We
went and visited our eldest daughter. Thankfully she lives in Florida, so our
visit coincided with our desire to be somewhere warm and sunny for a few days.
During our visit, I received a special treat. I had a chance to watch our
daughter at work. She is the Campaign Manager for a women running for the U.S.
House of Representatives in a congressional district in Palm Beach Florida. We
went to her office and because her brother and sisters needed community service
time for school, they spent a few mornings doing volunteer work for their big
sister and the campaign. One of the largest components of a campaign is
fundraising. I spoke to our daughter and the candidate and asked if there was
ever a time when they felt that the campaign could not accept a “campaign
donation” from individuals or a Political Action Committee (PAC). Maybe the
donor’s beliefs about other issues were totally at odds with the candidate’s
positions. Acceptance of the donation would cost the candidate moral integrity
and render the candidate as “a flip-flopper” or “pandering”, or without a
discernable moral code. Both our daughter and her candidate explicitly
said that they have refused donations when the cost is a sacrifice of personal
integrity and moral code. I gave my daughter a look that she has received from
me since she was a little girl. She then explained to me that they before they
accept a donation, they research the donor in order to make sure that
acceptance of the donation doesn’t necessitate a diminishment of or a compromise
of integrity. If the research makes a mistake and they find out, our daughter
makes sure that the donation is returned right away.
This
Shabbat, we read from Parsha Terumah. In it, Moshe has re-ascended the mountain
in order to receive the laws, and the blueprint, if you will, for the
construction of the Mishkan, the portable tabernacle that will eventually
permit B’nai Yisroel to gather, to make offerings to God and to provide a
physical dwelling for God. If you are an architect, or if you are an interior
decorator, this Parsha goes into tremendous detail about Mishkan’s construction
and decoration. Before all the detail are presented for construction and
decoration, God commands Moshe to tell B’nai Yisroel that the funding for this
vital public works project will come from each individual V’Yikchu Li
Terumah Mei’eit Kol Ish Asher Yidvenu Libo Tikechu et Terumati – They
shall take for me a portion, from every man whose heart motivates him, you
shall take my portion (Ex. 25:2). The holiest spot within the community,
the most sacred area is based upon each and every individual apportioning a
percentage of their assets to the construction of, decoration of, and
maintenance of the Mishkan. How incredibly equitable! Everyone is involved and
everyone has a stake in the outcome. There were no “dues” per
se. Rather, each individual had to look within him/herself and be brutally
honest. Each individual would give as they saw fit.
This was a sacred moment
between the individual and God. The object was not to give due to social
pressure but rather for the holiest of reasons. However, such a process
requires tremendous honesty. Such a process requires us to be sure that our
outside matches our inside. Such a process forces the individual to “mean what
you say and say what you mean”. Such a process forces the individual to not
only “talk the talk” but walk the walk”. This message is subliminally hinted at
when we read about the design of the Aron, the Ark that is to hold the Shnei
Luchot Ha’Brit – the Two Stone Tablets upon which are written the
Ten Commandments. V’Asu Aron Atzei Shitim – they shall make an Ark of
acacia wood (Ex.25:10). V’Tzipitah Oto Zahav Tahor Mibayit
U’Michutz T’Tzapenu V’Asita Alav Zeir Zahav Saviv – You shall cover it with
pure gold, from within and from without shall you cover it, and you shall make
on it a gold crown all around (Ex. 25:11). It makes sense that the
outside of the Ark is covered with gold since that will be viewed by the
people. However, what is the reason for lining the arc with pure gold from the
inside? Rabeinu Chananel, the 11th century North African Talmudist,
comments that this arrangement symbolized the Talmudic dictum that a Torah
scholar must be consistent; his inner character must match his public demeanor,
his actions must conform to his professed beliefs. However, there is no reason
to limit such sentiment to Torah scholars. Kol Ish Asher Yidvenuy Libo
Tikechu et Terumati – every man whose heart motivates him you shall take
my portion. Every man should be motivated to be consistent. Every person’s
actions should conform to his/her professed beliefs, and his or her beliefs
should be expressed by behavior.
Every day, we face the struggle to keep the pure gold that exists within our
insides the same as the pure gold that exists on the outside. The object is to
never tarnish that which lies within nor that which lies without. So we should
seize every opportunity to express holiness, whether Mitzvot l’Ben Adam
L’Chavero (Mitzvot that pertains between people) or Mitzvot L’Hashem (Mitzvot
that pertain to God. If we neglect those
opportunities, we tarnish the most precious aspect: our souls’ purity and
holiness. When I asked our daughter why she is so rigorous in checking the donors
and demands that her staff must be so rigorous in checking the donors; she
smiled and reminded me that her father is a Rabbi, that she grew up in an
observant home, and, more than anything, she understood that personal integrity is
based upon behaviour both in the home and outside the home. We don’t
behave in a manner or associate with those who tarnish our integrity, our code,
and our “brand”. That is to say, their insides, match their outsides. She
continued to explain that this rigor is one the few ways the voters can
determine a candidate’s integrity and authenticity. As I listened to my
daughter and watched her work, it became clear that she learned this lesson
well.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
No comments:
Post a Comment