The medrash relates the neginning of terumah - "v'yikchu li", to Torah - ki lekach tov. What's the connection?
merchants on boat teased the talmid chochom that he didn't have merchandise. He retorted that he has better than they. Pirates looted ship & all were left penniless. Tha Rabbi had nothing to lose. Upon arrival he gave shiur @ beis medrash & was escorted out in great honor with many invitations... Then he met the begging merchants in the street...
Torah is best mechandise - can't lose it.
Secondly, the medrash relates in business its either gold OR silver not both, but Torah is mei'alfei zahav vachesef. It has both attributes.
The meshech chochmah (or maharil diskin) asks, in business of course you can buy both as well!?
He answers that kesef refers to the fact that kesef koneh - it is currency that is easily transferable & accepted. Zahav is considered 'kli' the item being purchased. In every transaction one sells an item & one buys one gives away kesef to the other & gets 'zahav - an item from the other. It is impossible to be both in any given transaction. torah has both elements. Zahav is a dvar Torah that is not so 'over lasocher' - not so transferable to others but has a lot of value to its owner. Kesef is very transferable. In any dvar Torah there can be special meaning to the person & a simpler transferable point.
also in every exchange one gives up what he has & vice versa except for an exchange of torah.
just as terumah the donation given was really an act of gaining for oneself.
