01 Feb SHABBOS IS IN THE AIR: THE BOOMERANG EFFECT

“HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying. Speak to Bnei Yisroel, V’yikchu li, and they shall take for Me a donation…”

(Shemos 25:1-2)

“V’yikchu li, take for Me”. Does a donor “take” a donation? Wouldn’t it have been more accurate to say “give” a donation?

The Torah is teaching us an important lesson in giving. When we give of ourselves, we are truly receiving. We are benefitting, we are gaining. The very act of giving makes us better people. We become kinder and more compassionate. We achieve greater understanding and sensitivity towards the needs of others.

When we work out, we build up muscle and strength. So too, when we give, we build up love and kindness. Giving elevates our very being.

This is true not only with the giving of monetary gifts, but also when we give of ourselves in a myriad of other ways. The giving of our time, our talents, our knowledge. The giving of a good word, a smile, a kind gesture.

Giving also builds relationships. In a world where people tend to ask, “What’s in it for me, what do I get out of it”, the Torah teaches us that the more we give, the more we get.

Shlomo HaMelech teaches us, “Tzedakah tatzil mi’maves, Charity saves from death”. (Mishlei 10:2) The passage suggests that giving charity has the power to change a bad decree, thereby adding days to one’s life.

Perhaps, there is an additional message. Tzedakah not only protects from an untimely physical death, but also has the power to protect from the death of the spirit. When concern for others is not a priority, one risks becoming self-centered and living a shallow existence. We can only grow as individuals, when we are able to look past ourselves, and show concern towards others.

Giving tzedakah saves us from a hardening of the heart, from losing perspective of what is important in life.

“Tzedakah” comes from the word “tzedek – justice, righteousness”. We shouldn’t view tzedakah just as charitable contributions, but as doing the right thing.

Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, extolled the trait of being there for each other. He once encountered a man who needed assistance, and ran over to help. The man was uncomfortable, and said “I can’t let you do this for me. It does not befit the Rov to be doing this.” To which Rabbi Yisroel Salanter responded, “You don’t understand, by fulfilling your physical needs, I am fulfilling my spiritual needs.”

The Torah uses the expression “v’nasnu, they shall give” in discussing the mitzvah of the machtzis hashekel, the half-shekel. (Shemos 30:12). Many commentators note that the word “v’nasnu” is a palindrome, spelled the same way forwards and backwards. The Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, taught that the message we are to take away from this, is that whatever we give, ultimately comes back to us. Giving is like a boomerang.

My mother a”h, was sitting shivah for my grandmother. The shivah was in my grandmother’s home, and amongst the many who came to comfort the family, was Lisa, a young woman who attended my mother’s Torah classes.

My uncle (the Rebbetzin’s brother) was the principal of an elementary school yeshiva, and a class from the school came to be menachem ovel at the very same time. The yeshiva was founded by my grandfather, HaRav Avraham Jungreis zt”l, who never turned anyone away for a lack of funds, taking in many children from needy families.

It was wintertime. Many of the children were wearing coats that were either too small for them or in poor condition.

That season, Lisa had her eye on a coat. She loved it. But it was over her budget, and she didn’t really need it. But she wanted it, so she started saving towards it. Every now and then, she would pop into the store to see if it was still there. And then came her lucky day. The coat went on sale, just what she was waiting for. Lisa happily made the purchase.

After seeing the simplicity of my grandmother’s home and the children with their old coats, Lisa took her newly purchased, not-worn-yet coat, and returned it.

The following week, Lisa attended another Hineni class. After class, she approached my mother with an envelope. In it was a check payable to the yeshiva, to be distributed to some of the children who needed new coats. It was for the precise amount that she had paid for the returned coat.

The Rebbetzin told her that being that she was single, and in the shidduch world, she needed to look good, to take care of herself. With HaShem’s help, it will be her time to give when she finds her bashert.

But Lisa persisted. And so the Rebbetzin accepted the envelope, and gave her a berachah that HaShem should repay her for the kind act of chessed.

A few weeks later, Lisa came back to Torah class – all excited. She had purchased a raffle and was a winner! The prize was a gift certificate to a clothing store for the exact amount as the cost of the coat.

The boomerang effect of giving. It always comes back.

“V’yikchu li terumah, take for Me a donation.”

“Terumah”. Why not the more commonly used words for donation— tzedakah or nedavah?

The root of the word “terumah” is rom – to lift up. To elevate, to attain greater heights.

When we give, our neshamah doesn’t just ascend, it soars. It is super-charged. There is an inner joy and happiness. A feel-good place that we can reach only through giving.

The Torah says, “may-eis kol ish, from every man.”

Everyone can give something. It doesn’t matter what you give, just be a giver.

The verse continues, “Asher yidvenu libo, whose heart motivates him.” When you give, give with a smile. Give from the heart. Give with love.

Be a giver. There is nothing to lose, only what to gain.

Shabbat Shalom!