This week we begin reading the Torah portions about the construction of the MISHKAN, the portable Temple of the Desert years. There’s so much to discuss about the sublime symbolism incorporated into the fashioning of this religious site, but this week’s reading begins with a topic most of us can identify with, namely institutional fundraising.

Personally, I’ve always hated fundraising, but I’ve worked for a few masters of the art, so I was rarely called on to help. One such individual once told me: Fundraising is really easy; all you have to do is believe that what you’re doing is the most important thing in the world. 

Okay! I’ve been teaching Torah for over a half century, and I have found it immensely important and rewarding. But is it the most important thing in the world? I mean there are people out there feeding the hungry, curing  the ill and pulling disaster victims out of rubble. So, teaching is pretty important, but the MOST important job in the universe? Probably not.

So, God uses a different tack. Our salient verse states: Tell the Israelite people to take for Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart is so moved (Shmot 25:2).

Seems like a pretty soft sell. Collect on My behalf contributions from those who want to give. In my limited experience most people don’t ‘want’ to give. In general, we are takers, when given the chance.

Actually, most commentators agree that God went out of the way to insist that this whole enterprise must be voluntary. Now there are compulsory payments in Judaism, like the SHEKALIM we read about last........

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