25 Feb PARSHAS TERUMAH: OFFER OF THE PRINCES

What Was Wrong
With The Offer Of
The Princes?
The pasuk in Parshas
Vayakhel says “And
the Princes brought
the Shoham stones
and the Miluim stones for the Ephod and for
the Choshen” [Shemos 35:27]. Rashi cites a
famous teaching of our Sages that when it
came time for everyone to donate for the
Mishkan, the Princes — very generously —
offered to make up the deficit, after everyone
else brought their contributions. According to
Rashi, the Torah was unhappy with this offer.
As a result, the word Nesiim [Princes] is
spelled defective — without the letter ‘Yud’
— as a punishment for their lack of
enthusiasm (zerizus) to participate in the
mitzvah of donating to the Mishkan.
If one were to query any fundraiser as to
whether he would be pleased or displeased to
receive an offer such as that made my the
Princes, undoubtedly he would be thrilled at
such an offer. He would certainly snap at the
opportunity to have someone guarantee any

shortfall that remained after the collection
effort was concluded. Yet, the Torah was
upset at the attitude of the Princes. What was
wrong with their offer?
In this week’s Parsha (Terumah), the Torah
says “Speak to the Israelites and have them
take to me an offering. From every man
whose heart impels him, you shall take my
offering.” [Shemos 25:2]. All the
commentaries explore the peculiar expression
used in this pasuk — “take to me” (yikchu li)
rather than the more normal “give to me”
(yitnu li).
Many commentaries explain that when one
gives to a Mishkan — or, for that matter,
when one gives to any Torah institution, or
helps out another person — he is not really
‘giving’, he is ‘taking’. More precisely, he is
taking more than he is giving. “There are
many agents of G-d” (Harbeh Shluchim
l’Makom). G-d has His ways. One way or
another, the institution or the person in need
will survive. The only question is whether the
donor will have the merit of being the agent
of G-d. Therefore, the donor should realize
that when he gives charity in any form, he is

taking more than he is giving. That is why
there is no such thing as a ‘deficit’ to the
Master of the Universe. That is why the
attitude of the Princes was so wrong.
Fiscally, it may have been a great idea, but
attitudinally it was a horrible concept. What
were they thinking when they raised the issue
of ‘deficit’? Did they think that the Mishkan
might not be built without their coming to the
rescue? That was flawed thinking. G-d has no
deficits. G-d did not need their help to build
the Mishkan. If the Princes wanted a portion
of merit in the building the Mishkan, they
should have enthusiastically jumped in and
offered their donations up front.
This idea is underscored by another teaching
of our Sages — an idea that we tend to forget
in tough economic times: More than the
wealthy person does for the poor person, the
poor person does for the wealthy person
[Vayikra Rabbah 34]. G-d provides for the
needs of all. Most institutions will somehow
survive and so too most poor people will
somehow persevere. A person, who wishes to
share in the merit and TAKE part in the
reward of that merit, will jump in and
contribute. The poor person’s ability to
transform a donor into a generous,
compassionate, sensitive person, who has
proper character traits, far exceeds that
which the donor can do for the poor person.
It is not so much that we have to worry
about the poor. G-d will take care of the
poor. We must worry about ourselves –
and try to gain from the poor that which
they have to bestow upon us.
The Chofetz Chaim (1838-1933) had a
Yeshiva in Radin. A philanthropist came
and offered to underwrite the entire budget
of the Yeshiva. The Chofetz Chaim
declined the offer. The Chofetz Chaim said
that he did not want to remove the merit of
supporting the Yeshiva from the rest of the
Jewish people. This is a true story! The
Chofetz Chaim said that he would rather
run an institution that had to rely on $18
and $36 dollar donations because he
wanted everyone to have a portion in the
merit of supporting the institution. He
therefore looked at a man who was willing
to underwrite his entire budget and told
him “Thanks, but no thanks”, since the
concept of “They shall TAKE a donation”
taught that by G-d there are no deficits.
Now we can understand why specifically
the ‘Yud’ was removed from the spelling
of Nesiim (Princes). The spelling of
Nesiim when it is written with a Yud is
based on the form of the root ‘naso’ (uplift)

which means “those who carry”. When the
Yud is removed, the word Nesiim is based on
the form of that root which means “those who
are carried”. This was the lesson that G-d was
trying to teach the princes: “You think that
you are going to carry the Mishkan. On the
contrary, the Mishkan will carry you”.
The following true incident occurred with
Rav Eliezer Gordon (1840-1910), the founder
of the Telshe Yeshiva. He married the
daughter of Rav Avrohom Yitzchak Neviezer.
Rav Leizer Gordon had a well-deserved
reputation as one of the most outstanding
young men in the Jewish nation. When he
became engaged, his father-in-law told him
that he would support him. In those days, the
son-in-law used to live in the father-in-law’s
house. That is how Rav Leizer Gordon was
supported.
One community after another approached
Rav Leizer Gordon and asked him to become
their Rabbi. Every time a community
approached him regarding becoming their
Rav, he would ask his father-in-law for
permission to take the position. Invariably,
his father-in-law insisted that he remain with
him, sitting and learning. His father-in-law
told him not to worry, promising to continue
to support him. This happened year after
year. Finally, the mother- in-law told her

husband “It is already time to have our son-
in-law move on. We cannot support him here

forever.” Her husband replied, “We never
know, who is supporting whom”.
Eventually, Rav Gordon took a position and
became a community Rabbi. The day after he

left his father-in-law’s house, his father-in-
law passed away. We never know who

supports whom — who is the “carrier” and
who is being “carried”. Rav Leizer Gordon
was supporting his father-in-law, not the
other way around. G-d has no deficits.
It is a MERIT to participate in giving charity.
If one deserves the merit, he will have that
privilege.