FOR NASO
IT’S GOOD TO BE USED
Would you ever loan your car to a stranger? Most people would be extremely reluctant to loan their car even to a good friend…
The rental car business is an interesting one. In this business, their vehicles are essentially loaned, for a fee, to people they do not know. The risk of losing a vehicle worth thousands of dollar is great. At the same time, the business must be lucrative on some level, for they are still at it and going strong on all levels.
Yet, due to the competitive nature, the companies continue to seek ways for greater profits. Until recently, it would be expected of renters to return the vehicle with the tank of gasoline full. Lately, the companies offer the option of returning the car on empty. At the time of renting, the renter chooses to prepay for the gasoline that would be refilled by the company.
The deal is the price. The prepaid option allows the renter to pay a normal rate for every gallon of gas the car takes. In contrast, should a person decline this option and return a car with less than a full tank of fuel, the rates would be doubled.
Those who estimate that their driving will not consume the entire tank of gas, end up filling the car’s gas tank immediately prior to returning their car. Those who estimate their travels using up all of the gas, would choose the prepay option, saving the inconvenience of refilling the car.
Here is the dilemma: What if they accepted to prepay option, and it is clear that they simply will not finish the tank. Some people will simply return the car with some of the gasoline still inside. The rental companies thank those people, for this is a scheme upon which they rely to earn a few extra dollars. Other people, though, drive around an extra half hour for the sole purpose of using up the fuel for which they paid. The extra time, plus pollution, does not seem to worry those people. Just the few dollars they may feel is too benevolent.
Recently, someone shared how he worked that gas to the last drop; he even felt the car sputtering into the return area. He was really proud of how he used up his prepaid gas to the last drop. He shared that paying for something meant he was going to get his money’s worth, so good for him.
Is this right? People also behave this way in places like restaurants, for instance, not allowing themselves to leave any food behind, because they paid for it. People prefer to travel extra distances to fill up at gas stations to save a few cents on their gas. They end up saving a total of about forty or fifty cents. It seems like it is human nature to work hard to get what you pay for.
A strong argument for the above personality can be made when paying attention to a detail in this week’s Torah portion, “Naso.” The portion records the gifts presented by the leaders of the twelve tribes. They donated collectively, as well as individually. In their collective donations they offered, “Six covered wagons and twelve oxen.”(B’midbar (Numbers) 7:3.) These donations were offered to assist the Levites for their responsibility of transporting the traveling sanctuary.
Moses was unsure about these donations until he heard from the Almighty. He was told: “’Take the gifts from them… give them to the Levites according to each one’s work’… Moses gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershon family, commensurate with their work. He gave four wagons and eight oxen to the Merari family, commensurate with their heavier load.” (They were responsible for carrying the beams, pillars and sockets which made up the sanctuary’s perimeter.) (7:5-8.)
A donation of six covered wagons means that each two leaders of the twelve tribes offered one wagon between them. This seems rather stingy. Moreover, this was contrary to how the rest of the people donated. Earlier in the Torah, the people donated to the extent of creating a surplus (S’hmos (Exodus) 36:37). What happened that the leaders of the tribes became so frugal?
Choosing to be thrifty specifically in this instance seems even harsher when realizing how heavy these beams really were. When setting up the beams for the sanctuary for the first time, the Torah relates that it was Moses who did so. These beams were extremely heavy. They were ten cubits high, or approximately eighteen feet. The people were unable to lift these things, until Moses was instructed to place his hand under the beams, and they were miraculously elevated. (Sh’mos (Exodus) 40:18 and commentaries there.) Although the six wagons were sufficient upon which to crowd all the beams, upon seeing the yeoman efforts required to simply hoist these beams, the leaders should have been disposed to donating extra wagons to make things easier in transporting these beams!
It is all about using materials entirely. The responsibility for transporting the sanctuary was immense. It was, of course, a physical challenge, but it also carried a spiritual responsibility. As such, the leaders were reluctant to provide extra wagons for moving these materials, in order to impart an important lesson to the Jewish people: Nothing should go to waste. Despite the overwhelming resources donated to the sanctuary, nothing, no detail, was wasted.
The reason a person is blessed with resources is in order to create a personal “sanctuary” from the materials with which one is presented. One must see that they be utilized appropriately and efficiently. Anything a person has can, and must, be expended in full, not wasted.
And if the above pertains to one’s physical possessions, how much more so to one’s talents, abilities, and time. If one is able, for example, to inspire people through writing, or through building, or through speaking, or any other mode or means, one must find a way to do so. Absent of this effort, these talents, given by the Almighty to all people, are left by the wayside. They are lost.
The nature of some people is, at times, not to let even a drop of gas or food be wasted. For such people, and hopefully for all people, it should be easy to convince them to treat all other material, spiritual and practical possessions, as blessings that should be utilized to their fullest extent.
SUMMARY: Anything with which a person is blessed can be, and should be, used to their fullest.