This week is Shabbat Parah (Cow). Shabbat Parah, observed before Shabbat HaChodesh, includes a special Torah reading from Numbers 19:1-22 about the Red Heifer. This ritual, where a red cow is sacrificed and its ashes used for purification, underscores the importance of holiness and obedience. However, the complexity of the sacrificial system highlights that humans cannot achieve purity through their own efforts alone.

The Haftarah reading from Ezekiel 36:22-27 affirms that it is God who ultimately cleanses His people, not for their sake, but for the sake of His holy name:

It is not for your sake, house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name.
Ezekiel 36:22 

He promises to gather Israel, cleanse them, and transform their hearts:

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
Ezekiel 36:25

Furthermore, God enables obedience through His Spirit: 

I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, so that you are careful to follow My ordinances.
Ezekiel 36:27

This passage makes it clear that spiritual renewal comes from God’s power, not human effort. His redemption is not simply for Israel’s benefit but for His own glory, calling His people to follow Him in faithfulness. As I have said before, if we truly understand God’s grace, what He has done for us, we will desire to live completely devoted to Him.

I recently did a teaching on the topic of Volunteering and Service. One needs to understand that volunteering is an act of free will, without material or other compensation, driven by an idea or a specific goal. It is also about taking action from the heart, out of genuine willingness. Service, on the other hand, is the act of performing a duty or fulfilling a role intended to serve the public—an act where we help others.

With that in mind, we can understand what this week's Parashah speaks of when we read the instructions for collecting an offering for the LORD in order to build and operate His dwelling place:

Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying, ‘Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart is to bring it as the LORD’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze…”
Exodus 35:4-5

It is also written in Exodus 35:10: 

Have every skillful person among you come and make all that the LORD has commanded.

God required two kinds of giving here: material (monetary) and skills (volunteering). The giving, whether of material or skill, needs to come from the heart. When it truly comes from the heart, it is very evident. In order to be a cheerful giver, one needs to understand that everything we possess, from money to talents, is from God and for God. Furthermore, it is up to us if we honor God with these things or use them for our selfish gain.

The children of Israel had a purpose, and that was to build the dwelling place for the Lord. At times, I think that we forget the purpose for which God redeemed us and that which He entrusted to us here on this earth.

Twenty-five years ago, the Lord called me to serve, and over the past 25 years, I have learned a lot about service and volunteering.

Below are a few points that I would like to encourage us with:

• The importance of giving without expecting anything in return. True giving comes from a place of love and faith. Giving should not be transactional but an act of kindness that mirrors God's unconditional love for us. When we give selflessly, we reflect His nature and grow in our spiritual walk. Yeshua taught that when we give without seeking recognition, we store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.
• Serving and volunteering based on the principle of giving in secret. In Judaism, the concept of giving in secret is a supreme value—giving where the giver does not know the recipient, and the supported individual does not know the supporter.
• Doing more and speaking less. Instead of boasting about our acts of service, we should live in a way that allows our good works to speak for themselves, bringing glory to God.

Yeshua Himself gave us an example of how to serve:

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. 
Matthew 20:26-28

We must remember that we have already received everything—we are now called to give and to serve.

Shabbat Shalom

Moran