The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand's first vort related to the concept of Tzedakah. He noted that in Shemos 35:21 the Torah states וַיָּבֹ֕אוּ כָּל־אִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נְשָׂא֣וֹ לִבּ֑וֹ. However the following pasuk states וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֖ים עַל־הַנָּשִׁ֑ים כֹּ֣ל | נְדִ֣יב לֵ֗ב הֵ֠בִ֠יאוּ חָ֣ח וָנֶ֜זֶם וְטַבַּ֤עַת וְכוּמָז֙ כָּל־כְּלִ֣י זָהָ֔ב וְכָל־אִ֕ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵנִ֛יף תְּנוּפַ֥ת זָהָ֖ב . Rashi explains that the reference to the women in the second pasuk shows their devotion to the Mishkan as they gave up their jewelry. But not only that, but they wore the jewelry until they got to the place to donate.
R' Frand quoted R' Moshe Feinstein who said that the women were trying to emphasize that this is not spare jewelry that had gone out of style. R' Frand quipped that the jewelry people are smart and certain designs go out of style. But here, the women were showing that the jewelry was being worn at the time.
R' Frand said that when he was first marred and R' Frand was learning in Kollel, his wife made a quilt for his mother-in-law. They did not have money, but they wanted to show that she was important.
R' Frand next quoted Shemos 35:25 - וְכָל־אִשָּׁ֥ה חַכְמַת־לֵ֖ב בְּיָדֶ֣יהָ טָו֑וּ וַיָּבִ֣יאוּ מַטְוֶ֗ה אֶֽת־הַתְּכֵ֨לֶת֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣אַרְגָּמָ֔ן אֶת־תּוֹלַ֥עַת הַשָּׁנִ֖י וְאֶת־הַשֵּֽׁשׁ. There was no fabric store for them to buy fabric, so this was significant. But the next pasuk - וְכָ֨ל־הַנָּשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָשָׂ֥א לִבָּ֛ן אֹתָ֖נָה בְּחָכְמָ֑ה טָו֖וּ אֶת־הָֽעִזִּֽים as interpreted by the Gemara in Shabbos shows that the women spun and weaved while the hairs were still on the goats. This required an entire group as someone had to hold the goat down. There are various meforshim who explain the reason for this - either that there was extra sheen while the hair was still on the goat or so that it could not be Mikabel Tumah.
R' Frand said that the efforts above show how important giving Tzedakah was to these women. R' Frand tied this to a story written about by R' Mordechai Kaminetsky about an Israel Bonds dinner that was held in Chicago in 1951 at which Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion was to speak. The dinner was attended by the "best and finest" and was pure treif, replete with shellfish. There were no yarmulkes in the room, save for a man standing in the back who was decked out in Chassidish garb. This was R' Mendel Kaplan who was a Rosh Yeshiva in Skokie
One of the wealthier attendees who was also a donor to the yeshiva asked R' Mendel what he was doing there. He said that I came to see how the children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov give Tzedakah.
R' Frand said that there is an addendum to the story. When they heard Ben Gurion speak about the dire situation in Israel, they lined up to donate - but the men also took off their gold cufflinks and the women gave their diamond earrings.
R' Frand also said that there were some people who would not be caught dead at the dinner with its tref food. But R' Mendel wanted to be there, just so that he could see how Jews gave Tzedakah.
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