Parashat Terumah and the ethics of generosity

When I volunteered in Ghana with my daughter, I met children who, by any Western economic standard, would be defined as poor. Their homes were modest, their material possessions minimal, their access to infrastructure limited. And yet, in the evenings, as music filled the air and they danced barefoot in the red dust, I encountered something that unsettled my categories: they did not experience themselves as lacking. They were joyful. Generous. Proud. Alive. At the same time, I know people who earn more in a month than those children’s families will see in years, and yet live with a constant internal refrain of “not enough.” Not enough money. Not enough recognition. Not enough security.

So who, exactly, is rich? And who is poor?

Parashat Terumah opens with what might be described as the first crowdfunding campaign in history. God commands Moses:

“Speak to the children of Israel, and let them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart moves them, you shall take My offering” (Exodus 25:2).

“Speak to the children of Israel, and let them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart moves them, you shall take........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)