Organized religion? For Jews?
After bringing the Jewish People (and the world in general) so much closer to G-d, by revealing Himself on Mt. Sinai and giving us the 10 Commandments, after showing us how to relate to our fellow man via the myriad laws of Mishpatim (after which there is yet another Revelation), our parsha turns to the more earthy "nuts and bolts" of religious worship, which have become so familiar to us:
* Building a house of worship;
* Soliciting donations;
* Establishing daily and weekly rituals; and
* Paying the bills for upkeep and staff, etc.
What a downer! We were flying so high, so full of serene spirituality, so in touch with the Divine Voice, and suddenly, we're saddled with the mundane trappings of the faith that seem so petty, so pedestrian, so pedantic.
But that's exactly the point, and exactly the challenge - to infuse spirituality and meaning into every aspect of life, including religious life. The discipline of halacha is a double-edged sword. It works precisely because it is so ordered, so regimented, so conventional. Yet, that same regimentation can cause it to lose its novelty and its "pizzazz".
That is where we come in. It is up to us to add the right herbs that will "spice up" the delicious banquet that the mitzvot serve up to us. A beautiful parochet, a stirring melody to the t'filot, an evocative d'rasha, a lively family discussion of the parsha, a siyum on Mishna or Gemara, a trip to the old age home to do chesed, a Megillah masquerade - all these "spices" serve to bring out the inherent flavor of the ritual and sharpen its taste. Food may be superb, in theory, but it is the dedicated chef who makes it pleasantly palatable in practice.
We are meant to be the chefs of Yiddishkeit, using all the ingredients provided by Hashem to produce a sumptuous repast. We were never commanded to be routine, uncreative or unimaginative. Indeed, chazal warn us never to become complacent or automatic in t'filah or mitzvah observance, lest we lose the passion (can I use that word?), the fire, of vibrant Judaism.
I suggest that this is the essential meaning of t'ruma. It is related to the verb l'harim, to lift up. The best t'ruma, contribution, we can make to Jewish life is to see that it is always uplifting, that is has at least the hint, the scent, of its Heavenly source, carrying us closer to G-d.
After bringing the Jewish People (and the world in general) so much closer to G-d, by revealing Himself on Mt. Sinai and giving us the 10 Commandments, after showing us how to relate to our fellow man via the myriad laws of Mishpatim (after which there is yet another Revelation), our parsha turns to the more earthy "nuts and bolts" of religious worship, which have become so familiar to us:
* Building a house of worship;
* Soliciting donations;
* Establishing daily and weekly rituals; and
* Paying the bills for upkeep and staff, etc.
What a downer! We were flying so high, so full of serene spirituality, so in touch with the Divine Voice, and suddenly, we're saddled with the mundane trappings of the faith that seem so petty, so pedestrian, so pedantic.
But that's exactly the point, and exactly the challenge - to infuse spirituality and meaning into every aspect of life, including religious life. The discipline of halacha is a double-edged sword. It works precisely because it is so ordered, so regimented, so conventional. Yet, that same regimentation can cause it to lose its novelty and its "pizzazz".
That is where we come in. It is up to us to add the right herbs that will "spice up" the delicious banquet that the mitzvot serve up to us. A beautiful parochet, a stirring melody to the t'filot, an evocative d'rasha, a lively family discussion of the parsha, a siyum on Mishna or Gemara, a trip to the old age home to do chesed, a Megillah masquerade - all these "spices" serve to bring out the inherent flavor of the ritual and sharpen its taste. Food may be superb, in theory, but it is the dedicated chef who makes it pleasantly palatable in practice.
We are meant to be the chefs of Yiddishkeit, using all the ingredients provided by Hashem to produce a sumptuous repast. We were never commanded to be routine, uncreative or unimaginative. Indeed, chazal warn us never to become complacent or automatic in t'filah or mitzvah observance, lest we lose the passion (can I use that word?), the fire, of vibrant Judaism.
I suggest that this is the essential meaning of t'ruma. It is related to the verb l'harim, to lift up. The best t'ruma, contribution, we can make to Jewish life is to see that it is always uplifting, that is has at least the hint, the scent, of its Heavenly source, carrying us closer to G-d.