Parashat Terumah: The Willing Offering of the Freewill God

[Rebbe]

BRI International Internet Yeshiva Parashah Notes, February 25, 2012

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"I teach nothing new but all things original" -- Rebbe

Parsha Terumah  (contribution/gift/freewill offering)
Exodus 25.1-27.19
Haftorah 1Kgs 5.12-6.13  Jewish versions 1 Kgs 5.26-6.13
(Sephardi)

The Willing Offering of the Freewill God

It is written: "HaShem spoke to Moses saying, Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: from every man that gives it willingly with his heart, you shall take my offering. This is the offering you shall take from them -- gold, silver, brass, and blue and purple and scarlet, fine linen and goat's hair, and ram's skins dyed red, and the skins of dolphins [Heb. tachash], and acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, onyx stones, and gems to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make for me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them" (Ex 25.1-8).

Please note the qualification concerning the act of GIVING an offering of any sort (but especially in regards wealth) to God. We know HaShem is referring specifically to wealth because the context qualifies this fact. Mention is made of gold, silver, items of brass, fine linen, rare skins of dolphins, onyx, and gems. These are all items (and other expensive things are also included) that normally are not easily parted with by a human being, unless under coercion and other forms of negative inducement. And, HaShem adds the qualifier: wealth must be given willingly.

Based on the Torah excerpt we have just read, Rav Shaul exhorted the Corinthians: "Remember this! he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously and that blessings may come to someone, will also reap generously and with blessings. Let each one give as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (that is He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, prompt-to-do-it) giver - whose heart is in his giving" (2 Cor 9.6,7 Amplified).

A willing heart -- an open heart, a desirous heart, an enthusiastic heart, an entirely agreeable heart -- is a heart that WANTS PASSIONATELY to not only serve God in His requirements, but wishes to do so eagerly in order to express unity with him. As the IMAGE of God, HaShem eagerly and cheerfully yearns "that I may dwell among [human beings]."

If I may quote from a Sufi saint, Rabi'a  al-Adawiyya (d. 801 CE), who in my own view captures an authentic love for God: "O Lord, if I worship you out of a fear of hell, burn me in hell. If I worship you in the hope of paradise, forbid it to me. And if I worship you for your own sake, do not deprive me of your eternal beauty" (Michael A. Sells [ed., trans.], Early Islamic Mysticism, 1996, 169).

This saintly woman was so spiritually developed she prayed only that her motivation would be pure and her focus pure. "Spiritually prosperous are the pure in heart," said Yeshua, "for they shall see God" (Mt 5.8).

They shall SEE God! How awesome is this promise of Our Lord Yeshua!

But what God do we want to see? The God of All-Grace? The compassionate long-suffering ONE we call HaShem in whose Divine Image we are all (men and women) created? Or, would we prefer the Sunday School deity of a debunked churchianity -- the schizophrenic wimp who on the one hand carries on about something he calls "love" and yet on the other is a raucous, raging hate-filled "bastard of heaven" that promises to fry everyone who thinks differently to him? C'mon, you know the one ... he holds court perpetually in order to be flattered, apologised to, whined at by us fawning dogs, constantly petitioned, and howled at with hymns. The god we ever attempt to wheedle into deals ("You do this for me Lord and I promise to ....").

No, this is Caligula. Or even worse, Nero, who was obsessed with Apollo. This is the deity that ever attempts to get humankind to accommodate to his every whim and fancy. This is the deity that so impacts us with spiritual and mental negativity that we actually find ourselves seeking to be driven along in life with the focus of our attention riveted -- not to the way ahead with our brain maps geared to positive inclination, acclamation and purpose -- but with our eyes entirely focused with apprehension on the rear view mirror, being directed by the dead commandments of our spiritual ancestors.

No, brethren, our God is ONE who ever seeks to accommodate to humankind, and who sent his own Son to live his life perfectly and then to sacrifice that same beautiful life in place of you and me. We broke the laws of God, but he directed his anger at himself. THAT is Love at its best. I am honoured to submit myself to the Self-emptying will of THAT wonderful Friend and GRACIOUS Deity.

Having mentioned submission, a noted psychologist admits, that in the last sense "There is [in reality] no question of submitting or going with [the flow of personal need], for what happens in and as you is no different from what happens as it [he is speaking of our concept of reality in comprehending the universe]. To [even] think of submission is to divide yourself from it, and also to pile up a huge store of negative and aggressive energy against it."

This is the peculiarity of a perverse human nature. Our relentless drive for a thing -- for any thing -- usually occasions the building of an immense force of energy that redirects us into entire dissatisfaction with our prayerful decisions we originally thought came from HaShem. In reality, in Jewish thoughtform there is no separate "you" and "I," and there is no separate BE-ING from God. We are all the sparks of divinity. As such, the free God indwells each of us and we are the channel for his fire of generous love to exude outwards from within our hearts to others in caring consideration for their welfare. It is our ability to respond to a shared love: it's our response-ability. Spencer Brown said it a long time ago, and it is admittedly weirdly unnerving: "The universe cannot be distinguished from how we act upon it" (George Spencer Brown, Laws of Form, 1969, xxix. Emphasis mine).

Once we can grasp our ONENESS with our God, our God who Graciously accommodates to every good and perfect desire we may possess, we CEASE our need to be submissive and just allow ourselves to BE. We no longer have any need to try to submit. Being preoccupied with pleasing the LORD of ALL is creating a wall of separation between Him-Her and us. And that wall is thick indeed.

The surprise of Grace is just this: as we cease to "try" to be submissive we find ourselves suddenly and unexpectedly open, enthusiastic and agreeable -- willing participants in the salvific game of God. It becomes a painful tearing away of the fabric of unwholesome Self-deception, forming an entrance into that crucible of awareness wherein the "willing offering" of the "freewill God" manifests. And once more we observe within, the secret life of HaShem as Deity incarnating in us and exressing Godhead through us.

Can WE say, with Yeshua, "I and my Father -- my willing, open, desirous, enthusiastic, agreeable and cheerfully giving Father -- are truly ONE"?

May our freewill expression at all times be, as authentically urged in every business success manual, "Yes, we can!"

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[Pamela]

HOW VERY BEAUTIFUL AND AWE INSPIRING TO ACCEPT WILLING VESSELHOOD of such LOVE!!!

"We broke the laws of God, but he directed his anger at himself. THAT is Love at its best. I am honoured to submit myself to the Self-emptying will of THAT wonderful Friend and GRACIOUS Deity."