Trumah: Internal Value vs External Beauty

דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה מֵאֵת כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ תִּקְחוּ אֶת תְּרוּמָתִי: וְזֹאת הַתְּרוּמָה אֲשֶׁר תִּקְחוּ מֵאִתָּם זָהָב וָכֶסֶף וּנְחֹשֶׁת: וּתְכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ וְעִזִּים: וְעֹרֹת אֵילִם מְאָדָּמִים וְעֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים וַעֲצֵי שִׁטִּים: שֶׁמֶן לַמָּאֹר בְּשָׂמִים לְשֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה וְלִקְטֹרֶת הַסַּמִּים: אַבְנֵי שֹׁהַם וְאַבְנֵי מִלֻּאִים לָאֵפֹד וְלַחֹשֶׁן: 

(תרומה כה:ב-ז)

After reading the text, it would seem evident from the order of items donated to the Mishkan that they are listed from most valuable (gold, silver, copper) to least valuable (oil, spices). The Or HaChaim HaKadosh asks, that it seems odd then, that very last on the list of contributions are the avnei shoham and avnei miluim. These were precious gems used in the clothing of the Kohen Gadol! Why would the Torah put these valuable and important items last when they should have been first?

The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 33:8) teaches that beautiful stones and gems fell with the mann to Bnei Yisrael. The Nesiim gathered them and later gave them to the Mishkan (The Maharzu comments that there were only twelve stones in the urim v’tumim so they must have been given by the twelve Nesiim. The two avnei shoham, however, are still in question as to who brought them.). Similarly, the Gemara in Yoma (75a) says that the Ananei HaKavod brought the avnei shoham and the avnei miluim. If this is the case, then that would mean that they were brought without any exertion or chisaron kis; after all, they literally fell from the heavens. Therefore it makes sense that they were listed after those things which were given from by the exertion and expense of the contributor. The Or HaChaim HaKadosh teaches us an amazing thing here; these precious gems, components of the Bigdei Kehuna, may have seemed externally valuable, but lost their intrinsic value when they did not come from a tircha, from an effort.

Rashi on the pasuk, “V’yikchu Li Trumah,” says that trumah is a hafrashah- that Bnei Yisrael should set aside some money as a contribution. R’ Shlomo Yosef Zevin writes that there are three types of separation. Firstly, there is separating without intent to make a distinction of importance. An example of this would be making sure that the letters in a sefer Torah are separate from each other, which is not because one letter is holier and distinct from the other. Secondly, there is separating that which is holier from that which is not as holy. An example of this is Shabbos, which is intrinsically holier and distinct from the rest of the week, and we therefore separate it. The third type of separation is when the act of separation makes the object ditinct and thereby infuses it with kedushah. By trumot and maasrot, before separation the whole thing is tevel. But once part of it separated, it becomes special and is sanctified as trumah. This 3rd type of separation is the category of the contributions Bnei Yisrael gave to the Mishkan. It was through the act of separating that which they gave which made it special and holy. It wasn’t just a matter of taking objects which are already considered nice and beautiful and giving those; but rather the exertion of setting it aside and giving it made it intrinsically holy.

A lesson to take from this can be to realize the difference between a superficial serving of G-d, and a heartfelt, meaningful avodah of HaKadosh Boruch. Upholding the mitzvot is not just about doing the things which come easily. We are required to have some tircha, some ameilut- toil and sweat! Sometimes it can seem so nice and easy to just take out one the gems we have and give it to the Mishkan. But we need to ask ourselves whether that gem came from exertion on our part, or whether we just found it conveniently lying around and simply picked it up in order to give it. The sincerity and effort that go into performing a mitzvah makes all the difference and can easily outweigh the external beauty and value of that which has little intrinsic value.