Mandatory Volunteerism

The opening words of this week's Parashat Terumah contains a tension that Rav Avital and Rav Elazar have felt since the beginning of the war. It's inspiring that Israelis—and Americans too—are coming together in a spirit of donation and volunteerism to fulfil urgent needs in Israel, but it raises deep questions as to who was supposed to take care of these needs in the first place and why they failed to do so.

How should we think about volunteering when it feels actually mandatory? And when we do offer our time and resources, what are we offering it for and for what larger purpose?