By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld
In Shmos 25:2 the Torah tells us that we should take (give) for me teruma. Rashi explains the word for me is that it has to be leshem shomayim. The question is that we know the Gemara in Pesachim 50b says that a person should learn Torah even if it is shelolishmo as the shelo lishma brings the person to do it lishma. Why would the mitzva of teruma be different?
The first answer is based on the Divrei Yosef the father of Reb Dovid Kohen the Chevroner Rosh Yeshiva, based on the Rambam in pirush Hamishnayos end of Makkos and in the Meiri Pesaachim 8b that a kiyum of a mitzvah with a shituf of something else will make the mitzvah incomplete. Since terumas haMishkon was for the resting of the Shechina therefore in this Mitzvah in particular there can’t be any shituf and any other thoughts but for Hashem. This is also the reason why there were no peiros Ginosar very sweet fruits in Yerushalayim so no one would say that those who were olah regel came for the fruit!
Another Tirutz is based on Reb Chaim Volozhiner that says that when a person learns biretzufos for a long time it is inevitable that some of the time will be spent learning lishma. The Haflaah says that when one learns a little bit lishma it is mechayeh and mekadesh all the other learning even the ones not done lishma. This is the reason why teruma which is a one-time mitzvah to get it right and not to rely on the end of the mitzvah. Which would explain why one who does the mitzvah of milah on his son must do it lishma as it is a mitzvah that is done in a short while so one can not rely on the lishma at the end. So too giving teruma is a short duration so it must be done lishma.
The Ben Yehoyoda in Sotah 22b says that when a person does mitzvos he is chayev to do then he can do it even shelo lishma because when push comes to shove, he did the mitzvah that he is chayev. But on i that are optional one can not do it shelo loishma. This is why Rashi explains lishma because everyone donated as much as his heart desired hence there was no chiyuv of the mitzvah so it had to be lishma.
The Sefer Rinas Yitzchok says that when it came to Binyan haMikdosh vehaMishkon even the excavation of the stones needed to be lishma. Therefore, the giving of the donations were part of the excavating of the stones so it had to be lishma. This fits with the Tosefta in Megilah that says that if one excavated stones or constructed beams for chullin it can not be used on Har Habayis.
The Shaarei simcha says that since the Mishkon was built as a kapara for the Eigel and we know that all Aveiros Hashem is not metzaref a bad machshava besides for the aveirah of avoda zora. Hence, they had to have kavana lishma.
May we all be zocheh to be mekayem mitzvos lishma!
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