1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

The Lord is now going to describe a different sort of offering. Sacrifices for purification and worship are mandatory for every faithful household, but the sacrifices being described here are entirely optional. The Israelite who makes this sacrifice is to give “it willingly with his heart.” And if the man can not offer it willingly, the Lord describes no punishment or penalty for him abstaining from the opportunity.

There is in our morality a basic set of laws that we are all expected to abide by. Fundamental things that we are all expected to do and not do. Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, help your neighbor, be kind to one another, etc. So long as we follow these rules we are “good citizens” and “decent people.” We are living the way that society expects of us. But there is also a higher level of elective good works. Things like making a serious sacrifice to help someone in need, being willing to die for the greater good, and speaking the truth even when it harms us. We don’t necessarily have to do these things to be “decent people,” but we are considered heroes when we elect to do them anyway.