Shemos

The pasuk states, “And you shall build for Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell in them.” The Alshich points out that it does not say, “and I will dwell in it” i.e. the Sanctuary, but rather “in them” i.e. in the heart of every Jew. The ultimate goal of the presence of the Divine in the Sanctuary is to be a conduit for spreading His presence into the heart of every Jew. The original intent of Hashem was not to have a structured Sanctuary but to use the Jewish People as his Mishkan. After they sinned with the Golden Calf it became necessary to construct an edifice to house the Divine Presence. This does not negate the ultimate goal of “dwelling in them,” as the Mishkan serves as an enabler for the creation of individual, human sanctuaries, inspired by the Mishkan.

On Purim, we are “obligated to become intoxicated until we lose cognizance” (literally, “until we do not know”). The Sefarim reveal that this is a reference to the level of Adam HaRishon before the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. We are to become so intoxicated, to the point that we propel ourselves to the pre-knowledge state of Adam before his sin. We therefore obviate the need for an edifice to house the divine Presence, since we have elevated ourselves to the point that we become human sanctuaries. The question remains, How do we elevate our bodies on Purim to such a level that the Divine can actually rest upon us? The answer lies in a beautiful interpretation of the Baal Shem Tov on the following pasuk. “From every man whose heart is motivated, you shall take a portion (Terumah 25:2).” The Baal Shem Tov interprets this “motivation” as the base, lustful and sinful motivations of the Yetzer Hara. We must harness and channel our illicit passions and give them as a terumah (portion) to Hashem. He quotes “Rabbeinu Sa’adia Gaon,” that it is beneficial to desire all the physical passions of life, for they will serve as a springboard and lesson as to how to serve Hashem with passion. A similar thought is echoed by the Reishis Chochma quoting Rav Yitzchak D’min Acco (the end of the fourth perek of Shaar HaAhava). “One who has not longed for a woman is similar to a donkey, and even less! This is so, for only through the sensual, can one discern how to love the Almighty.” If we can live in the spirit of the Baal Shem Tov’s instruction, to use our Yetzer Hara as a guide for the service of Hashem, then, our bodies, despite all their lustful desires, can become a home for the Divine. During Adar and Purim, our expression of Divine service is with our physical desires i.e. food, wine, and all our personal preferences of happiness. By intensifying our happiness in the service of the Almighty, we have thus created a favorable setting for the presence of the Shechina. We can now cover the “cubit by cubit,” for we have returned the Divine Presence to our very own human sanctuaries.

Rashi comments on the Pasuk, "And let them take for Me a donation", that the words "for Me", demand that the contributions for the Mishkan should be "lishmi", for G-d's name, i.e. given with sincerity and devoid of any ulterior motives. The question arises: How can we demand sincerity when this runs contrary to a famous Gemara in Pesachim 8a. "If one says, 'I am donating this coin to charity with the ulterior motive that my son should live or that I merit the World to Come', that contributor is nevertheless considered a complete Tzaddik." It is apparent that personal agendas are not a defect in the mitzvah of tzedakah. Therefore, why do the donations toward the building of the Mishkan necessitate a level of total sincerity? Allow me to suggest two diverse interpretations.

1) HaRav Zalman Sorotzkin zt"l comments on the strange usage of the word "And let them take", as opposed to the more appropriate, "And let them give a donation". The greatest challenge in raising funds for Torah institutions does not lie in the willingness of the people to give, but rather, in the availability of capable people to raise the money. Jews are more than happy to give, if given the opportunity. However, proactive and energetic fundraisers, who inspire and gently pressure the people to donate money to worthy causes, are difficult to find. The ones charged with the task of taking, therefore, hold the key to success. The Torah uses the language, "And let them take", for herein lies the formula for a successful tzedakah effort - dedicated fundraisers. Rashi's comment on the pasuk is therefore directed at the takers, not the givers. Indeed, the givers are allowed ulterior motives, for as long as they give, their tzedakah is effective and praiseworthy. On the other hand, the fundraisers who are entrusted with "taking", must be lishma, i.e. totally sincere, for they can only be effective in inspiring the people to give, if their appeal is heartfelt and genuine.

2) The Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. Hilchos Tzedakah 249:10) voices the opinion of the Rambam (Hilchos Matnas Aniyim 10:11), that the ideal tzedakah is to give money to the indigent even before being asked. The Holy Shalah tells us that every time tzedakah is given, the four-lettered name of Hashem (Yud-Hey-Vuv-Hey) is spelled out. The "yud" represents the coin being given. The "hey" is the hand, i.e. five fingers of the one giving the coin. The "vav" is the outstretched arm of the indigent. The final "hey" is the poor man opening up his hand to receive the coin. The Chavos Yair points out that this is only the case when one gives tzedakah before being asked. However, if the indigent first stretches out his arm to request tzedakah, the order of the letters formed would be Vuv-Hey, then Yud-Hey - an out-of-order, jumbled name of G-d. This ideal form of tzedakah is alluded to by Dovid HaMelech in Tehillim 11:7, "For the righteous Hashem loves those who give tzedakah, those whose faces behold straightness." The "straightness" refers to those who give tzedakah before being asked - and form the letters of the name of Hashem in a straight line. We now can understand Rashi's comment on the words "for Me", 'lishmi' - 'for My name' - i.e. in order to properly spell out the name of Hashem. One should contribute funds to the Mishkan in a premium way, i.e. even before being asked, in order to have the letters of Hashem's name in their proper order, first "Yud" "Hey"and then "Vuv" "Hey".

We now have a greater insight into another Rashi in Breishis (18:16), that tzedakah has the power to transform the Attribute of Justice into the Attribute of Mercy. "Yud" "Hey" is the name of Hashem associated with justice, "Vuv" "Hey" is the name of Hashem which reflects mercy (Rav Yaakov Emden in his "Siddur Bais Yaakov", page 27 commenting on L'shem Yichud). One can suggest that only when the "Vuv" "Hey" i.e. mercy, is at the end of the name, can it modify the "Yud" "Hey" i.e. justice, at the beginning of the name. This occurs only if we anticipate the needs of others and offer our tzedakah before being approached by the indigent. However, if we are not careful to be receptive to the needs of the poor, and they must come to us to ask for help, then the "Vuv" "Hey" comes before the "Yud" "Hey" and the conversion to mercy does not occur. May we be zoche to give tzedakah in the ideal way, enabling the Attribute of Mercy to temper the Attribute of Justice, showering Klal Yisroel with the benevolence of Hashem.