Êxodo 30:11 Cabalá: Zohar & Pardes Rimmonim

AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES SAYING: WHEN THOU TAKEST THE SUM OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AFTER THEIR NUMBER, THEN SHALL THEY GIVE EVERY MAN AN EXPIATION FOR HIS SOUL UNTO THE LORD.

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.