By: Jenna Raimist
Director of Annual Campaign
Just before Parashat Terumah, God called upon Moses to receive the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. This week’s reading begins with a cloud covering the mountain completely, under which Moses remains for forty days and forty nights. During this time, God directs Moses to build a sanctuary in which the Israelites are instructed to bring God gifts. God notes that these gifts can be of any kind and from any person so long as their “hearts are moved.” God then continues with specifics of how the sanctuary is to be made: an acacia wood ark of exact dimensions, a purely gold cover for the ark, and a menorah of specific shape and number of lamps to give off light.
While these specifics have me asking countless questions (can you imagine how Moses might react to the price of gold in 2026?!) I’m much more interested in the whos, what’s, and whys behind these requested gifts. You could say a contribution of any size or variety might foster a feeling of investment in the sanctuary itself – a feeling like it’s by the Israelites for the Israelites’ own worship and community gathering. In fact, that’s how I feel about the work we do at JEWISHcolorado, and the work our collaborators do at our partner agencies – by the Jewish community (and its allies) for the Jewish community. Each of us, each Jewish communal professional and each Jewish community member, has what I would liken to an obligation to contribute our own unique gifts to not just maintain the sustainability of our community, but to enhance it and ensure it thrives for generations after us. Gifts of time, talent, and treasure. Gifts that “move the heart.”
Wishing you and yours a lovely weekend. Shabbat shalom.
Please email Jenna Raimist at jraimist@jewishcolorado.org with questions or comments.