Giving our Heart's Desire
Giving our Heart's Desire

Back in Philadelphia, in the “old country”, R’ Moshe Ungar would speak about the altar, the mizbeiyach, in terms of both the Beit HaMikdash and in terms

of the personal mizbeiyach which burns eternally in our hearts. 

And there is the well-known wish to a Chosson and Kallah that the fire of their personal mizbeiyach burn eternally.



In our Parsha, we begin learning about the construction and the contents of the Mishkan (Tabernacle).



The Shem Mishmuel [Parsha Terumah, pg. 169-172) cites R’ Shimon who said;



These are the three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of Kehunah and the crown of Malchut. But the crown of a good name is greater than

them all.



Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch, z'l in the new Hirsch Chumash (published by Feldheim in 2005 and translated to English by Daniel Haberman),

discusses the symbolic significance of the Mishkan in his Sefer Sh'mos, pages 538-540:



The construction of the Tabernacle, which begins here in Sh'mos [in our parsha (author)], is followed by Torah Kohanim [in Parsha Tetzaveh

(author)], the series of laws whose purpose is the sanctity of the Temple [Mishkan, Beit Hamikdash (author)] and the sanctification of life.

Hashem does not grace us with HIs Presence, protection, and blessings merely upon the scrupulous construction and upkeep of the sanctuary,

but only upon the sanctification of our entire national and private lives and ...dedication to the fulfillment of His Commandments.



Shem Mishmuel goes on to enumerate the four primary objects of the Beit HaMikdash; the Aron HaKodesh, the Shulchan and the Mizbeiyach

which all had rims; and the Menorah, “which represents the good name attainable by every member of the Klal Yisrael” who is connected to

pure Divine influence, which was without rims.



He then defines the words, loshen, for crowns, for rims: zer — the decorative crowns on the sacred objects in the Mishkan which signify rising above

human desires to a holier, more spiritual realm and related it to the nazirite, one who dedicates his life to kedusha “by abstaining from wine and

certain other things for a designated period.”



He cites a Mishnah — Rosh Hashanah 1:2 which states:



At four junctures of the year the world is judged: on Pesach for the grain, on Shavuot for the fruit, on Succot for the water…

He notes that Shabbos does not contain the element of judgement and is, therefore, analogous to the Menorah which has no zer.



Shem Mishmuel notes further, citing the Arizal’s philosophy:



There is no potential for abuse present in the atmosphere which prevails on Shabbos; everything can be used for spiritual progress on that day.

So, it would seem that, like the Menorah and like the Shabbos, a good name is an intangible — one can’t touch or put one’s hands on it, or

discern it with one’s other bodily senses.  



It is with these perspectives that our Parsha Terumah opens with Hashem instructing Moshe Rabbeinu, as rendered by Rebbetzin Shira Smiles,

in her sefer "Torah Tapestries" on Sefer Shemos (Perek 25, posukim 2 and 8, page 105, Parshat Terumah):



"Speak to the Children of Israel and they shall take for Me a donation.  From every man whose heart volunteers him you shall take My

donation." (Perek 25, posuk 2)



"...They shall make me a Sanctuary [Mishkan] and I will dwell among them." (Perek 25, posuk 8)



Rebbetzin Smiles writes, on the wording of posuk 2; "they shall take for Me a donation":



...A giver actually receives more than he gives.  By donating to the Mishkan (Tabernacle [Sanctuary]), the Jewish people were in effect "taking"

because they would benefit personally from their donations.



Rebbetzin Smiles writes defining "five conceptual components" which constitute true Torah giving ("Torah Tapestries" on Sefer Shemos, pages

106-122, Parshat Terumah), however, this Parshat HaShevua will focus on only one of these components, after all, "From every man whose

heart volunteers him" -- that's ratzon (desire): true giving seems to come from one's heart.   



Rebbetzin Smiles "Torah Tapestries" on Sefer Shemos, pages 108-109)  cites Rabbi Yitzchak Kreiser (Sefer Ish LeRei'eihu, page 370) who

notes that the Chasam Sofer writes:



...Ratzon, our heart's desire,  is the only part of ourselves that we can truly give.



Rebbetzin Smiles then questions:



Why is the desire of one's heart a critical component of the giving?   Are the gold and silver of more reluctant givers worthless?

This verse ["From every man whose heart volunteers him you shall take My donation"] teaches us that our heart's desire to give is the only thing

which is ours to offer!   Not just gold and silver, but the entire physical world belongs to Hashem.   Offering Hashem material things is merely

giving what is already His.  True giving, therefore, is dedicating our heart's desire and our will to Hashem..



This author makes no claims of being a Rav or a Talmud Chacham, but it does seem that a good name is a product of one’s intentions, our

heart's desire and fulfillment thereof (i.e. Terumot, honest business dealings, honesty and chessed — one toward his brother, etc.), which may

not be definitively ascertained by ones’ appearance and clothing, speech or outward actions.   Thus, in keeping with Hashem's message in our

Parshat Terumah and the insights of  R' Hirsch, Shem Mishmuel and Rebbetzin Smiles, here is a point which seems crucial both for communal

spiritual and chessed leadership, as well as for the Am at large to recognize and heed.



R' Hirsch renders translation followed by commentary in the new Hirsch Chumash on Sefer Sh'mos, Perek 22, posukim 21-23 (pages 470-473,

Parshat Mishpatim) which seems symbolic of this spirit of sanctification of our national and private lives as well as dedication to fulfillment of His

Commandments:



Posuk 21:  "You shall not let any widow or orphan feel their dependent state."



Posuk 22:  "Woe [to you] if you, too, should let them feel their dependent state!  For if they must cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry."



Posuk 23:  "And then My anger will grow hot and I will let you die by the sword, and then your wives will become widows and your children

orphans."



Stand up for them and uphold their rights...



Woe unto you, if their only resort is to cry out to Me; for I will assuredly hear their cry; I will make the state and society pay dearly for it, if their

weakest members must appeal to Me to find justice.



Does Hashem's Will, as expressed in the above 3 posukim, not also extend to a moral obligation of one's ratzon (desire) for the support,

wellbeing and maintenance of health of divorced single parents and their children?  Wouldn't seem to follow that numerous contemporary so-

called national and local “leaders” of many stripes, sectors and levels of prestigious visability, as well as members of the legal profession (all of

whom seem sooo assured of their own self-rectitude while charging clients on a "contingency" basis -- read as "retainer"), as well as all of us —

need to keep in mind the spiritual parallels and implications inherent in our intentions and how those intentions, ratzonot (desires) impact on

the development of a good and pure name?



And finally, this point, repeated to all of us yet again, from Torah Gems citing of Ibn Ezra on Parsha Yithro, regarding the appointment of a

judicial system, with consideration for and intellectualization of attaining the “crown of a good name”:



“The Torah did not mention ‘G’d-fearing men’ because only Hashem knows what is in man’s heart.” (Torah Gems, Aharon Yaakov Greenberg,

Parsha Yithro, page 131)