Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution.
Exodus 25:2

God commands a contribution, yet He makes clear that it must come from the heart. The Mishkan, God’s dwelling place among Israel, is built through a willing heart.

But there is something else in the verse that should not be overlooked. God calls it “My contribution.” The people were the ones bringing it. It came out of what they possessed. And yet God does not speak of it as theirs, because it never truly was.

The earth is the LORD’s, and all it contains.
Psalm 24:1

What we hold in our hands may feel like ours. Over time, we grow accustomed to speaking about our resources, our abilities, our influence as though they originate with us. But God’s Word reminds us who the true Owner is.

What is entrusted to us comes from Him. What is returned to Him is not generosity in the ultimate sense. It is obedience and recognition rooted in humility, knowing that it all comes from Him.

As the portion continues, the tone shifts. God begins to describe what is to be built, and He does so in detail. Nothing is left undefined. Nothing is left open to interpretation. The Mishkan was meaningful, but its meaning did not originate with Moses. It came from God. Moses was not told to determine what would be meaningful in his own eyes. He was told to build according to what he was shown.

See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain…
Exodus 25:40.

The Mishkan does not originate in Israel’s imagination. Instead, it reflects a reality revealed from above. What is constructed below must correspond to what was shown on the mountain.

The people bring what is already His. What it becomes must align with what He reveals.

A willing heart is essential. God does not desire reluctant participation, but willingness does not grant authority to redefine holiness. If the people had brought gold generously but ignored the pattern, the result would not have been the Mishkan. It would have reflected their initiative rather than His revelation.

The Haftarah continues in the same direction. When Solomon builds the Temple, God says,

As for this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances then I will dwell among the sons of Israel
I Kings 6:12–13.

Even a permanent structure in Jerusalem did not guarantee His dwelling - covenant faithfulness did. This is why the Psalmist later writes,

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.
Psalm 127:1

Over time I have learned that sincerity is not the same as submission. A willing heart is only the beginning.

Whatever we build in our lives must answer to the One who revealed the design. We are entrusted to steward His resources according to His precepts.

Shabbat Shalom,
Moran