30 May PARASHAT NASO: THE JEWISH WAY TO GIVE

Parashat Naso tells of
the special gifts and
sacrifices brought by
the nesi’im – the leaders
of the twelve tribes, to
celebrate the inauguration
of the Mishkan.
Rashi explains why the leaders were the first
ones to come forward and bring these gifts
and sacrifices. When Hashem first commanded
the people to donate materials for the building
of the Mishkan, the nesi’im decided to wait
and see what the people would donate,
figuring that they would then donate the
rest. To their surprise, the people responded
very generously, giving almost everything
that was needed for the Mishkan. Very little
was left for the nesi’im to donate.
In order to correct their mistake,
the nesi’im came forward first when
the Mishkan was built, bringing gifts and
sacrifices.
We must ask, what exactly did the nesi’im do
wrong? Was it not very noble of them to
commit to donate everything that was
missing?
There is a man in the community whom I
once contacted to tell about a new gemach (free
loan project) that was being started, and I
asked him if he wished to donate.

“Sure, no problem,” he said. “I’ll mail a
check.” He proceeded to mail a $5000 check.
Sometime later, a Rabbi from Israel came to
meet with me, and explained that he was
raising money for a certain cause. I phoned
this same fellow, and he right away donated
$10,000.
On a different occasion, my son’s yeshiva
was having a dinner, and they asked me to
help fundraise. I called this fellow, and he
donated $5000. Then we were raising money
for a shul, and he contributed $26,000. When
Purim approached, and I was collecting
money for Matanot L’evyonim (charity for
the poor), he sent a check for $10,000. These
are all causes that he knew almost nothing
about…
Finally, I called him to find out more about
him. It was amazing to me how generously
and eagerly he donated charity.
“This is way I see it,” he told me. “If Hashem
sends me someone in need, then it means
Hashem wants me to give to that
person. Period. It’s not more complicated
than that.”
Later, I met with him in person, to find out
more about him. I asked him how
much tzedakah he had given that year, and he
told me $6 million.

“How much did you earn?” I asked.
“$8 million.”
I told him I thought he was crazy.
He explained that he and his family have
enough. They don’t need more than what they
have. So if he can make a difference in the
lives of other people, he should do so.
This is what true giving is – giving eagerly,
with enthusiasm, wanting to give, and looking
for opportunities to give.
The Gemara teaches that G-d miraculously
sustained our ancestors when they traveled
through the desert in the merit of Avraham
Avinu’s serving food to his three guests. The
greatest act of charity, in the merit of
which Beneh Yisrael were miraculously fed
in the desert, was Avraham’s kindness to the
three strangers who visited him.
Rav Eliyahu Dessler pointed out that these
guests were actually angels. They did not
receive any actual benefit from Avraham,
because angels don’t need to eat. And yet –
this is the greatest act of charity!
The reason, Rav Dessler explains, is because
true Jewish charity depends not only on the
recipient’s needs, but also on the giver, on the
way he gives and his attitude toward
giving. Avraham Avinu, as the Torah

describes, ran to welcome the three angels
and to serve them. It is this eagerness, this
enthusiasm, that is the model of tzedakah that
we are to follow.
This is why the nesi’im were wrong. They
should have set an example for the rest of the
nation by rushing to give, by being the first
ones to donate – because this is the way giving
is supposed to be.
Our community is extremely giving. We
give a lot. However, I believe we can do even
better. We can be more eager and enthusiastic
to give. We shouldn’t have to wait until
somebody approaches us and asks us. If we
know of an important cause, and we have
money to give, we should be rushing to give,
just like our forefather, Avraham.
There are so many needs in our
community. There are many struggling
families, and many struggling
institutions. Let’s not wait until we are
asked. If we hear of a person or institution
that needs help – let us run to help as we can,
because this is what Jewish giving is all about.