Is there a Jewish way to make a donation? Are there any instructions for the people or the institutions that will receive these donations?

Apparently yes. Our Sidrah, Sidrat Terumah (that in Hebrew means donation or contribution) deals with all these details.

We read in the Torah:

Let analyze the verses:

"...Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts..."

First of all, we need to tell the people that we are expecting them to bring gifts. They can not guess. People believe that others know by themselves that we are expecting their donation and there is no need to tell them. However, that is not the point of view of the Torah. You need to tell people, you need to invite them to give. Spontaneity is not an important value for the Torah, as it is for our occidental society.

When we ask for donations for a Synagogue, to support people in need, to sustain Jewish scholars, to encourage people to study Torah and to fulfill Mitzot, we are not asking for ourselves, we are asking for G-d. We, like Moses in the past, are an intermediary. Some people may think: it is embarrassing for me to ask for money from other people, but we must remember: we are not asking for ourselves and our task is very important. Moreover, it is a holy task. On the other side, our obligation is to take care that the funds will go to the right place, because if not, we are not only neglecting the confidence that people put in us, but also we are neglecting G-d’s confidence.

This is another important point. We have the obligation, like Moses had in the wilderness, to accept the donation, from every person whose heart so moves him. Why? Because in the donation is not only the gift itself, but mainly the fact that a person wants to give. If we reject a gift, we are offending the donor, and –it is not any need to add- we may not have him any more as a donor in the future. To give is to be involved, to be a part. If we reject a donor, we reject his participation and we exclude him –G-d forbid- from the congregation.

Donation came from the hearts, not from the pockets. People with limited economical resources can be more charitable than rich people. We can not force people to give. Moses couldn’t force them 3500 years ago, and we will not be able to do that today.

We can not reject donors, but we can tell them what we need, what are our priorities. If a person wants to donate to the Synagogue 100 books in Greek that belonged to his great-grandfather, do we need to accept them? The Torah, apparently says: No. We can tell the donor in a nice way: thank you very much, but we don’t need Greek books at this moment.

Despite what I mentioned above, the selection for gifts that we may accept must be very wide. Of course we need gold and silver, but also skins and linen. People can bring precious stones but also oil for lighting. One reason for this wide selection of items is to allow rich and poor people to participate in the construction of the Mishkan – the Sanctuary. People may not have gold to donate, but everybody can get some oil for lighting (the equivalent of a 50-cent candle). In addition, these are all needed items. People could feel that their donation was well welcomed and put for a good use. Moreover: they could enjoy their own donation in the Sanctuary. Also, the wide selection of items, included different kinds of work: people who dealt with gold, silver and precious stones, shepherds, people who owned fabrics, and people who worked with wood. Today, in our congregation, we have professionals, people who work in the retail business, craftsmen, engineers, etc. We have people who are very rich and can give their money, and people who can give their time, that of course is also worth money. Again: the idea us to include everybody.

This is an important question. People like to answer: well, it is your moral obligation, you must give! However, people may not feel this obligation, or they can tell us that they fulfilled their moral obligation in other ways.

Other people like to answer: the money you give to the Synagogue is for the services the Synagogue gives to you. But is that really true? Does not a person who comes to the Synagogue twice a year, pay too much money for the services he or she receives? Are not most of the activities the Synagogue offers free anyway, like religious services or classes?

The main reason to give is –I believe- because it is good for you. Giving makes you a better person, a Mentsh. It allows you to give an example to your children and it elevates you to a higher spiritual level. Not by coincidence, our sages explained: "more than the owner of the house (who help those in need) does to the poor, the poor does to the owner of the house" (Vaikrah Rabah 34).

To illustrate this important point, I would like to share with you a commentary to one of the verses of our Sidrah:

To be able to give is one of the great blessings with which we can be blessed.

May G-d open our heart, so we will be able to open our hand in order to grow in wisdom, in sensitivity and in spirit.

Shabbat Shalom!

Here is a short Devar Torah on Parashat Terumah. Was sent to me by Rabbi Rabbi Simcha Backman (Glendale, CA).

Rabbi Manes Kogan

Concerning prayer it is said, "Better a little with the proper intentions than a lot without the proper intentions." However, with respect to tzedaka (charity), "a lot without the proper intentions" is also good! The main purpose in giving tzedaka is to help others; the motivation behind the deed is secondary. In simple terms, the more money is given, the more good can result from it. (Baal HaTanya)