Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei (HaChodesh) 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
קחו מאתכם תרומה לה' כל נדיב לבו יביאה את תרומת ה' זהב וכסף ונחשת ... (לה-ה)
The Mishkan was built not through grand miracles, but through countless small, sincere acts - a donation here, a stitch there, each person offering whatever they could. Rashi explains that the Mishkan was built specifically from those whose hearts moved them, emphasizing that the value lay not in the size of the gift but in the sincerity behind it. When a person contributes with purity of heart, even the most ordinary action becomes part of a divine tapestry. Sometimes the smallest gesture, the quietest step, or the most unassuming decision becomes the precise piece that completes Hashem’s plan, revealing how deeply He weaves our efforts into outcomes far beyond what we could ever orchestrate ourselves.
When R’ Mordechai Goldman zt”l, Rebbe of Zvihl, prepared to marry off his daughter, he found himself facing a daunting obstacle. The wedding expenses amounted to twenty-six thousand dollars, a staggering sum in those days, far beyond anything he had at hand. His Rebbetzin, ever practical, suggested he approach the yeshivah where he had once been a rebbi and request a list of overseas donors. Perhaps, she reasoned, one of them would extend a helping hand.
The next morning, with quiet resolve, R’ Mordechai walked into the yeshivah office. He explained his situation to the man behind the desk and asked for the names and addresses of benefactors abroad. The man nodded, rifled through a drawer, and handed him a list. What R’ Mordechai did not know, and what the man in the office did not bother to mention, was that this was an old, outdated list. These were not the active supporters who currently sustained the yeshivah. These were men who had long since stopped donating, many of them having fallen on hard times.
Later, when someone hinted to the office secretary that perhaps he had acted improperly, he shrugged and said, “If he trusts in donors,” he said, “let him trust in Hashem alone. My duty was simply to give him a list - and that is what I did.”
R’ Mordechai, for his part, harbored no resentment. He believed deeply that human effort was merely the vessel; the blessing came from Above. So he sat down and wrote a simple, heartfelt letter to the first name on the list - a gentleman living abroad. “I learn Torah in a yeshivah,” he wrote. “I have married off my daughter and do not have a penny for the dowry. I need twenty-six thousand dollars. If your honor can help me out with a donation, Hashem will bless you with bounty.”
Weeks passed. Then, one afternoon, an envelope arrived at his home. Inside was a check. Not for a token amount, not for a partial contribution, but for the exact sum he had written: twenty-six thousand dollars. Overwhelmed with gratitude, R’ Mordechai hurried back to the yeshivah office to thank the secretary. When the man heard the amount, he nearly fell off his chair. “I gave you the list of bankrupts!” he exclaimed. “These men haven’t donated in years.” Astonished, he immediately contacted the gentleman who had sent the money, hoping to understand what had prompted such an unexpected gift.
The man’s voice on the telephone was heavy with emotion. When the secretary asked if he had lost his fortune, the man replied, “Yes, it is true,” he said. “I am bankrupt. I have not recovered financially, and I have not been able to give Tzedakah for a long time. The money I sent that rabbi was not mine to give. It was my daughter’s savings.”
He paused before continuing. “My daughter became ill after her engagement, and her condition worsened. In my distress, I consulted the Gaon, R’ Moshe Feinstein zt”l. He told me that if my daughter had savings, I should give all of it to charity and preferably to help a bride - Hachnosas Kallah - so that a wedding might be made in place of the wedding she could not have.”
“When I received R’ Mordechai’s letter,” the man on the phone continued, “I saw that the amount he requested was exactly the amount my daughter had saved. Twenty-six thousand dollars - to the penny! I sent it immediately. And now ... now my daughter’s condition has begun to improve. Day by day, she grows stronger. Hopefully, one day, we will walk her down to the chuppah in health, joy and celebration!” A mistaken gesture, a father’s heartbreak, and a Rebbe’s unwavering trust, caused a chain of hashgacha to unfold, which brought healing to one home and joy to another. (Chashukei Chemed)