Parashot Vayakhel/Pekudei Exodus 35:1-40:38
by Rabbi Yael Ridberg
Raising funds for worthy causes or institutions isn’t always easy, and any consultant will tell you that a feasibility study in advance of any major campaign is essential to know what kind of contributions are possible, and for what kind of efforts. A successful “ask” involves the solicitor truly believing in the project, sharing his/her passion about it, and most importantly, sharing a story that exemplifies the connection of solicitor to the project and the solicitor to the potential donor.
It’s hard to imagine a fundraiser saying, “Yeah, the campaign went so well, I had to ask people to stop making gifts.” Remarkably, in Parashat Vayakhel there is such an overabundance of donations in the building of the tabernacle, Moses must ask the Israelites to stop their giving. How was it that the people’s giving was more than necessary?
The Mei Ha-shiloah (Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica, 1801-1854) teaches that the abundance came from the heartfelt desire to contribute to an effort that was Divine. He says, “In truth, if a person is truly giving, they don’t not know the root (limit) of the heart. If one is asked one time to donate for a new mitzvah, then one can give abundantly. But after growing accustomed to giving, perhaps one’s hand closes. This is understood, then, as not giving from one’s root, for if it came from the heart (limitless), a person would not refrain from giving.”
Perhaps the Israelites saw their giving as coming from, and contributing to, something bigger than themselves. They already understood that by building the mishkan as a community, God would dwell among them. The people continued to give from their hearts without limits, and when necessary, Moses eventually had to ask them to stop.
What we give to organizations and causes that we love is often something that may have a limit in dollars, but not necessarily in intention. This teaching offers us something important to consider when making donations. If when asked to contribute our instinct is to grudgingly give something, or to focus on how our giving serves our own interests, or to think of all the reasons we cannot contribute instead of the ways we can, then perhaps we too aren’t really “giving from our root.”
The people who gave to build the Sanctuary were nediv lev and/or hacham lev – of willing heart or wise heart. Lofty characteristics to be sure. When you are asked to give generously, do you give with intention, a full heart, and because of the wisdom of the effort? When we do, the value of the gift is beyond measure.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yael Ridberg
It’s hard to imagine a fundraiser saying, “Yeah, the campaign went so well, I had to ask people to stop making gifts.” Remarkably, in Parashat Vayakhel there is such an overabundance of donations in the building of the tabernacle, Moses must ask the Israelites to stop their giving. How was it that the people’s giving was more than necessary?
The Mei Ha-shiloah (Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica, 1801-1854) teaches that the abundance came from the heartfelt desire to contribute to an effort that was Divine. He says, “In truth, if a person is truly giving, they don’t not know the root (limit) of the heart. If one is asked one time to donate for a new mitzvah, then one can give abundantly. But after growing accustomed to giving, perhaps one’s hand closes. This is understood, then, as not giving from one’s root, for if it came from the heart (limitless), a person would not refrain from giving.”
Perhaps the Israelites saw their giving as coming from, and contributing to, something bigger than themselves. They already understood that by building the mishkan as a community, God would dwell among them. The people continued to give from their hearts without limits, and when necessary, Moses eventually had to ask them to stop.
What we give to organizations and causes that we love is often something that may have a limit in dollars, but not necessarily in intention. This teaching offers us something important to consider when making donations. If when asked to contribute our instinct is to grudgingly give something, or to focus on how our giving serves our own interests, or to think of all the reasons we cannot contribute instead of the ways we can, then perhaps we too aren’t really “giving from our root.”
The people who gave to build the Sanctuary were nediv lev and/or hacham lev – of willing heart or wise heart. Lofty characteristics to be sure. When you are asked to give generously, do you give with intention, a full heart, and because of the wisdom of the effort? When we do, the value of the gift is beyond measure.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yael Ridberg