DIVREI MENACHEM
BY MENACHEM PERSOFF
Special Projects Consultant, OU Israel Center mpersoff@ou.org
To Whom Does the Gift Belong?
P
arshat Naso begs us to consider how we relate to our material possessions and Tzedaka. For, in the midst of referring (a) to stolen goods and (b) a wife’s suspected treachery, the Torah refers to our gifts to the Kohen. We are taught that “Every portion of the dedicated offerings that Bnei Yisrael brings to the Kohen shall be his. A man’s dedicated portions shall be his, and what a man gives to the Kohen shall be his” (Bemidbar 5:910). These dedicated offerings are Terumah, defined as a gift, generally separated from the crops, and allotted to the Kohanim. For the Rambam, “every portion” is any gift, and the Kohen gains possession only after the Israelite brings him the present. Following Rashi, in this context, the term refers to the Bikkurim, the heave-offering of first fruits, a contribution for sacred purposes, lifted, and separated as a gift to the officiating Kohen and the Sanctuary. We might ask what the Torah means by the first rendering of “shall be his.” Rashi 48
TORAH TIDBITS 1420 / NASO 5781
explains that since the Bikkurim were to be placed before the Kohen [and then what?], the term indicates that the entire offering of fruits is now totally the Kohen’s possession. If so, what is meant by the phrase, “And what a man gives to the Kohen shall be his”? That phrase is seemingly redundant. But no! – The term his refers to the donor! Rashi explains beautifully: There will be no material loss to the pilgrims. On the contrary, Hashem rewards them for their generosity. No wonder, then, that these directives fall between the two issues of stealing and infidelity. First, we are to recall that all our worldly possessions emanate from Hashem. Thus, for instance, the Kohen cannot grab what is not yet his; he must await the pilgrim’s visit. Moreover, by not giving to the Kohen (and the needy) appropriately, we are also, in a sense, stealing. Moreover, by being stingy and hoarding our possessions, we are like the unfaithful wife. We are so besotted by material assets that we are disloyal to Hashem and the spirit of Judaism. In these trying days, let us open our hearts and pocketbooks to those desperately in need. Shabbat Shalom!
