Wyjścia 30:13 Kabała: Pardes Rimmonim

They have given us another explanation of this mishna [from Sefer Yetzirah] in the book of the Faithful Shepherd [Raya Mehemna] [Parasha Ki Tisa, Zohar II.187b], and this is what it says: ‘The commandment to give “a half- shekel with the holy shekel” [Exodus 30:13]. The Faithful Shepherd said: ‘What is a half-shekel [a biblical weight-measure]? It is similar to a half-hin [a biblical liquid measure]. And this is Wav exactly placed between two He’s [reading the Hebrew consonants “hin” as “He’s”]. The stone to weigh with, it is a Yud [with the numerical value of 10, twenty gerah [another biblical weight-measure] [is] a shekel, it is Yud Wav Daleth (יוד) [this is the name of the letterי (Yud) spelled out in Hebrew characters, which has the numerical value of 20]. “And the wealthy one shall not increase” [Exodus 30:15], this is Central Pillar [= Tif’eret], it will not increase on ten (י). As thus it is said in Sefer Yetzirah ‘Ten Sefirot without what-ness, ten and not eleven.’ “and the poor one shall not decrease” [Exodus 30:15], this is the Righteous One [= Yesod], he will not decrease from ten, as it is said: ‘ten and not nine’, and a half-shekel, it is ten’. End of citation.