Giving Hearts - Parashat Vayakhel-P’kudei

March 13, 2026

This week’s Torah portion, Vayakhel-P’kudei, describes the completion of the mishkan, the portable sanctuary where the Israelites will worship God while they are wandering in the wilderness. The project has required many contributions from the people – all the materials for building the structure and its furnishings, including the Ark that will hold the Ten Commandments. But God doesn’t demand these donations; God only asks that those who are n’div lev, of generous heart, to contribute. That’s why the word for these contributions is “t’rumah,” which comes from the root meaning “to make high,” to “lift up.” Through the giving of these gifts, the Israelites take ordinary materials, wood and fabric and metal, and elevate them, turning them into something sacred. And it’s not just the materials that are raised up; the Israelites themselves are elevated through their giving. The building of the mishkan makes the Israelites better and stronger, both as individuals and as a people.   

Tonight we honor our legacy givers, those who, like the Israelites in our Torah portion are n’div lev, of generous heart, and have made the commitment to support Temple Beth Torah even after they are gone. Legacy givers don’t get to see the full impact of their contributions, nor do they themselves benefit from them. So making a bequest is not only an act of generosity; it is an act of faith. It is a demonstration of the belief that what TBT’s founding members created here, and what subsequent generations have sustained, is vital in both senses of the word: fundamentally important and full of life. I’d like to invite Pip Ziman to share more about what it means to be a legacy giver.