INSIGHT
5757 - #10
The Motivation for Giving
The
Mishkan in the desert, the Beit HaMikdash1., the Temple utensils and the clothes of the
kohanim (especially the Kohain Gadol) must have been
sights to behold. Made of the finest of materials,
including the most precious of metals and jewels, they
were creations by artisans with no expense spared in
their construction. And, as evidenced by Shemot 35:5-7 in
regard to the Mishkan, the Jewish People responded to the
call to give to this construction most generously. It
was, and is, a most fitting duty and joy -- for should
not the House of G-d stand out in beauty within this
world? Zeh keli v'anveihu, "this is my G-d and I
shall adorn Him"2.: we mark G-d's presence within this world,
within our worlds, by performing mitzvot in the finest of
ways, by taking the finest within this physical world and
dedicating it to the Divine. In fact, it is our very
ability to create form out of chaos, beauty out of
randomness that celebrates the Divine within us -- what
better way to mark our commitment to G-d?
Yet, today, pragmatically, in choosing where
to direct our funds, we must wonder whether this
expenditure on beauty should be our priority. In the
desert, where all the needs of the Jewish People were
taken care of by G-d, where poverty and disease did not
exist, there was no greater priority. Of course, funds
toward the building of the Mishkan in all its beauty
should have been forthcoming -- and so Bnei Yisrael
responded. But in our world, with the needs of so many
before us, should not other expenditures come first? The
words of the prophet Amos, which declare that we must
place care for others above the Temple worship,3. should also ring in our ears. How can we
even think of zeh keli v'anveihu when the misery and
suffering of others is also before us? Yet this
requirement also does exist within our world -with at
least one opinion declaring the demands of the synagogue
to even have priority over tzedakah.4.
A full investigation of priorities is
obviously beyond the parameters of this study. Obviously,
as evidenced by such halachic statements as Shulchan
Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 251:10, the dire needs of individuals
must always be attended to immediately. Yet, a most
significant question is truly before us. In a broader
realm, we may wonder about all our expenditures on any
and all levels. But the issue before us is specific: in
determining an expenditure of religious significance - of
Torah significance - what is the axiom that calls for
expenditures on G-d's edifice in the face of social need?
The answer may lie in the very essence of
our motivations for giving. The simplest reason to
describe why we give tzedakah, why we give to any
communal cause, is because there is a need. We respond to
need; we give in order to help. But can we say that this
was the motivation for the Jewish People when they gave -
so remarkably - towards the building of the Mishkan?
True, there was a need. True they were helping -- but
helping whom? Did Hashem, the Performer of Miracles, need
Bnei Yisrael to give to Him in order to construct a
Mishkan? Obviously, G-d could have created this edifice,
any edifice, in a moment, from nothing -- if Hashem's
only purpose was to have the building. Indeed, there are
many opinions that state that the Third Temple will be
built in such a miraculous manner, descending complete,
in splendour, out of the sky.5. Hashem called upon the Jewish People to
participate in the building of the Mishkan because their
participation was necessary. It was more than
a response to need. It was a command to
build.
Basically, we give for two reasons. One is
the response to need -- and that motivation is necessary.
But it cannot be our only reason for giving. Responding
to need is like filling a hole; there is a problem and it
calls for a solution. But when the hole is filled, we
still are only back at the ground floor. What happens
when the hole is filled, when the problems are solved?
Where do we go from there? It is not enough to be at the
ground floor -- the human being must look towards growth;
we must climb. We require a goal. The other reason to
give is to build.
In a certain way, this is also a need -- but
it is the need for vision. The eradication of suffering
and misery is a worthwhile endeavour but, alone, it is
also a hollow endeavour. Where is humanity going? What is
the human being? Is our goal the removal of all problems
so that humanity can achieve perfected hedonism, banality
or the mundane? We cannot only respond to need; in fact,
even when we respond to need, we really must respond to
the need to build. The suffering of an individual must be
seen as a loss of potential in a human being, a loss of
soul. Assisting another must be seen as furthering the
path of this person towards greatness, the path of all of
us towards greatness. Giving to the Synagogue must always
be joined with all other givings for it maintains the
goal. It reminds us of our ultimate mission. It
continuously tells us what humanity truly is and the
greatness that is our destiny. The Jewish People's response to the Mishkan
was not an isolated event in a desert long ago. It is an
inspiration that should be ours in all times and in all
places.
Rabbi Benjamin Hecht e-mail
Notes
1.See, for example,
T.B. Baba Batra 4a in regard to Herod's re-building.
2. Shemot 15:2.
3. See, for example,
Amos 4:1-5 and 5:18-24.
4. See Shulchan
Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 249:16. See also T.B. Baba Batra 9a,
Tosfot d.h. She'ne'amar and Bi'ur HaGra, Yoreh De'ah
249:20. The fact that these sources may be concerned with
the very functioning of a synagogue does not detract from
the essence of the issue before us.
5. See, Raphael
Patai, The Messiah Texts, chapter 23, "Messianic
Jerusalem".
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