned later.
5
Shmos R. 33:1
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