In this weeks parasha, Hashem instructs Moshe to speak to B'nei Yisrael and tell them to "take for me a portion." With all due respect, this seems like a bit of a strange phrasing. Wouldn't it have made more sense for Hashem to simply said "and you shall give charity"?
Rashi explains that the reason the pasuk says "take for me" is to teach us that our motivation for giving should be to sanctify Hashem's name - not to glorify our own! From this small detail we learn a HUGE lesson regarding our motivations in life.
Hashem is teaching us that when we do something, our motivation for doing so shouldn't be in order to brag about it later or make ourselves look good. Our motivation for doing so should simply be because it's the right thing to do. Indeed, we are taught that the highest form of charity one can give is when they give it secretly - with nobody else knowing.
As an active member of Hatzalah, I've always greatly admired members of Chaverim. In Hatzalah we do truly amazing things - we literally save lives (with Hashem's help of course), but there are perks to the job as well: be it the parking permit, the lights and sirens or the admiration that members get from the community. Chaverim is different. They get no special parking, no sirens and little admiration. There is little or no "great honor" in being able to say that you are a member of Chaverim. And yet, despite this fact members of Chaverim will leave their jobs, families and simchas to run out and help a person change a tire. There motivation: simply to do an act of chessed.
"Take for me a portion" - not because you want to brag or benefit from it but because you want to praise MY name. That is the message Hashem is giving us! May we all have this concept in mind when doing mitzvot in the future and may we truly find the motivation to do things for Hashem - as that is why we should be doing them.
Shabbat Shalom!
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