Bringing yourself – Vayikra
Sentence structure is an important component of literary style.
So when the Torah says, “When a person brings of you an offering to HaShem…” (Lev. 1:2), we ask if the words simply mean, “When any person among you…” or whether something extra is implied.
The message may be that if you bring an offering, part of you must accompany it. Perfunctory ritual means very little; you are only going through the motions. Your heart and soul must be in it.
These days when so many important appeals for worthy causes are directed to us the temptation is to give out of political correctness, to get the fundraisers off our back, or because people may talk if our name is not on the list of givers.
Obviously we cannot give to everything, nor can we give the same amount to every appeal. But everyone should have one or two favourite causes, and give as much as possible to them with passion and commitment: and it should not need social pressure, hard sell tactics or the hope of acclaim and applause to motivate us.
