Voluntary Giving...A New Idea Based on an Old Idea

Terumah, the name of our sedra today, is often translated to
mean a portion. The root of the word, however, resh/vav/mem
sofit/ means to uplift. How can we integrate our understanding of
the root word/the shoresh/with the common translation of the
word terumah? We can understand that the portion the Israelites
were called upon to contribute if their hearts so moved them
would have the effect of elevating the giver. They were not
required to help contribute to the building of the Mishkan, the
tabernacle, but by providing a portion of their wealth to do so,
they would be elevated because the Shechinah would be in their
midst.

Taxes were not levied upon the Israelites to accomplish the
building of the Tabernacle. There was no building fund. In fact
their free-will response was so great, that later on in chapter 36
we will read that Moses had to order the Israelites to stop
contributing their goods for the fashioning of the Mishkan.

 For the Israelites, this central Sanctuary, would serve as their
“rallying point.” It would be “ringed by the tribes and topped
by the cloud of G-d’s presence.” The idea of contributing to
the construction purely for the sake of G-d’s name rather
than because of social pressure or because of the honor one
would receive, obviously appealed to the Israelites who had
experienced G-d’s presence at Mt. Sinai. (Artscroll Chumash,
Stone Edition)

 I was thinking about the reaction of the early Israelites and trying to
link it to what I see happening in Jewish communities around this
country. Many congregations are struggling to stay afloat because of
lack of revenue. Talk abounds about restructuring the way monies
are contributed to run synagogues in an attempt to ensure their
viability and keep membership from dwindling.

According to one article I read by an executive director of Adas Yisrael
Congregation in Washington, D.C., Glenn Easton, the average cost of maintaining a synagogue is $2,400 per household regardless of number of members. Eighty percent of all Jews belong to a synagogue at some point in their lives, and ninety percent of households with children belong to a
synagogue at some point. Now if these facts are accurate, recruitment is
not the issue in synagogue membership, retention is. Only 30% of Jewish
households are currently affiliated with synagogues. Lately, the argument is
being made, even by the USCJ, that perhaps dues should be voluntary.
Maybe there would be an outpouring of generosity due to the fact that
individuals would see themselves as contributors to a worthy cause rather
than as individuals who are being billed for a service.

I wonder if this new argument would play out like it did in the wilderness.
Would American congregations of all denominations find themselves
having to turn away the overly generous donations given as
free-will offerings? Would shuls see a growth in membership if
there were no dues statements only members who donated
according to the dictates of their hearts? Rabbi Dan Judson who
is a Brandeis Doctoral candidate focusing on the history of
synagogue finances suggests telling congregants what it costs to
run the synagogue and what ideally the members would pay, but
the rest is left up to individuals to decide. “It’s about
re-empowering and creating partners out of members….trusting
people to value the synagogue.”

These are the conversations that are being had nationwide mostly
by non-Orthodox denominations. When I think about it, in light of
Terumah, however, I have a some concerns. According to the
Torah, individuals who participated in making contributions toward
the establishment of the mishkan had a true sense of the
presence of G-d in their midst, or at least of wanting a place that
symbolized the presence of G-d in their midst. I am not so sure
that for the majority of Jews that I have met, that that same
concern is present.

We see what happened in Lincoln this year when the Federation
did not run an organized fund-raising campaign. The majority of
its current members did not contribute to the cause of sustaining
Jewish life in Lincoln and around the world without receiving a
nudge from those who were to have done so. The monies that were
 contributed fell dramatically. There was no overall sense of
commitment shown through voluntary giving without a suggestion!

As our community ages, as we hope to gain new faces in our
midst, as we continue to promote a place where Jews can gather
to experience a sense of the sacred, the conversations that come
to mind when discussing parshat Terumah should be continued.