In Parshas Vayakhel the Torah tells us about the mad rush to donate to the Mishkan. Men and women came, and came... and came. They brought all their finest items including the jewelry that they were wearing at the time. They brought so much that Moshe Rabbeinu had to send messages throughout the camp commanding them to stop bringing.
Were they so generous by nature? Did money have no value to them? Rav Shimshon Pincus says that on the contrary we find that when it came to giving money like by the Korban Tomid, Moshe had to persuade them to give. We also see that by the Eigel the women refused to part with their jewelry.
So what was the secret of the Mishkan that made everybody wildly generous? It was the chance to have Hashra'as HaShechina, says Rav Shimshon. When the Shechina dwells among us everything is beautiful and life is wonderful. It is the ultimate state of being in this world and there is no pleasure that compares to it. They knew this and therefore they eagerly emptied out their vaults for this opportunity.
Rav Shimshon adds that even today there is an opportunity for Hashra'as HaShechina. How? "Ish V'Isha Zachu... HaShechina Beineihen", if a man and women build a harmonious home Al Pi Torah, the Shechina dwells with them. Interestingly, says Rav Shimshon, most domestic discord is over money. Either the husband gets angry when he feels his wife spends too much or the wife is angry because her husband refuses to allow her to spend.
If we understood that we have a chance to bring the Shechina to our homes and live in bliss, every husband would throw all his money at his wife and the wife would spend nothing, simply to merit Hashra'as HaShechina. Our forefathers also deeply cared about money but they knew where to draw the line. They knew that even money doesn't compare to harmony and bliss.
By putting Sholom in our home and sholom with our business partners and friends ahead of money, we to will be zocheh to Hashra'as HaShechina and a Bais HaMikdash Bimheira Biyameinu.
http://www.revach.net/avodah/bnei-bayscha/Parshas-VaYakhel-Rav-Shimshon-Pincus-When-Money-Doesn039t-Matter/5223
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