Hesitant Generosity?

-

 “Sure, I’d like to help.  Let me know after you have run your campaign or project, and what you still need, and then I’ll step in.”  I think that it is very common for people involved in planning and running community programs to hear this.  People like to be a “knight in shining armor” and to come in and save the day when there is something missing.  It sounds wonderful, but is it the right thing to do?  Is that better than the person who steps up to help as soon as they see a need, not knowing how crucial their support will be and how many others are willing to help?


Well the leaders of our people, in the early days of the formation of the nation, took the first approach.  Hashem told Moshe to build a sanctuary in the desert, and to have all the people contribute the materials necessary.  As related in this week’s Parsha, Vayakhel, the leaders of the tribes, holy people wanting to behave like leaders, decided to allow the people to bring what they could and then fill in whatever was missing.  Little did they know that everything would be provided, and the only thing that they were able to contribute was precious stones and a few other items.  This was much less than what they had intended.


They learned their lesson, Rashi tells us, and when the time came to actually dedicate the sanctuary after it was built, they were the first to bring offerings.  This is a lesson in generosity and kindness for each of us.  It happens often that we are approached to help someone or to support a community project, and we tend to want to see who else will participate and how it goes before committing.  But there is something special about the person who steps forward in the beginning to start things going.  This way, in addition to being a catalyst for something good, we know that we won’t miss the opportunity to do a Mitzvah.


Oh, and about the war.  If I need to address it, I will just say that I have no idea what on earth is going on.  One thing is certain – this is all part of the lead up to the coming of Moshiach.  Our Sages taught that if you see nations fighting with each other, prepare for the redemption.  This war is so beyond logic that I don’t see any other explanation.  Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters, and all people, to be spared from death and destruction, and may peace come very quickly.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breaking Ground

-
Image
“Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov…” – How goodly are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel.  These famous words are the evil prophet Bilaam’s reluctant blessing to the Jewish people.  There are several ways to explain his blessing.  He saw how the opening of the tents were placed so as to ensure privacy, and he was moved by the modesty that is one of the hallmarks of the Jewish people.  Another explanation is that he was foreseeing the synagogues and Torah study halls of the future.   I want to venture a guess that he would also be impressed by the way we open our homes to guests.  Hachnasat Orchim – bringing guests into the home –  is a value that we have going back to our forefather Avraham.  It is one of the pillars of the great Mitzvah of Gemilut Chasadim, acts of kindness.  Another crucial part of that Mitzvah is Bikur Cholim – visiting (or caring for) the sick.  How great is it then when both of these Mitzvot are bundled together! I am therefore gratified that this week, the wee
Read more

Sacrifice for Shabbat

-
  One of the things, our Sages said, that helped the Jews in Egypt merit the Exodus from Egypt, was Shabbat observance. This merit will also help bring the redemption from our current exile. In honor of the Parsha Vaera, where we read about the beginning of the process of redemption, I would like to reprint a story that was published today by Rabbi Mordechai Lipskier.  He wrote that he heard the story from Rabbi Moshe Raitport, who heard it first hand. A few years ago, a woman called the Shomrei Hadas Funeral Chapels in Brooklyn to arrange her husband’s funeral. “Before going ahead with the arrangements, I have a request to make. May I tell you a story?” This woman had gotten married in the early 1940s in Brooklyn. It was difficult for a Shabbat observer to hold down a job, so like many other Jews, her husband was pink-slipped from one job after the next. (They would often take a job on Monday, and when they refused to come on Shabbat, they were fired.) Their struggle worsened as the f
Read more

All’s Well That Ends Well

-
  I was in New York for almost a week, for the annual Chabad emissary convention.  The energy was amazing.  The power of unity was palpable, as Rabbis from around the world shared the incredible outpouring of support for Israel that we are experiencing among the entire spectrum of our people.  (Over 1,000 Rabbis joined via live telecast from Israel, because they did not want to leave their posts.)   Together we mourned our brothers and sisters who were so brutally murdered, injured and captured by our enemies.  Together we prayed and resolved to encourage each other and Jews around the world to stand strong and proud, to defy all our enemies and continue to build Judaism and Jewish life.  Together we honored our heroic soldiers who are literally giving their lives to protect our people, and together we committed to support our people in Israel and around the world with all the power that the Rebbe vested in us, as Chabad does.   We heard moving stories about our colleagues’ efforts, wo
Read more