Terumah:

The Lord Spoke to Moses saying: “Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him”

Exodus 25:1-2

Does God really need gold or silver?...Until they came with their gifts, it was hard, if not impossible, to fathom the extent of their real commitment. It was evidently not too hard to be swept along with the fiery excitement that engulfed everyone at the foot of Mount Sinai…Enthusiasm and vocal acceptance are much easier given than a hard penny out of one’s pocket….A number of things stand out in this first fund raising campaign. First of all, that it was a truly popular campaign. There were undoubtedly a number of rich people who would have been glad to contribute by themselves….But God tells Moses clearly that the gifts for the building of the sanctuary must…come from every person…the entire people must participate in this campaign.

Pinchas Peli (20^th Century)

You have now learned that even while performing a commandment one may become guilty of a sin by the very manner in which one performs the commandment because of the lazy manner in which one performs it…

Rabbeinu Bachya (13^th Century)

The gift should not be given directly to God: rather, the gift of each individual should be made to the community for God’s purposes. This implies that it is not the individual but the community that is to set up the institutions dedicated to God’s purposes, and it is not for the individual donors but for the community as a whole that these institutions are to be established.

Samson Raphael Hirsch (19^th Century)

Since the Torah has gone to some considerable length to underline that the Jewish people never saw an image at the revelation, meaning that God is completely abstract, the idea of building a tabernacle for such an abstract entity, seems completely baffling…It follows that the sanctuary we build here on earth is purely symbolic, though governed by the strictest rules of conduct…The answer can be understood thus. In theory, any thinking Jew can build a tabernacle, even though he may lack the proper materials to carry out the actual construction. This then is the allegorical meaning of “from any person who is of generous disposition.”

Yitzchak Arama (15^th Century)

In order to understand the significance and purpose of the Tabernacle, we must realize that the children of Israel, after they had been privileged to witness the Revelation of God on Mount Sinai, were about to journey from there and thus draw away from the site of the theophany. So long as they were encamped in the place, they were conscious of God’s nearness; but once they set out on their journey, it seemed to them as though the link had been broken, unless there were in their midst a tangible symbol of God’s presence among them. It was the function of the Tabernacle to serve as such a symbol.

Umberto Cassutto (20^th Century)