Timeless Torah

This week’s portion begins with a mainstay of Jewish life, the appeal. “Speak to the Israelites and have them take to me an offering. From every man whose heart impels him, you shall take...” All the commentaries explore the peculiar expression, “take to me,” rather than the expected, “give to me.”
On a simple level, we can say that since G-d owns everything, it is impossible to give Him anything. Giving implies ownership. Therefore, we don’t use the expression “giving” to the Master of all, but “taking.” That is to say, since G-d already owns everything, we ‘generously allow’ Him to ‘take’ that which is already His.
No surprise, but the first time that an act of chessed (kindness) in mentioned in the Torah (the invitation extended by Abraham to the angels, offering them a place to eat and sleep), the Torah also uses the expression, “...let water be taken..I will take bread.” Even the first Jew instinctively knew that when you help, not just the Almighty, but anyone, you are not giving; you are taking!
There are those who hear the word “give” and recoil as in the tale of Max and Irving who had gone fishing. A freak storm developed and their small boat capsized. Max, a strong swimmer, called to save Irving, but to no avail as Irving did not respond.

“What happened?” Irving’s wife cried. Max recounted the entire episode. “I kept screaming, ‘Irving, give me your hand! Give me your hand!’ But Irving just gave me a blank stare and drifted away.”
“You fool!” moaned the widow.“You should have said, ‘take my hand.’ Irving never gave anything to anybody!”

In this week’s solicitation, the Torah is teaching us a lesson. When you give, you are taking a share for yourself. Material pleasures are digested, but inevitably forgotten. The new cars become old ones, and the newest gizmos become outdated. Only the kindness we share remains eternal in a storehouse of merits that without fail will repay us and our descendants.

But charity is more than a wise investment, a stock that pays dividends. It’s essential, as the Talmud unequivocally states, “Charity saves from death.”
Let me elaborate.When this appeal for the desert Sanctuary was being presented, the tribal Princes offered to make up any deficit, should the nation’s contributions be insufficient. Any fundraiser would undoubtedly be thrilled at such an offer.

Imagine, someone guaranteeing any shortfall. Nonetheless, G-d was unhappy with their proposal. As a result, the Hebrew word Nesiim (Princes) is spelled defectively, without the letter ‘Yud’. This was done as a punishment for their, “You go first. I’ll wait in line,” attitude. But indeed, what was wrong with their offer?
To quote our Sages,“There are many agents of G-d.” One way or another, the institution or poor person will survive. The only question is whether the donor will have the merit of being G-d’s agent. Therefore, the supporter should realize that he is taking more than he is giving.
While fiscally, this may have sounded like a great idea, attitudinally it revealed their flawed belief. For what were they thinking when they raised the issue of ‘deficit’? Did they think that the Mishkan might not be built without their coming to the rescue? That G-d actually needed them? What they should have done was enthusiastically jump in and offer their donations up front, not wait.
Now we can understand why specifically the ‘Yud’ was removed. When written with a Yud the word is based on the root ‘naso’ meaning, “those who carry.” Without the Yud, the word is formed from the root which means “those who are carried.” This was the lesson that G-d was trying to teach the princes. “You think that you are going to carry the Mishkan. On the contrary, the Mishkan will carry you.”
The following incident actually occurred. When Rav Eliezer Gordon (1840-1910), the founder of the Telshe Yeshiva, became engaged, his father-in-law told him that he would support him (as was usual, in those days) . Throughout the years, various communities approached the young man requesting that he become their Rabbi.

However, his father-in-law insisted that he remain learning at home, promising his continued support. Eventually, his mother- in-law told her husband, “It’s time for our son-in-law to move on. We can not support him forever.” Her husband replied, “We never know who is supporting whom.”
Ultimately, Rav Gordon did depart to become a community Rabbi. The day after he left his father-in-law passed away! We never know who supports whom, who is the ‘carrier’ and who is being ‘carried’.
So when one gives charity, he is not really ‘giving’, he is ‘taking’. More precisely, he is taking more than he is giving. This is an important Jewish perspective about charity. It’s not just an opportunity to help others, it’s a privilege. Indeed, it’s a lifesaver.