By Rabbi Ron Stern
Riding up a chairlift, a friend shared an old joke poking fun at our all too human failures of generosity: A man appears in heaven but is told he’s not on the list for admission. Nonetheless, he insists that he deserves admission. “Have you done anything virtuous in your life?” he’s asked by an angel. “Well, I once gave $5 to a beggar” he replies. “Not good enough” says the angel, “anything else?” He reviews his life thoughtfully and answers, “I gave $10 to a charity for orphans.” The angel is aghast “That’s it! In your whole life, you can only come up with two charitable acts! You know what, take your $15 back and go to h***!”
There is a remarkable phrase in this week’s Torah portion that reminds us what it is to be truly generous. As the Israelites gather to build the Tabernacle in the desert, Moses asks them to bring materials for construction. The list is long and elaborate. Nonetheless, as the story is told, this band of former slaves opens their hearts and not only gives Moses what is requested but overwhelms him with their generosity. It is said that the Israelites are expressing “n’div lev” – generosity of the heart. The story teller describes such a compelling account of hearts so moved by the call to act as a community, engaged in securing their future that it continues to be admired today.
The story continues and says that this act of generosity affords them the opportunity to build a Tabernacle so filled with generosity of the heart that God will dwell in their midst. No story in the Torah is accidental, each is preserved as a message to generations of readers. So it is with this anecdote.
Among the list of Jewish virtues is certainly this concept of n’div lev. It is easy to turn aside when we are called upon to support the causes that depend upon us. But our ancestors gave us this emblematic story of generosity to remind us that when we give from our hearts the spirit of God dwells within us and among us.
