Built By A Nation

Magazines and readers alike love lists. The BRW Rich List, Time’s 100 Most Influential People, Forbes Global 2000 of the world’s top public companies, and many more. These rankings of success, influence and achievement fascinate the world.

But there is one list that recently caught my eye. In my view, it is far more impressive than them all. The tzedokah list.

Each year, Forbes publishes its ranking of America’s Top 25 Philanthropists. This list is not about companies or balances sheets. It celebrates not wealth accumulated, but wealth shared. And it’s certainly worth noting that 17 of the 25 top donors are Jewish, contributing almost half of the $275 billion donated. Shkoyach!

This is a remarkable reflection of a deeply rooted Jewish value: Tzedokah. In Judaism, success is not measured by what we have, but by what we give.

This is the story of this week’s Parsha Vayakhel and Pekudei. These double portions conclude the book of Exodus and describe the building of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary that the Jewish people carried with them through the desert. The most striking part of the story is not the architecture, but the generosity that built it.

The Torah tells us that people came forward with such enthusiasm to contribute that the craftsman eventually approached Moses with an unusual request: tell the people to stop bringing gifts. There was more than enough. Imagine a fundraising campaign so successful it had to be shut down.

The Mishkan was not built by a single wealthy donor. It was built by an entire nation. Gold and silver, fabrics and precious stones, time, talent, and skill – everyone brought something. Some gave large gifts, others smaller ones. But together they created something sacred.

In many ways, this is the Torah’s first great philanthropic campaign. It introduces a revolutionary Jewish idea: wealth is not only a blessing – it is also a responsibility.

Wealth can build businesses and property portfolios. But tzedakah builds something far more enduring. It builds communities. It educates children. It supports families. It strengthens synagogues. It helps repair a fractured world.

With Pesach approaching, this is a wonderful time to ask ourselves how we can give. Perhaps it is inviting someone who might otherwise be alone to your Seder table? Could you sponsor a family to attend our communal second night Seder at Central? Or help us distribute Shmurah Matzah?

Just like in the days of the Mishkan, every gift matters. When each of us contributes something – time, generosity, kindness – together we build something sacred: a strong, compassionate community.

The Mishkan itself no longer stands. But the spirit that built it still does. That same spirit continues to sustain Jewish life to this very day.

Please join us tomorrow in Shul for a special prayer for our brave IDF, for the fallen, the injured and our brothers and sisters once again running in and out of bomb shelters in Israel. We are honoured to welcome a very special guest speaker, who knows exactly what that experience feels like.

Ten year old Ben Carasso is the official “Spokeskid of Israel”. By the time he was eight years old, he had already lived through five military operations and countless rocket attacks from Gaza. After October 7, Ben decided he could no longer stay silent. He set out on a mission to show the world what terrorism looks like through the eyes of an Israeli child.

You will not want to miss hearing from this extraordinary child prodigy. See you in Shul.

Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi Levi and Chanie