The Tarumah Offering

Written by Archbishop E. Bernard Jordan

The Hebrew term “Târumah” ([ הָ ומּרְּ תtâruwmah or târumah), pronounced as ter·oo·maw is translated as “offering.” Târumah is a heave offering; it is a contribution of the believer to the ministry of God. In Scripture, we read, “The Lord said to Moses: Tell the Israelites to take for me an offering; from all whose hearts prompt them to give you shall receive the offering for me” (Exodus 25:1-2). God uses His people to bless His ministers. It is because of God’s grace and will that the members of the Body of Christ bless His front liners in the ministry. It’s not because of the church member’s own generosity and wealth, it is a privilege to be chosen by God for His work.

People need symbols. As human beings, we are used to understanding concrete things more effectively than abstract concepts. As a quest to make this human-divine partnership more tangible, the Bible presents the idea of making a sanctuary for God. The idea of gift-giving or donating to God is rendered so that human beings understand how they can express their worship and loyalty to the Lord.

The Târumah is translated as a “better contribution”. It denotes how something is “taken off” from a larger mass, and separated for a sacred purpose. It’s not a “rite of elevation,” instead it’s allowing what you have to be used for a higher purpose. Only a portion of the offering is “taken off” the rest, which ultimately forms the priest’s due. The readiness and willingness of the heart is an interesting descriptor for the giver of the offering. The one who is giving this offering must have a heart that makes him willing. In other words, his heart is ready to give. There is no compulsion. It is the grace of the Lord that makes the heart ready to give. When this happens, giving the heave offering, or any other kind of offering for that matter, becomes a non-issue.

In this book, you learn about the Rabbinic tradition, the proportion by which a person gives reveal the person’s heart. They follow this principle of the Târumah offering for a reason. They know that in the economy of God, they have more than enough to sustain their generosity. The generous man —the man with a good eye —gives 1/40 of his income to the priest. In other words, he gives 2.5% to the priest, on top of the 10% he gives as his tithe. If the income of this generous man is $10,000, then $1,000 is given back as his tithe, and $250 is given to the priest as a heave offering. The fair man gives back 1/50 or 2% portion of his income outside of the tithe. Whoever gives 1/60 or below above the tithe is referred to as a stingy man or the miserly. In other words, someone who gives 1.6% or less of his income, outside of the tithe is considered tightfisted.