（出 36）慷慨与富足 (Exodus 36) Generosity and Wealth

(Edited by ChatGPT, based on Chinese draft by Mijiale, 中文在后面）

Exodus 36:6 – “Then Moses gave an order, and they sent this word throughout the camp: ‘No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.’ And so the people were restrained from bringing more.”

Many Jewish people are both wealthy and generous. Some time ago, during a peak period of anti-Semitism in American universities, some Jewish donors threatened to halt their large donations to certain prestigious universities. Only then did many people realize that the influence of Jewish people was closely linked to their generosity in giving.

The culture I grew up in was quite the opposite. At that time, most people were poor, and large-scale donations were not common. In my own experience, not being accustomed to generosity stems from many reasons, not just poverty. One major reason is that people feel money is hard-earned through hard work and frugality, so giving it away seems unfair. Additionally, saving money comes from a sense of insecurity about the future, fearing that “when the time comes, there won’t be enough money.” However, many years later, when I realized that the root of wealth is not simply hard work and thrift, and that no amount of stored wealth is a true guarantee, I began to better understand the generosity of the Jewish people.

The Biblical Roots of Jewish Generosity and Wealth

Jewish wealth and generosity have deep roots in biblical culture and faith.

In Exodus 35, the Israelites gave generously for the construction of a sanctuary for worshiping the Creator. They donated gold, silver, bronze, wood, wool, linen, animal skins, olive oil, spices, and gemstones. Their giving quickly exceeded what was needed, to the point that their leaders had to stop them from bringing more donations (Exodus 36:6).

Thus, the Israelites in the Bible were also both wealthy and generous. This was closely connected to their faith in the Creator.

They understood that wealth does not ultimately come from their own hard work or frugality, but from the grace of the Creator.

Before, when they were slaves in Egypt, they worked hard and lived frugally, but all the wealth they generated belonged to their Egyptian slave masters.
It was the Creator who repeatedly brought plagues upon Egypt, forcing the Egyptians to give them riches and send them away.
After the Exodus, the Israelites entered the barren wilderness, where the money they took from Egypt was useless—yet the Creator provided for them, sending manna from heaven and water from the rock.
This taught them that their true sustenance did not come from stored wealth, but from the Creator Himself.

So when the Creator commanded them to build a mobile sanctuary, allowing them to experience His presence wherever they went, they gladly gave a portion of the wealth that the Creator had originally helped them recover from their Egyptian oppressors.

Generosity Across Generations

The construction of the Tabernacle was a one-time event, but the spirit of generosity did not belong to just one generation.

The Bible commanded the Israelites to tithe, which became a generational tradition. Tithing (giving one-tenth of income) was used to support those who served the Creator full-time.

Jewish generosity did not make them poorer—instead, it made them wealthier.

So, is it that wealth allows them to be generous? Or is it that their generosity causes the Creator to bless them with wealth?

The Creator is living and active, and I believe He prefers to entrust wealth to those who are willing to give generously and do good.

In Hebrew, the word for tithe (ma’aser, מַעֲשֵׂר) shares the same root as wealth (ashir, עָשִׁיר), suggesting a connection between generosity and prosperity.
Malachi 3:10 teaches that tithing “opens the windows of heaven.”
Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack.”
Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 3:13 teaches that giving generously does not make a person poor—rather, it is a “fence” (protection) around wealth.
https://www.sefaria.org/English_Explanation_of_Pirkei_Avot.3.13.1?lang=bi

Does the Creator Need Our Donations?

Does the Creator ask us to give generously because He lacks something?

Of course not! The Creator is the owner of all wealth.

If He had a gold mine larger than the entire Earth on another planet, I wouldn’t be surprised.

He does not eat rice or bread and does not get hungry.
He does not need our donations.
Instead, it is we who depend on Him for daily survival and provision.

When the Creator asks us to give generously, it is for our own benefit.

When we give, whether:

to those suffering from disasters,
to fund education,
to support medical research,
or to sustain preachers who teach the Bible,

we are helping eliminate poverty, suffering, ignorance, and superstition, leading people to know the Creator and receive His blessings.

The Bible’s teachings on generosity transform material labor from merely a means of survival into a glorious opportunity to work alongside the Creator, to transmit and receive His blessings.

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（出 36）慷慨与富足

出埃及记 36:6
“摩西传命，他们就在全营中宣告说：‘无论男女，不必再为圣所拿什么礼物来。’这样才拦住百姓不再拿礼物来。”

许多犹太人不仅富有，而且慷慨。前段时间，在美国高校反犹主义浪潮高涨时，一些犹太人威胁停止对部分名校的巨额捐款。这时，许多人才意识到，犹太人的影响力与他们的慷慨捐赠息息相关。

相比之下，我小时候的生活环境恰好相反。那时，大多数人都很贫穷，也没有大规模捐款的习惯。

人们不习惯慷慨捐献的原因并不仅仅是因为贫穷，更多的是一种思维模式：

认为钱是自己辛苦赚来的，省吃俭用存下的，给别人用不公平。
害怕未来的不确定性，总担心“钱到用时方恨少”，所以尽可能积蓄。

然而，许多年后，当我意识到财富的来源并不仅仅是辛勤工作和节俭，以及无论积攒多少财富，都无法成为真正的保障时，我才开始理解犹太人的慷慨之道。

犹太人的财富与慷慨的圣经根源

犹太人的富足和慷慨，有着深厚的圣经文化背景和信仰根基。

在出埃及记 35 章，以色列人为建造敬拜造物主的会幕，踊跃捐献金、银、铜、木料、毛线、麻线、兽皮、橄榄油、香料和宝石等珍贵材料。

他们的奉献远远超出了所需，以至于摩西不得不命令百姓停止捐赠（出埃及记 36:6）。

因此，圣经时代的以色列人，也是既富足，又慷慨的。这与他们对造物主的信仰密不可分。

他们深知，财富的根本来源不是自己的辛勤劳作或节俭，而是造物主的恩典。

他们曾经是埃及的奴隶，劳作辛勤，节衣缩食，但他们创造的财富归埃及奴隶主所有。
是造物主施行神迹，让埃及人情愿拿钱财“赔偿”他们，并催促他们离开，这才让他们得以拥有自由和财富。
出埃及后，他们在荒无人烟的旷野，带出来的钱财根本派不上用场。
但造物主让天降吗哪，使磐石出水，让他们明白：真正的供应，不是靠存款，而是靠造物主自己。

所以，当造物主吩咐他们建造可移动的会幕，让他们无论去哪里都能与祂同在，他们欣然献上一部分财富——本就是造物主帮助他们从埃及人手中取回的财富。

慷慨的精神，世代相传

建造会幕只是第一代以色列人的故事，但慷慨的性格，并没有停留在这一代。

圣经教导以色列人实行“十一奉献”（将收入的十分之一奉献），成为代代相传的传统，用于支持全职事奉造物主的人。

犹太人的慷慨奉献，并没有让他们变贫穷，反而让他们更加富有。

那么，究竟是因为富足才有能力慷慨，还是因为慷慨，所以造物主赐他们更大的富足？

造物主是活的，我相信祂更愿意把财富托付给那些愿意慷慨行善的人。

**“十一奉献”（ma’aser, מַעֲשֵׂר）这个词，与“富有”（ashir, עָשִׁיר）**有相同的词根，隐含了慷慨与富足之间的联系。
玛拉基书 3:10 教导，十一奉献能打开天上的窗户。
诗篇 23:1 说，造物主是我的牧者，我必不至缺乏。
犹太传统《先贤箴言》（Pirkei Avot）3:13 也教导，慷慨的奉献，不会使人贫穷，反而是财富的保障（‘篱笆’）。i
📌 参考链接

造物主是否需要我们的奉献？

造物主让我们慷慨奉献，难道是因为祂有所缺乏，需要依靠我们的施舍吗？

当然不是！造物主是万物的主，祂若愿意，甚至可以在外星球上造出一个比地球更大的金矿。

祂不需要吃饭，也不会饥饿。
祂根本不缺少金银财宝。
相反，是我们每天都需要依靠祂的供应。

造物主教导我们慷慨，并不是为了祂自己，而是为了我们好。

当我们把财富用于以下事情：

帮助受灾的人，
资助教育，
支持医疗研究，
资助传道人传播圣经真理，

我们就在消除世界上的贫穷、苦难、无知和迷信，帮助更多人认识造物主，得到祂的祝福。

圣经关于慷慨奉献的教导，
让物质世界的劳动不再只是谋生的手段，
而变成了一个荣耀的机会，
使我们得以与造物主同工，传递并承受从祂而来的祝福。