* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
What is the greatest gift you can give someone?
The opportunity to give.
Parashat Terumah, which we read this past Shabbat, focuses on generosity and giving. And our commentators notice something fascinating:
After weeks of the people complaining about hunger and thirst, fear and despair, and even expressing the desire to return to Egypt—suddenly all of this disappears.
The Israelites receive precise instruction regarding the construction of the Mishkan—the spiritual center of the nation in the desert— including who is obligated to give what and how all the parts of the Mishkan are to be constructed.
And suddenly the mood of the people shifts: they are active, positive, and enthusiastic. No more complaints—everyone is actively engaged in a holy endeavor.
This is a fundamental principal in education: When a person is busy and active, he or she feels more involved and consequently more content. God performed great miracles for us and redeemed us from Egypt, but we are only truly happy when we become His partners: when He entrusts us with a mission and charges us with the responsibility of doing mitzvot and good deeds.
I encourage you to try to put this idea into practice in the coming week. In this parasha, God Himself grants us the greatest gift of all by offering us the opportunity to give of ourselves to Him.
Shavua tov.
