“And God spoke to Moshe saying, take for Me an offering [truma] ….” (Shemot, 25:2) This is as it is written (Yesahya, 45:1), “Thus spoke God … who formed the land … He did not create a desolation for his creations to dwell in…” In Parshat Yitro, when Israel heard the Ten Mitzvot, it was easy for them to fulfill them since these mitzvot depend on the actions of man. Then after, the Parsha of Mishpatim (Judgments) was said to them, and taught that it was God’s will that His Kedusha (holiness) and service (of Him) would spread forth to such an extent that even a man’s possessions could not do anything against the Torah as explained above in Parshat Mishpatim (cf. “and these are the judgments”). From this, a great crying out burst from the hearts of Israel asking how it could be possible to reach such a level of refinement. Therefore God gave them the advice in this Parsha, “take for me an offering [truma], gold, and silver, and copper.” On this it says in the holy Zohar (Shemot, 148a), that these elements correspond to the basic elements found in man, meaning that he should deliver all his elements and potentialities over to God, so that He may manage them according to His blessed will. Then of itself his possessions will also contain goodness and will not suffer or cause any damage. On this it is explained in the Zohar (Bamidbar, 125), “The verse, ‘Fortunate is the man who God does not ascribe to him sin, and has not the spirit of deception,’ (Tehilim, 32:2) means that the spirit of his life does not turn to any side,” but is directed only to God’s will. If a man asks how it is possible to refine his heart to such an extent, on this it is said, “He did not create a desolation for His creations to dwell in,” meaning that God does not want man’s heart to be distraught. This is also the meaning of (Yesahya, 45:19), “I did not say to the seed of Yaakov, seek Me in vain,” so therefore the verse says, “for his creations to dwell in,” meaning that a man should have a settled mind.53To dwell (lashevet) shares a root with settled mind (yishuv hadaat). His mind will be settled in knowing that God would never have given him obligations that are impossible to fulfill, that the world around man is also a product of God’s will and inherent in it is the desire to be used by man in a state of Kedusha. [And the verse in Yesahya continues], “I am God, speaking righteousness, proclaiming fairness [meisharim, also even, right], meaning that even though God desires that man be righteous and clean in all matters, upholding 613 mitzvot, still He is “proclaiming fairness,” meaning with honesty and a willingness of heart towards man. Thus He gives man advice as to how to fulfill all the mitzvot with ease.
וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר דַּבֵּר כוּ' וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה. זש"ה (ישעיה מ"ה, י"ח) "כֹּה אָמַר ה' יוֹצֵר הָאָרֶץ" כוּ', "לֹא תֹהוּ בְרָאָהּ לָשֶׁבֶת יְצָרָהּ". לֶהֱיוֹת כִּי בְּפָרָשַׁת יִתְרוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמְעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת הָיָה נָקֵל בְּעֵינֵיהֶם לְקַיְּימָם מֵאַחַר שֶׁהַמִּצְוֹת הַלָּלוּ תְּלוּיוֹת בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָאָדָם, אַךְ אַחַר כָּךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר נֶאֱמַר לָהֶם פָּרָשַׁת מִשְׁפָּטִים הַיְינוּ שֶׁרְצוֹן הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ הוּא שֶׁיִּתְפַּשֵּׁט קְדוּשָּׁתוֹ וַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ בְּלִבּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַד שֶׁיִּתְפַּשֵּׁט גַּם עַל קִנְיָנִים הַשַּׁיָּיכִים לְהָאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא יוּכְלוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר שֶׁלֹּא כַּדָּת כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּפָרָשַׁת מִשְׁפָּטִים [דיבור המתחיל ואלה], וְעַל יְדֵי כֵן הָיָה צְעָקָה בְּלֵב יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר לְהִזְדַּכֵּךְ לֵב אָדָם כָּךְ. וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נָתַן הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עֵצָה לָהֶם בְּזוֹ הַסִּדְרָה "וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה זָהָב וָכֶסֶף וּנְחֹשֶׁת" וְאִיתָא בַּזוה"ק (שמות קמ"ח.) שֶׁהוּא נֶגֶד הַיְּסוֹדוֹת הַנִּמְצָאִים בָּאָדָם, וְהוּא שֶׁיִּמְסֹר הָאָדָם כָּל יְסוֹדוֹתָיו וְכֹחוֹתָיו לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁהוּא יִשְׁלֹט בָּהֶם כִּרְצוֹנוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, וּמִמֵּילָא יִהְיוּ כָּל קִנְיָנָיו טוֹבִים וְלֹא יַגִּיעַ מֵהֶם שׁוּם הֶזֵּק. וְכָעִנְיָן הַזֶּה נִתְפָּרֵשׁ בַּזוה"ק (במדבר קכ"א:) הַפָּסוּק "אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם לֹא יַחְשֹׁב ה' לוֹ עָוֹן וְאֵין בְּרוּחוֹ רְמִיָּה", וְהוּא כְּשֶׁאֵין הָרוּחַ חַיִּים שֶׁלּוֹ נוֹטָה לְשׁוּם צַד רַק לִרְצוֹן הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ וְאִם יֹאמַר הָאָדָם אֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר לְזַכֵּךְ לִבּוֹ כָּל כָּךְ, עַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר "לֹא תֹהוּ בְרָאָהּ" הַיְינוּ שֶׁאֵין הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ חָפֵץ שֶׁלִּבּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם יִפְחַד. וְזֶה גַּם כֵּן פֵּירוּשׁ (ישעיה מ"ה,י"ח) "לֹא אָמַרְתִּי לְזֶרַע יַעֲקֹב תֹּהוּ בַקְּשׁוּנִי", וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר "לָשֶׁבֶת יְצָרָהּ" שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לָאָדָם יִשּׁוּב הַדַּעַת, "אֲנִי ה' דֹּבֵר צֶדֶק מַגִּיד מֵישָׁרִים", הַיְינוּ אַף שֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ חָפֵץ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הָאָדָם צַדִּיק וְנָקִי בְּכָל הָעִנְיָנִים וִיקַיֵּים כָּל הַתַּרְיַ"ג מִצְוֹת, עִם כָּל זֶה נִקְרָא מַגִּיד מֵישָׁרִים, הַיְינוּ בְּיַשְׁרוּת וּבְנִדְבוּת לֵב אֶל הָאָדָם וְנוֹתֵן עֵצוֹת לָאָדָם שֶׁיָּבֹא לְכָל הַדִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה בְּנָקֵל.
“And God spoke to Moshe saying, take for Me an offering [truma] ….” (Shemot, 25:2)
This is as it is written (Yesahya, 45:1), “Thus spoke God … who formed the land … He did not create a desolation for his creations to dwell in…” In Parshat Yitro, when Israel heard the Ten Mitzvot, it was easy for them to fulfill them since these mitzvot depend on the actions of man. Then after, the Parsha of Mishpatim (Judgments) was said to them, and taught that it was God’s will that His Kedusha (holiness) and service (of Him) would spread forth to such an extent that even a man’s possessions could not do anything against the Torah as explained above in Parshat Mishpatim (cf. “and these are the judgments”). From this, a great crying out burst from the hearts of Israel asking how it could be possible to reach such a level of refinement. Therefore God gave them the advice in this Parsha, “take for me an offering [truma], gold, and silver, and copper.”
On this it says in the holy Zohar (Shemot, 148a), that these elements correspond to the basic elements found in man, meaning that he should deliver all his elements and potentialities over to God, so that He may manage them according to His blessed will. Then of itself his possessions will also contain goodness and will not suffer or cause any damage. On this it is explained in the Zohar (Bamidbar, 125), “The verse, ‘Fortunate is the man who God does not ascribe to him sin, and has not the spirit of deception,’ (Tehilim, 32:2) means that the spirit of his life does not turn to any side,” but is directed only to God’s will. If a man asks how it is possible to refine his heart to such an extent, on this it is said, “He did not create a desolation for His creations to dwell in,” meaning that God does not want man’s heart to be distraught.
This is also the meaning of (Yesahya, 45:19), “I did not say to the seed of Yaakov, seek Me in vain,” so therefore the verse says, “for his creations to dwell in,” meaning that a man should have a settled mind.53To dwell (lashevet) shares a root with settled mind (yishuv hadaat). His mind will be settled in knowing that God would never have given him obligations that are impossible to fulfill, that the world around man is also a product of God’s will and inherent in it is the desire to be used by man in a state of Kedusha. [And the verse in Yesahya continues], “I am God, speaking righteousness, proclaiming fairness [meisharim, also even, right], meaning that even though God desires that man be righteous and clean in all matters, upholding 613 mitzvot, still He is “proclaiming fairness,” meaning with honesty and a willingness of heart towards man. Thus He gives man advice as to how to fulfill all the mitzvot with ease.