Can a willing heart be developed?
In the last verse of Parashat Mishpatim, we read that Moshe ascended the mountain of God, Mt. Sinai, where he would remain for 40 days and 40 nights. The next thing we read, whether it happened chronologically or not, God asked Moshe to tell the Israelites to take gifts to Him from every person who has a willing heart. Does a person naturally have a willing heart? Can a willing heart be developed when we know that our first instinct is to have an unwilling heart?
Last week, Sr. Quintero explained the expression in Exodus 24:7: “Kol asher daber Adonai na’aseh v’nishmah“. נַעֲשֶׂ֥ה וְנִשְׁמָֽע׃ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-דִּבֶּר יְהוָה All that the LORD has spoken we will do and obey”,…in other words, first we do and then we listen. This goes against our nature, which dictates to us that we have to think carefully about what we do before we do it. Ironically, I have spent most of my life first doing and then thinking about it. So, my innate method was correct according to the Torah, but what I was choosing to do was taking me down the wrong path. I wasn’t taught the Torah in my early years. In the book of Exodus, God is directing Israel onto the right path, diverting the Israelites’ attention away from the practices of the false gods of Egypt to His ways. When we learn, as our ancestors were taught, to do what GOD is directing us to do even if we question it, we will increasingly grow to trust Him, and we will be blessed. This is a process whereby, little by little, over time, by witnessing how wise His directives are, hopefully, our desire to listen to Him, to obey Him, becomes second nature to us.
That is the lesson about giving or contributing…terumah. We begin through simple obedience where we control our ruminating over it; we give simply because God says to. When I turned my life over to GOD in my early 40s, I was taught two principles: the first is to “be available”, say yes when asked to serve, and the second is to always tithe. This is how to love GOD with all our heart, soul and resources, which will result in loving our neighbor as ourselves as Yeshua told us when he summed up the Ten Commandments.
At that time, I had very little money, I was deep in debt and was earning a very low income in a new job. I was a single mother raising two children. At the end of the month, I looked at my checking account and wondered, “How am I going to be able to tithe and also pay my rent?” I began to bargain with GOD: “LORD, you know I don’t have enough to give to you this month; I have all these bills to pay; please can it wait until next month?” Then I remembered the verses that I was shown in Malachi 3:10 -11, “Do not rob Me; Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, and let there be food in My House, in this put Me to the test — said the LORD of Hosts. I will surely open the floodgates of heaven for you and pour out for you overflowing blessings; …said the LORD of Hosts.” I told GOD, “OK, I am taking You at Your word, and I’m testing You.” What chutzpah I had! I wrote out the cheque for my tithe, and just when the rent was due, a bonus came through at work that covered all my expenses for that month. So many similar incidents have happened over the years to erase my doubt.
Don’t misunderstand me… we don’t give because we are going to receive something in return. We give out of obedience and gratitude to God for how much He has blessed us. As I watch God work in my life, my desire to give and to serve Him grows, and my first instinct is to want to give. I am developing a willing heart. That outpouring of generosity in my heart, to be honest, is not natural for me, but the more I give, the more I receive in every aspect of my being – physically, emotionally and spiritually. And it’s not only about giving financially; it includes the giving of our time and our gifts to serve God and each other. That is how we “first do and then we listen.”
In Terumah, we see that God is very specific about what gifts the Israelites would take to Him, from the most precious stones and metals…gold, silver and copper to the most basic materials such as wood. These would be used to build the Mishkan in the desert, both inside and out. Each item had a purpose and was obtained from what they had already received as parting gifts from the Egyptians. Nothing comes for free, not even these supposed gifts; these items were payment to the Hebrews for having endured the many tortuous years of harsh labor. There was a purpose even in that.
The building of the Mishkan was not for GOD; did He need a House to dwell in? Isaiah tells us in chapter 66: “This is what GOD said: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: Where could you build a house for Me? What place could serve as My abode? All this was made by My hand. And thus, it all came into being —declares GOD.” The Israelites had been entranced by the magnificent Temples in Egypt, and now with the Mishkan, God would slowly wean them away by shifting their paradigms, as He does with us.
Isaiah continues: “Yet to such a one do I look: To the poor and contrite spirit, Who is concerned about My word.” Those who truly love GOD and His word are willing to learn to give out of humility and a deep sense of gratitude, while those, filled with the pride of their accomplishments, give to feed their egos. Eventually, we all get humbled.
God knows what the heart of man needs, and He supplies it. He described to Moshe all the articles that were needed to build the Mishkan. He began with the Ark in which the most precious gift to humanity would be placed, “…deposit in the Ark, the Tablets of the Covenant which I will give you.” He had already spoken to the millions of people at the base of Mt. Sinai; now, He will engrave His covenant, His pact with us, in stone. The tablets would be placed in the Ark, covered with the most precious commodity – gold. It never loses its value and doesn’t tarnish or corrode. Its shine inspires all those who look upon it.
Upon the Ark were placed two keruvim, two cherubs, angelic beings, later referred to again in Ezekiel chapter 10 and Revelation chapter 4. God was bringing aspects of heaven down to earth to protect His most precious gift to humanity.
It was in this Tabernacle that God would meet with Moses to tell him all that He would command the Israelites. What other nation has ever had such an experience, given such an honor and yet has had to carry such responsibility? It was with this Ark that the army of Israel would move forward into victory over their enemies. It was not their strength alone that prevailed but GOD’s. This is what we need to remember today when the modern-day IDF, Israel Defense Force, is battling the most brutal of enemies.
The Ark would be placed in an area called the Holy of Holies, “HaKodesh HaKadoshim”. Holy or kadosh means to be separate, something that God would continually emphasize. He separated us from the Egyptians by placing us in Goshen until we left Egypt to be completely separated from them and their gods. We may have physically left, but it would take an entire generation dying in the desert to fully leave the gods of Egypt behind. He separated the place where Moshe would meet with Him, distinguishing it from the Grandiose Temples of Egypt. Those were gorgeous on the outside, attracting all to come and worship the “gods of death” within. This Mishkan, however, would appear ugly on the outside, attracting no one except those whom He called to come and worship the “GOD of life” within. The Hebrews would go through the process of being separated through their clothes, their eating habits, and their service to their GOD, but most importantly through a moral code of ethics and justice placed within that Ark of Gold.
Although Moses was shown a heavenly pattern for the design of this Tabernacle, there was freedom in how it would be expressed materially. God gives us room to create within the boundaries that He sets up for us in our lives. He created the pattern but allows us to work freely within it using the materials He provides for us, given to us as gifts in payment for the work we do and the hardships we have experienced.
In Terumah, Moshe was beginning the building of the Sanctuary where God would dwell among the people. GOD dwelled among the Israelites then as He is dwelling among His people everywhere to this very day. Here in Montreal, we have been building the sanctuary called Kehilat She’ar Yashuv, which began with a physical location back in 1993 but has now evolved to a virtual one. For those of us who have been here from the beginning, we know the trials and struggles we have been through. Thousands of people have passed through our doors, and many have tried to destroy us because we didn’t fit into their religious boxes. They even prophesied that within three months, our doors would close. Yet here we remain. Although our beloved rabbi has physically left us, his teachings and his spirit are still with us.
God works in a spiritual way to build practical things. Our lives deal with practical matters that have spiritual applications. It is our responsibility to take the physical first fruits of what we have received to the place where we are fed spiritually. We may want to bargain with God or give Him excuses like, I don’t earn enough, everything is too expensive, or after I pay all my bills, I have very little left for myself. We may say, I work too hard; I have a family to take care of, and have no time left to serve God. Are we trusting in ourselves instead of our GOD? Are we developing a willing heart, or are we refusing to trust the God who provides everything for us?
Shabbat Shalom
Peggy Pardo