In Parshat Vayakhel, Shmot 35:22 we read: “The men came with
the women, all who were generous of heart brought bracelets, nose rings, finger rings and
buckles, all kinds of golden vessels, and every man that offered a wave
offering of gold unto God.”
According to Ramban, we learn from here that the men were
secondary to the women. The men came “al HaNashim”, after the women. Since the
jewelry that is listed here was normally worn by women, the Torah pays tribute
to the women. As soon as the women heard that precious metals were needed, they
immediately removed their most precious possessions and gave them in.
Rashi says that the men and women came together, the men
came with the women or close to the women, since it was important for both the
husband and the wife to be comfortable with the contribution that they were making.
We see from here that the women were first with wanting to
make the contributions and the husbands supported their decisions. The women
were not forced in any way to give their jewelry to the mishkan but rather gave
willingly since they felt that it was the right thing to do.
Tzedaka is a mitzvah for both men and women and the decision
of what each contribution should be and who the contributions should be given
to should be a joint decision between the husband and the wife.
