Musar para sa Exodo 30:13

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.

Before explaining the Midrash itself, I have to demonstrate how the paragraph relates to the משפטים which form the principal subject matter of our פרשה. We have stated previously that the letter ו before the word אלה המשפטים establishes a linkage with the subject matter discussed previously. Just as the subject matter discussed in the Ten Commandments was revealed at Mount Sinai, so everything that follows in this פרשה, was revealed at Mount Sinai. This is why the number "ten" plays a significant role in דינין, at least at the mystical level. When the Hebrew number ten is spelled in writing, i.e. יוד, it equals 20 (the combined value of these three letters). In other words: "ten" spelled out is really "twenty." The Zohar points this out in connection with Numbers 7,86, where the Torah repeats עשרה, עשרה בשקל הקודש. The idea is that the "whole" שקל, equals twenty geyrah as we know from the half shekel legislation of פרשת שקלים in Exodus 30,13. It is appropriate to refer to that concept, since this portion is read on שבת פרשת שקלים, and the latter is usually read on the same שבת as our פרשת משפטים. Seeing that ten geyrah represent half a שקל הקודש, we view the legislation in פרשת יתרו as "half" a legislation that is being complemented here in our פרשה through the introductory letter ו.

The select few manage to penetrate to an even higher level, i.e. the level of the yud in its full sense equivalent to the שקל הקודש, as we explained earlier. The reason the Torah calls for a contribution of only half this שקל הקודש (Exodus 30,13), is that most people are not able to attain a higher level than that represented by such a half שקל. Psalms 68,18, describes this dual yud when mentioning רבותיים instead of רבבות. There was no need for the Torah in פרשת כי תשא, to describe the שקל as a half שקל and spelling out that a whole שקל contains 20 geyrah, except to remind us of the fact that G–d's input into a human being is limited to ten parts out of of twenty. This means that the "holy" component of a human being to start with is only 50%. Man can be compared to a two sided coin. The scriptural hint for this is תתהפך כחומר חותם (Job 38,14), "it turns over like clay under the seal" (which has a seal imprinted on it). The body thus is viewed like the coin, i.e. the receptacle for the imprint the soul makes upon it. In its most elevated state the soul is to be viewed like G–d's imprint on the body. This is what our sages meant when they said that the soul resembles G–d in five ways. This is also the deeper meaning of our sages in Shekalim 4, saying that G–d showed Moses a fiery coin since He Himself is compared to consuming fire (אש אוכלה, Deut. 9,3). The Jewish people purchased the daily communal sacrifices from the money raised by these contributions (half-שקל). This is perhaps why these sacrifices are described as, אשה לה' "a fire offering to G–d (Numbers 28,3).