Mussar sobre Êxodo 30:12

Yalkut Shimoni item 386 at the beginning of our פרשה points out that the last paragraph in the previous פרשה mentions that Aaron used the corners קרנות of the altar to perform the rites of atonement on the Day of Atonement (30,10). The Hebrew word for corners is קרן, horn, the same as the "horn" of the ox. G–d told Moses to use this method of atonement because Israel had sinned with the golden calf. Moses queried that the Torah had stated that this method was effective only "once a year," i.e. on the Day of Atonement (ibid.) G–d replied that Moses should erect it (the altar) immediately, as soon as he had performed the counting of the Children of Israel. Rabbi Joshua son of Nachman said that G–d told Moses: "Go and count the Children of Israel!" Moses replied that we have two verses. In one of them the Israelites are compared to the dust of the earth, and in the other they are compared to the sand on the beaches of the sea. Both verses point out that one cannot count all the Israelites. In view of this, how could he be expected to carry out such a command? G–d told Moses that he was mistaken, that if he wanted to find out the number all he had to do was to use the first letters of each of the tribal heads' names etc., as we pointed out earlier. All G–d had intended was to find out how many of the Israelites had died as a result of the episode of the golden calf. Those who survived were to give a ransom for their souls (lives, 30,11). When Moses heard this he became afraid and said: עור בעד עור וכל אשר לאיש יתן בעד נפשו (Job 2,4), "Skin for skin; all that man has he will give up for his life." [Moses did not yet realise that G–d required only a half-shekel from each person as the ransom for his life. Ed.]

Why did G–d not simply say: "they shall give a ransom for their lives in the amount of a half-shekel each?" Furthermore, the word איש in the verse also seems totally superfluous! Actually, G–d wanted Moses to have a chance to reflect in order that the process of atonement could begin. If the Torah had simply said: ונתנו איש, "They shall give a person," I would have concluded that there is no such thing as ransom-money to redeem a capital crime. G–d added: זה יתנו, "This they shall give" (there is such a thing as monetary ransom). I have explained elsewhere that when G–d imposes a punishment this must not be viewed as something that represents Him, the One who gave the commandment, but it should be seen as the natural consequence if the person who was commanded to do something failed to carry out that commandment. The reason this is so is to limit the scope of the punishment. Just as there is a גבול, limit, to our lives, so the punishment is limited in duration. When we speak about the reward for commandments performed, however, the process is reversed. The reward originates with the Law-giver. Just as He is not bound by any restrictions, so the scope of the reward for observing His commandments is unlimited. All this is hinted at in the word איש. If the penalty were directly related to the Law-giver, it would have to be unlimited in scope, i.e. it would consume the guilty person איש totally; he would have to die. Allowing the person in question to expiate his sin by a ransom payment demonstrates that the penalty is related directly only to the person who has committed the sin, not to G–d.

We similarly find that when Jacob was embattled against the Emorites that he referred to his conquest of the city of Shechem as something he had acquired by means of "my sword and my bow" (Genesis 48,22). There was another element to this battle: The prayer Jacob offered up helped him succeed. Onkelos translates the words בחרבי ובקשתי as בצלותי ובבעותי, "with my prayer and my entreaty." It was Jacob's custom that whenever he was involved in a confrontation he would employ three kinds of weapons which our Rabbis have referred to as מלחמה, דורון, תפלה. These may be considered as Jacob's "secret weapons." The weapon called דורון, was gifts to charity; the weapon called מלחמה was the struggle against his evil urge; the weapon called תפלה needs no homiletical interpretation. These three weapons together are what are popularly known as הקול קול יעקב. The weapon of charity is also alluded to in a Biblical passage describing soldiers going into battle. Psalms 85,14 speaks of: צדק לפניו יהלוך וישם לדרך פעמיו, "Charity goes before him as he sets out on his way." We also have a verse in Exodus 30,12 ונתנו איש כופר נפשו, suggesting that a man can use his charitable gifts to help him overcome his blood-guilt, i.e. to save him from danger in war. The fact that only men over the age of twenty had to make this contribution is a clear indication that once one is of military age it may become a life-saver.