Monday, March 15, 2021

motivation to give

 וַיִּקְח֞וּ מִלִּפְנֵ֣י מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֵ֤ת כׇּל־הַתְּרוּמָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵבִ֜יאוּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לִמְלֶ֛אכֶת עֲבֹדַ֥ת הַקֹּ֖דֶשׁ לַעֲשֹׂ֣ת אֹתָ֑הּ וְ֠הֵ֠ם הֵבִ֨יאוּ אֵלָ֥יו ע֛וֹד נְדָבָ֖ה בַּבֹּ֥קֶר בַּבֹּֽקֶר(36:3) 

Why mention that the donations for the mishkan were given specifically in the morning?  

Maybe zrizim makdimim, people wanted to rush to do the mitzvah first thing.

Netziv suggests there is something more to it.  

There is something else that happened every morning -- the mon fell.  In fact, we even have in connection with the mon the repetition of the same phrase "ba'boker ba'boker":  וַיִּלְקְט֤וּ אֹתוֹ֙ בַּבֹּ֣קֶר בַּבֹּ֔קֶר אִ֖ישׁ כְּפִ֣י אׇכְל֑וֹ (16:21)  

Netziv writes:

 ויש להוסיף, לפי שהיה נודע לכל ישראל בבוקר איך הוא נחשב לפני ה׳ ע״פ ירידת המן, כמו שכתבתי לעיל (טז,ו), על כן היתה ירידת המן בבוקר גורמת להרבות נדבות.

Every morning, as soon as they got up, each person was reminded that Hashem cares about them.  Every morning, there was that pile of mon waiting that showed that Hashem was there to address their needs.

When you wake up to that, then wouldn't you be motivated to do something more in return, to give more in return? 

2 comments:

  1. -- "wouldn't you be motivated to do something more in return...?"


    donors did do more-- they extracted requested materials in their possession, and then patiently stood in line to transfer those items to Moshe, >first thing< in the morning. this meant that the shemesh rose and melted* the mon before its collection.

    Hashem saw, and He replied: 'I adjure you by gazelles and hinds of the field, don't rouse love before its time!' (couldn't you givers have gathered [your food] first thing in the morning, before the meltdowns, rather than displace the gazelles and hinds that daily drink from the streaming mon**?! and only then donate to My Mishkan with loving desire?)


    *v'namas, "16:21"

    **Rashi, 16:21a

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    Replies
    1. Where is this midrash? I searched for an hour on otzar hachochma.

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