כלי יקר — ויקחו לי תרומה... מאתם

Q — Why does the Torah attribute the first two terumot to Hashem — 'ויקחו לי תרומה,' 'תקחו את תרומתי' — but the third (the donations for the Mishkan itself) only to the donors: 'מאתם'?

A — Kli Yakar reads the linguistic asymmetry as a moral diagnosis. The first two terumot (the half-shekel for adanim, the half-shekel for korbanot) were uniform — equal for rich and poor, 'העשיר לא ירבה והדל לא ימעיט.' No one could boast over another. Where humility reigns, Hashem associates His name. But the third terumah was variable — each according to 'אשר ידבנו לבו' — leaving room for boasting and competition over generosity. Where the smallest hint of gaavah enters, 'אין הקדוש ברוך הוא רוצה ליחד שמו יתברך שם.' The very wording exposes which kind of giving Hashem most wants to claim as His own.