Commentaire sur L’Exode 38:26

בקע (from בָּקַע to split) is the name given to a weight of half a shekel.

This is the name of the weight . . . Rashi is answering the question: Does בקע not mean “splitting” throughout Scripture? But here, “splitting” does not fit as a meaning.

בקע לגלגלת, beka, per head (half a holy shekel). The people relied on G-d being aware that this amount would suffice for the silver needed in connection with the Tabernacle.

לשש מאות אלף וגו׳ FOR SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND [AND THREE THOUSAND etc.] — Thus were the Israelites in number, and thus did their number amount to after the Tabernacle was set up, as it is stated in the Book of Numbers (ch. II), and at this time, also, when they contributed toward the Tabernacle they were just as many (cf. Rashi on Exodus 30:16). The half-shekels of 600,000 amount to a hundred talents, each talents consisting of three thousand shekels (cf. v. 25). How is this? 600,000 half-shekels are 300,000 whole shekels, making one hundred talents and the remaining 3550 half-shekels make 1775 whole shekels, as stated in the text.

This was the count of the Israelites . . . Rashi is answering the question: Surely, the count was higher. When they were counted in seifer Bamidbar, there were 603,550 men. This was besides the Levites, who were not counted among the B’nei Yisrael. So regarding the donations to the mishkon, where Israelites and Levites gave, should there not be more? Therefore Rashi explains: “This was the count of the Israelites.” The beka per person was given only by the Israelites, [i.e., the non-Levites]. They had sinned by making the Calf, and they needed to give the donation for the mishkon in order to atone for it. But the Levites, who did not sin, did not need to give. Re”m offers a similar explanation.