Question:
Hi.
I am part of a community of multiple homes, and we share a community shul. It’s an upscale community. The shul was very adequate. However, individuals decided to renovate it, to make it much fancier, nicer etc. It came out beautiful. When the project began, they tried to raise money by selling it as the right thing to do, to have a shul that is on par with the upscale houses. They made it out to be like a mitzvah. I personally wasn’t buying it, since I thought the old shul was perfectly adequate. Even more than adequate. The project cost $500k. I thought this was a waste of money, with so many people struggling etc. I’m just wondering what the haskafa is with such a scenario. Is renovating a shul for the purpose of grandness, a “mitzvah”? To be clear, I couldn’t care less, what people do with their money. I was just wondering what category of mitzvah this might fall under?
Answer:
Hello,
What the shul did was a mitzva. The Rambam[1] and Shulchan Aruch write, that whatever mitzva action we do, should be done nicely, in fact, it should be done a higher standard and nicer than what we will do for ourselves! Therefore, he writes that we should make our shuls, nicer than our own homes! When the people in this upscale community built their homes, they spend time, money, and plenty of effort, to make sure their home was the nicest they could. Our respect to Hashem, and His house, should not be less than that. What does it look like if a wealthy city, filled with fancy homes, built a modest abode for the king to stay, when he comes? What does it look like, when everyone has wall to wall carpeting, plush couches, imported furniture, exquisite chandeliers, and a marble walkway, but the shul has a tiled floor, and simple chairs or benches? A shul should not be built adequate, rather fancy (understandably within the community’s capabilities). When we build a fancy shul, it is showing respect to Hashem, and it shows Hashem that He is important to us.
It is interesting, when Hashem told Moshe to build the Mishkan, He did not specify how much each person should give, for its building, rather “each person according to the benevolence of his heart”. The commentaries ask, why didn’t Hashem tell them how much each person should give? They answer, that Hashem wanted that the Mishkan, should be built out of love for Him, because they wanted Hashem’s house to be filled with the nicest gold, silver, and precious stones. Hashem wanted us to build a Mishkan out of love and respect for Him, and it is the same with our shuls, which are considered a “Mikdash me’at”, a small Bais Hamikdash.
As a side point, what we give to Hashem, it is the ultimate investment in ourselves[2]. It is money that we are using for Hashem and we will have its merit in the world to come, in our real permanent home. While investing in our homes in this world, is only temporary, and will be left for others…
In the zechus of our showing Hashem that His house of prayer is important to us, and that we respect the importance of our shuls, Hashem should answer all of our prayers, and help us all out with, good health, parnossa, shalom bayis, good children, and everything else that we need.
Best wishes
Sources:
[1] רמב”ם הלכות איסורי מזבח פרק ז הלכה יא “שהרוצה לזכות עצמו יכוף יצרו הרע וירחיב ידו ויביא קרבנו מן היפה המשובח ביותר שבאותו המין שיביא ממנו… והוא הדין בכל דבר שהוא לשם האל הטוב שיהיה מן הנאה והטוב, אם בנה בית תפלה יהיה נאה מבית ישיבתו, האכיל רעב יאכיל מן הטוב והמתוק שבשולחנו, כסה ערום יכסה מן היפה שבכסותו, הקדיש דבר יקדיש מן היפה שבנכסיו וכן הוא אומר כל חלב ליי’ וגו'”. שולחן ערוך יורה דעה סימן רמח סעיף ח “הרוצה לזכות לעצמו, יכוף יצרו הרע וירחיב ידו וכל דבר שהוא לשם שמים יהיה מהטוב והיפה. אם בנה בית תפלה, יהיה נאה מבית ישיבתו. האכיל רעב, יאכיל מהטוב והמתוק שבשולחנו. כיסה ערום, יכסה מהיפה שבכסותו. הקדיש דבר, יקדיש מהיפה שבנכסיו. וכן הוא אומר: כל חלב לה’ (ויקרא ג, טז).
[2] ברכי יוסף יורה דעה סימן רמח ס”ק ה “הרוצה לזכות לעצמו וכו’. פירוש שכל אשר יעשה לשם שמים יהיה לעצמו, שאם אינו עושה כך מרבה הונו לאחרים ולא לו יהיה”.
