Terumah
The Heart of the Matter
A study was done some years back of the attitudes of high school students in regards to helping those in need. In the case that was presented to the students, two different people were approached by the same person. Both people were told the same story by the man regarding his difficulties and both of those people approached gave the person the same amount of money. However, the first person took the poor man for coffee and they spoke for a period of time. When they parted they hugged each other and the man who gave wished the other well. In the second case the giver reached into his pocket after being approached and said to the poor man that it was his religious obligation to give to others. So he is fulfilling his obligation. He then gave the man the money and walked away. Now it is obvious that both men did the right thing. They both gave to a person in need of help. But who did the “more right thing”? As you might have guessed the high school students chose the first person as he took the time to get to know the other person, sat together over coffee and then parted in a meaningful way. The other person seemed only interested in fulfilling his religious obligation. I suspect that if you presented this case to others that they would come up with the same conclusion. However, what would the Jewish tradition have said about this case?
There is no question that our tradition would pick the second person. The reason is that Judaism appreciates consistency of action. How do we know if the first person would do the same the next day? Perhaps, he was just in a good mood, or it was a nice day and he had time on his hands. What if it is raining tomorrow or he is in a hurry, or just not in a good mood? How do we know if the first person would do the same? From the Jewish perspective the power of a Mitzvah, a commandment is that come the next day the second person will feel equally commanded and do the same thing. Should we then conclude that Judaism does not care about intention, that our tradition is only interested in fulfilling the Mitzvah and not in how we approach our obligations?
This week’s Torah reading, Terumah, offers a powerful response to the question of intention.
For the next few weeks the Torah readings will concern themselves with the building of the Tabernacle, the holiest of all acts. Here we are commanded to build a dwelling place for God. Just as the book of Genesis begins with the creation story and with it a place for people to live, so too, does the book of Exodus close with the completion of the Mishkan, God’s holy home on Earth. The people are commanded to bring Terumah, an offering of all sorts of precious items for this great task. But the Torah continues with a phrase that will not be used again in any other commandment: “you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him”. (Exodus 25:2) At no other time does the Torah consider the feelings of a person in the performance of a commandment. For instance, we are not told on Sukkot to take the lulav and etrog in our hands if our hearts move us. No, we are commanded to do whether we feel it or not!
One of the lessons we might derive from this unique passage is that our feelings do matter when we preform Mitzvot. We are not robots nor should act like them. While the commandment may motivate consistent action the Mitzvah does not end there. It matters how we relate to others. It matters that we do not act in perfunctory way. It matters that we put hearts into our actions. If it matters in the building of Mishkan, then it most certainly should matter in how we create a home here on earth for those who were created in the image of God:
“you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him”. (Exodus 25:2)Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Michael Siegel
Senior Rabbi
