Bob was living at home with his very ill father. When Bob found out he was going to inherit a fortune very soon when his sickly father died, he decided he needed a woman to enjoy it with. So one evening he went to a matchmaker and asked him to find him a lovely woman. The matchmaker gave him a number. He called her and they began a courtship.
At the first date he told her: "I may look like just an ordinary man," he said. "But in just a week or two my father will die, and I'll inherit 20 million dollars."
Impressed, the woman went home with him that evening.
Three days later, she became his stepmother
This Sabbath, Jews the world over will read, in addition to the weekly Torah portion Pekudei, an extra Torah portion, known as Parshas Shekalim, or the "portion of the coins" records the mitzvah incumbent upon the people of Israel, to make a yearly contribution of a half shekel which was a silver coin to cover the cost of all communal Temple offerings.
The Talmud teaches us that G-d actually showed Moses a half-shekel formed of fire and said: "Here, this is what I mean by a half-shekel."
Why did G-d have to show Moses a coin?
Moses could not grasp was G-d’s words to him that contributing this coin, would constitute an atonement for the soul of every giver. How can seven grams of silver, be an atonement for the soul?
But then how did G-d answer the question by showing him a coin of fire? And what is the meaning of a “coin of fire?”
You might remember what occurred a short time after 9-11. In October 2001, the nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd, Prince Al Waleed al Saud toured the ruins of Ground Zero with New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. The Prince, the world's sixth-wealthiest person with assets of $20 billion, gave the mayor a ten million dollar check for a World Trade Center relief fund.
But he later issued a written statement: "Our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of the Israelis while the world turns the other cheek" The Prince was blaming Israel for 9-11.
So Rudi Giuliani threw the check back in his face. He would not take this man’s money.
What would you do if you were the Mayor?
What is the Torah approach?
In Judaism, the source of money is important. Money is not just money! There is a difference between “clean money” and “dirty money.” And the difference exists, although in a much more subtle and refined form, within Jewish money itself.
Bezalel is the man who supervised the work of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), as discussed in this week’s portion. G-d’s complimentary words about him are impressive: “I filled him with the spirit of G-d, with wisdom, intelligence and knowledge, to do creative work, and with the ability to know thoughts, to work in gold and silver and copper.'” Indeed, our sages explain Bezalel was blessed with the ability to know people’s thoughts.
Yet this is strange: Why was it necessary for him to know thoughts of people? He was a builder not a psychic? Why did the builder of the Tabernacle need the capacity to read people’s thoughts?
The answer to this question is in an interesting story which occurred in the beginning of the 19th century. Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin employed fund-raisers to travel in Eastern Europe to collect donations for the support of the yeshiva. Once a fund raiser, dressed elegantly, approached a wealthy donor who would regularly contribute to the yeshiva. But alas the man refused to give the money.
Reb Chaim decided to pay a visit to him personally as the yeshiva really needed his contribution…
The wealthy donor explained to Rabbi Chaim that when he saw the flashy appearances of the fund raiser he decided not to give any money. “I do not want my money to go and sponsor the fancy clothe and coaches of your fundraisers. I want my money to go directly to the study of Torah and not be consumed in the expenses of the fund-raising projects and employees!”
So this wealthy philanthropist told Reb chaim, that he is ready to give him a large sum of money, but with one condition: The money goes directly to support the students studying Torah, to purchase books, to pay teachers, to keep the candles burning at night for the students to learn. He does not want his money to go to support fundraisers who need to travel in fancy coaches…
Rabbi Chaim answered him:
"When the Jews contributed gold to the building of the Mishkan, all of them undoubtedly wished that their particular piece of gold be used in the creation of the Holy Ark itself and not dispensed for other purposes connected with the expenses of that construction. If you can have your gold used for the Ark, situation in the Holy of Holies, which contained the Holy Tablets, above which G-d’s words were communicated to Moses, why would you want your gold for the hooks on the outer part of the structure to hang curtains?
So both Mr. Goldberg and Mr. Cohen gave their gold to the Tabernacle. Which one would go to build the Holy Ark? And whose gold would go for the hooks?
Ah, Bezalel, the builder of the Mishkan, possessed divine inspiration he sensed the inner thoughts of all of the donors. Bezalel was able to discern which gold was given with the purest and most selfless of motives and which gold was donated because of alterior motives. You see, the "pure" gold, given selflessly, without hesitation and in fulfillment of G-d's commandment, found its way into the construction of the Holy Ark, which housed the tablets of stone of Sinai and was the purest and holiest item in the Tabernacle. The other gold, containing the dross of conflicting and varying motives for its donation, was used for the other tasks necessary for the creation of the Mishkan, for items that were a bit less pure and holy.
So too is the matter regarding the donations to the yeshiva. The purer the intent of the donor to only do G-d's will and to truly support the study of His Torah, his donation will be used directly for the study of Torah itself and not be subsumed in the expenses of the fund-raising operations of the yeshiva.
And those who only give for arrogance and to show off, their money goes for the horse's fodder…
“So,” Reb Chaim concluded, “it is the donor himself, not I nor my staff, that will make the eventual determination as to how and where the monies donated will be allocated and spent. If you want your money to go to the ultimate destination, work on your heart. Make sure it is pure.”
This is what G-d is telling Moses: Money is money, that’s true but money is also more than money. The heart, the soul, that accompanies the money defines what type of money it is: holy or profane. Money that contains the purity of the heart this is sacred and pure money. It is money on fire.
When I do a favor to a person, when I give charity, when I help someone with advice or a loan, I must not only consider the act itself. I must focus also on my emotions in the process. I must do a favor with heart, with passion, with a feeling. If I remain cold and objective, my coin also remains cold and dead. But when I do the favor with feeling and emotion, ah, then the check goes on fire.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Rosh Chodesh Adar 2.
Rabbi Yoseph Geisinsky