Give From Your Heart

Now that G!d has moved the Israelites out of Egypt and set them on their journey to the promised land, established a leader and laid out certain boundaries, he asks for the nation to worship him as their Deliverer. In order to do so, he wants them to set up a sanctuary, but first he asks them to give whatever they are willing for the building, FROM THEIR HEARTS. There is no set decree of giving, but G!d instead asks for an offering of devotion and goodwill. In the midst of boundaries and rules which can seem constricting, G!d seeks the heart of adoration and love from his people rather than reward-dependent obedience.

While the rest of Parashat Terumah lays out exactly detailed and undeniably ornate plans for the Tabernacle, G!d has shown his character through the first few verses. The detail of the Tabernacle shows care and design and a G!d who demands our best – but the request for offerings from he heart leads with a G!d who desires a relationship rather than a dictatorship over his people.

In a world bombarded by competition for our money and attention, G!d approaches us repeatedly to seek our devotion. He wants us to reciprocate through our actions and giving by the leading of our heart and our love for him, not because someone else has told us what or how to give.