Parashat Teruma

By: Rabbi Shemuel Akhamzadeh

…תקחו את תרומתי

Rashi at the beginning of this week’s portion enumerates three types of Teruma, Donation that Bnei Israel were asked to bring for the Mishkan. First was the Mandatory Machasit Sheqel for Adanim, 2nd was the optional donation of material for building of the Mishkan, and lastly another Mandatory Half Sheqel for the daily offerings. 
Rav Neimen in his Sefer Oznaim Latora comments on why certain donations for the Mishkan were obligatory and others optional. He points out that there was no need to make the material donations for the structure of the Mishkan obligatory, Hashem with his profound understanding of Man’s psyche saw his love to contribute for building an important edifice, nevertheless when it comes to paying for the daily offerings, Korbanot , the purpose Mishkan was built for, his interest declines. Hashem saw a need to obligate him to bring in his contributions. Rav Neimen expounds that anyone who has ever had a hand in raising funds for Yeshivot & Torah Institutions knows the mistaken logic that still persists amongst people, they perceive grandeur of a building more vital and worthy of their assistance in contrasts to the daily costs of food & other physical needs of an institution, even though reason for the building is the Torah learning that happens with in it. 
Perhaps we too at times perceive the importance of some ideas in the wrong order, for instance we are willing to invest much effort and money, be it in the apparatuses to do a Mitzvah (i.e. the best Tefilin, Talit, Mezuzah…), but we lack interest when it comes to learning the details of Halacha on how to do the actual Mitzvah the best way possible and with correct Kavanah (intent).

May we all be Zoche to do Hashem’s Mitzvoth the best manner possible.

Shabat Shalom.