Terumah - Rabbi M Diamond

A Multitude of Gifts

February 9, 2008 3 Adar I 5768

Rabbi Mark S. Diamond
Executive Vice President
The Board of Rabbis of Southern California

Torah Portion: Terumah ("Take gifts for Me..."), Exodus 25:1-27:19
Haftarah Portion: I Kings 5:26-6:13


"The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the people of Israel and have them take gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart is so moved.'"
(Exodus 25:1-2)

The Torah's command to "take gifts" resonates with special meaning for me as I return to Los Angeles from a memorable visit to Italy and Israel. Bishop Edward Wm. Clark of the L.A. Archdiocese and I shared the special gift of bringing a group of Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders on a ten-day mission to Rome, the Vatican, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Our gifts were priceless and left an indelible imprint on our hearts and minds.

We brought the gift of a crystal book engraved with the Ten Commandments and presented it to Pope Benedict XVI at a papal audience at the Vatican. We took the gifts of learning and listening to meetings with senior Vatican and Israeli officials. We bore the gifts of our own interreligious fellowship in southern California to services, seminars and discussions with religious leaders from the three Abrahamic faith traditions. We took the gifts of thinking minds and sensitive souls to our site visits with children and young adults in Tel Aviv and Jaffa.

We journeyed together with gifts in hand and heart, and we received manifold gifts in return. We accepted the gifts of faith and love from the Pope, Cardinals of the Vatican Curia, patriarchs, rabbis, priests, ministers and imams who welcomed us with open arms. We obtained the gifts of truth and honesty from journalists, clerics and young people who critiqued their own societies and shared their visions of how to bring peace and security to the Middle East. We received the gifts of new and renewed relationships between the members of our Jewish/Catholic/Protestant/Muslim delegation, and we returned home with the pledge to strengthen and deepen our interfaith engagement and advocacy.

Our journey was punctuated by moments of laughter, reflection and tears. We cried tears of remembrance at the Yad Vashem Museum and Memorial in Jerusalem and the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial in Tel Aviv. We cried tears of pride and joy at the Bialik-Rogozin School, where we met some of the incredible staff, volunteers and at-risk children from 28 countries. There was not a dry eye among our visitors as we bid "shalom" to the beautiful youngsters and young people of Bialik-Rogozin. I have never been more touched by the work do in our Jewish Federation and the programs we support that save and transform lives across the globe.

A 16th century Italian commentator, Rabbi Avraham Menachem Rapa of Porto, comments on the opening verse of the weekly parashah: Why does the Torah say ve-yikhu li terumah - "take gifts for me" -- rather than ve-yitnu li terumah - give gifts to me? Why does the Torah use the word "take" instead of the word "give"? Giving and taking are opposite actions, so one would think that the Torah would be precise about this matter.

Rabbi Avraham Menachem answers: We generally believe that when a person gives something to another, the recipient departs with more than he/she had originally, while the donor leaves with less than he/she had originally. But, in some situations, such as tzedakah, the opposite is the case. When someone gives a gift of tzedakah -- whether by donating from one's property, or by giving of one's time -- the donor becomes enriched by the act of giving. Thus the act of giving is also an act of taking.

Giving is the blessing of receiving. We are grateful beyond words for this remarkable journey in which we received so many gifts and blessings. We thank the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Board of Rabbis and the Jewish Federation for sponsoring the mission and affording us these unforgettable experiences. As our Federation family prepares for Super Sunday, let's recall the Torah's wisdom about how we are enriched by the time, energy and resources we devote to tzedakah. May our collective efforts bring abundant gifts and blessings to our community, Israel and the world.