FORCED LABOR
In this week’s Parasha, Teruma, we begin reading about the Mishkan or Tabernacle, which was the Temple built by the people of Israel in the desert. The Mishkan contained several sacred artifacts (כלים), including the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the two Tablets of the Law; the Menora and a special Table (shulchan hapanim); and the incense altar. All these objects were made of pure gold. Additionally, there were other artifacts and vessels in the Tabernacle made of silver or copper, beams of a special acacia wood, and curtains crafted with very fine fabrics.
The question that arises is: where did Moshe acquire these precious metals and other materials necessary for constructing the Mishkan? When pagan kings constructed temples, often dedicated to themselves, they would tax or confiscate the people’s wealth to do so. Moreover, labor was imposed upon them: slaves, prisoners of war, or the families of the kingdom would send their children to work for the crown for several months or years. The Jewish people experienced this for several generations in Egypt. One might have expected, therefore, that following this example, Moses would have forced the people to pay high taxes and recruit labor by force to construct the tabernacle.
VOLUNTARY WORK
However, in the desert, things were quite different. Moshe did not have to resort to taxation or force people to work, as the Jewish laborers came “voluntarily.” They “donated” the woods, fabrics, precious metals, and other necessary materials. Moshe merely had to make a request for these donations, and the people responded with generosity that came straight from the heart. The Torah (Shemot chapter 25) attests to this by stating, “HaShem spoke to Moshe saying: Tell the children of Israel to take/donate an offering for Me; you will take the donation of everyone whose heart moves him to do it.” But how did the Jewish people react to Moshe’s call? We find the answer ten chapters later in the Torah, which devotes a significant amount of space to detailing every aspect of the Bet haMiqdash’s construction (as well as recounting the unfortunate episode of the golden calf, but that is a separate matter). In Shemot chapter 35, the Torah states, “the children of Israel, all the men and all the women whose hearts moved them to donate something for the construction that HaShem asked the children of Israel to do through Moshe, who brought a voluntary offering.”
THE OPPOSITE OF DEFICIT
The Torah recounts an extraordinary event, likely unique in the history of philanthropy. Not only was nothing missing, but in the end, there was a surplus of donations. This is described in the 36th chapter of Shemot, where it says that the people brought their freewill offerings every morning, and the men in charge of the sanctuary work reported to Moshe that the people were bringing more than was needed. Moshe then declared that no further donations were necessary, as the materials were already abundant.
The word “surplus” is not often used when it comes to non-profit donations, but the people of Israel were so generous that there was excess. One must also consider where the Jewish slaves obtained such valuables. The Torah tells us that before leaving Egypt, the Jews claimed compensation from the Egyptians for their years of work, and were given objects of great value. This was the first time that the Hebrew slaves owned such items, and it is not typical for someone to part with something of value when they have it for the first time.
The generosity shown by the Jewish people is incredible and unparalleled in ancient history, and perhaps even in modern times. It is also noteworthy that the Jewish leaders declared the surplus and did not keep it, as a king or ruler might have done. This reflects the honesty of the Jewish leaders, as described in Perashat Pequde.
The history of generosity and altruism that began in the Mishkan is repeated every day by the Jewish people around the world. While we may not hear much about these acts of kindness, they are often done anonymously, without recognition or fanfare.
ANONYMOUS CHARITY
Beyond the kindness represented by giving in abundance, the epitome of altruism and generosity is anonymity. Nobody in the Mishkan wanted their name to be mentioned on a special plaque or something similar. The Mishkan was consecrated to Bore Olam, the Creator, and the offerings were completely anonymous. This reminds me of a true story that I witnessed in Israel. It involves a way of practicing Tsedaqa that I consider admirable since it includes three elements: generosity, anonymity, and surplus.
A generous man, let’s call him Mr. Cohen, travels to Israel every year to give Tsedaqa, among other things. As we know, the highest way to practice Tsedaqa is to help the poor people of Israel. Throughout the year, Mr. Cohen “sets aside” some of his income for this generous purpose. Once in Israel, Mr. Cohen visits cities and neighborhoods where there are poor or needy Abrejim or people without many resources. He goes to the neighborhood store (every year he tries to visit a different neighborhood) and asks the storekeeper if he gives credit to his customers, which is very common in Israel. The grocer shows him a notebook with the debts of dozens of families, usually with many children, who have significant debts with the grocer on account of the food they buy for their children: bread, milk, sugar, spreadable cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers – the staple diet of a low-income family in Israel.
Mr. Cohen writes the grocer a check for the value of the debt and then leaves another 5,000 Shequels for the expenses of the most needy families. This story of generosity and altruism that began in the Mishkan repeats itself permanently. Far from the anti-Semitic prejudice that Jews are greedy, statistics show that our co-religionists outperform members of other religions in acts of philanthropy. If we do not hear more about these acts of kindness, it is because the most important acts of philanthropy are carried out anonymously, without any interest in appearing, just as in the Mishkan.
