Quality Over Quantity

A piece from Rav Meir Goldwicht:

In describing the commandment for the Jews to donate a half-shekel for the purpose of taking a census, Hashem tells Moshe that he should "raise the heads of Bnei Yisrael." The Pesikta asks why this peculiar language is used in this context. The immediate answer that is given is that Hashem is telling Moshe to raise up the Jews as much as possible, since when they are raised up, Hashem is raised up as well.

There are, however, a number of questions that need to be answered about the concept of the half-shekel. The first is how this particular minimum donation serves the purpose of "raising up the head" of both the Jewish people and of Hashem? The second question is based on the language employed in Shemot 30:13. It says "zeh yitno" - this they shall give. The use of "zeh" in Tanach almost always refers to a situation where one point to something (such as by the splitting of the Reed Sea, when the Jews sang "zeh keili v'anveihu," and Rashi notes that they were actually able to point to the presence of Hashem).What pointing occurred by the half-shekel? The Pesikta claims that Hashem had to show Moshe a fiery coin so as to explain what the Jews were supposed to give. However, we must then ask how one is to give a coin made out of fire? What message was contained in this vision that Hashem gave to Moshe?

A third question is based on Rambam (Hilchot Shekalim 1). He says that it is a positive commandment for one to give the half-shekel, and it is so important that a pauper must sell the clothes off of his back in order to fulfill this law. This notion of selling the shirt of off one's back appears in two other places - in order to buy four cups of wine for the Pesach seder and in order to buy Chanukah candles. It is understandable that both of those commandments are reflective of great national miracles, and thus it is not surprising that we would require one to go to great lengths to be able to participate in them. However, how does the giving off the half-shekel fit in? Why is it so important that one has to sell his shirt in order to participate in it?

Our answer begins in Iyov 11. Iyov suffered through every type of personal misfortune imaginable. After the terrible losses that he suffered, three of his friends came to speak with him about what had occurred. In 11:7-9 they expressed the idea that Iyov could not get angry at Hashem, since he did not know the entire framework within which his personal tragedies were occurring. In verse 9 they state "arukah me-eretz mida, u'rchava mini yam" - the notion that the whole picture is longer than the land and wider than the sea. This metaphor is not accidental, and it in fact holds a key to answering our original question. What is the difference between the land and the sea? The land is something static that can be definitively measured. By contrast, the sea is something that is always in motion, and thus even when one tries to measure it, he can only measure it for a fleeting moment before it moves again.

There is another important aspect to the land and the sea, one that is rooted in the very story of creation in Bereishit 1. While each day of creation witnessed the birth of a different thing, no one day had any meaning without the others. The creation of light is worthless without trees to use it to grow and man to derive benefit from it. The creation of man goes nowhere without there first being a land for man to live on and trees and animals for him to make use of. As such, every day of creation had a hand in every other day. Working out the math, each of seven days counts as if it happened seven times, giving a total of forty-nine. This number is representative of our world, and thus the number fifty is representative of that which exists beyond our world (and thus we speak of the forty nine levels of purity or impurity, with the fiftieth being the point of no return, as well as of the forty nine levels of holiness than Moshe Rabbeinu attained, with the fiftieth being concealed from him).

Going back to Iyov, the gematria (numerical value) of the word "mida" is forty nine, while that of "yam" is fifty. This is indicative of the nature of these two components of creation - the sea wants to overtake and flood the dry land. Even in creation itself, Hashem had to pull the water back in order to reveal the dry land. It is for this reason as well that one has to immerse himself or herself completely in the waters of the mikveh, and may not use a water source that drips out (Sefer HaChinuch #173).

Haman was one of the smartest and most incisive enemies of the Jews. He understand that overtaking and defeating them required looking into their history and finding the soft underbelly where they would be most vulnerable. He knew that Hashem hates lewdness, and thus he encouraged Achashveirosh to hold a party that would be characterized by self-indulgence and loose behavior. While the food may have been served on plastic plates so as to avoid kashrut problems, the very presence of the Jews at this party revealed a major deficiency in their overall moral and ethical nature.

Haman went even further. He cast lots to determine when the best time would be to destroy the Jews, lots that told him that the month of Adar was a time of weakness for them. This was so in part because it was the month in which Moshe rabbeinu died. However, Haman also noted that this was the month in which the Jews donated the half-shekel in the times of the Beit HaMikdash, and thus he gave Achashveirosh a large sum to offset the money donated by the Jews at an earlier point in their history.

Haman's one problem was Mordechai, whom he could not figure out. Thus, Haman went in the other direction, trying to place himself above Mordechai not only in the power structure of Shushan, but even in a more metaphysical way. Rashi notes that the reason that the attendants of Achashveirosh bowed to Haman was because he made himself out to be some form of a deity. Even further, the tree which Haman was to build was to be fifty cubits high, a clear sign of his attempt to exist above this world. Haman felt that if he could attain such a level, there would be no way for the Jews to thwart his plans of destroying them. The Yalkut Shimoni notes that the gallows that was built was built from a board taken from the ark of Noach, which served as a reminder of the flood (the water, symbolized by fifty, flooding the earth). Haman hoped to link up to this event in history and to thus overtake the Jewish people. Feeling his power on the rise, Haman did not wait until the morning. Rather, he built the gallows already at night, and rushed to the king's palace to have the royal seal put on his devious plans.

Of course, Achashveirosh's response completely floored Haman, as he told him to parade Mordechai through the streets of Shushan. Unable to grasp the meaning of what had just happened, the Midrash tells us that Haman ran to get Mordechai and found him teaching his students about the mitzvah of cutting the Omer. Why is this significant? The Omer is connected to the counting of the Omer, whereby the Jews count seven days seven times, for a total of forty nine. However, they then count day fifty, the day of the giving of the Torah. Haman did not realize that the secret that was contained in the number fifty, which he hoped to arrogate to himself, had already been claimed by the Jews. He was playing on Mordechai's turf, and thus there was no way for him to be able to win this battle. The tiny bit of barley grain that was taken for the Omer completely uprooted Haman's fifty foot high gallows.

In the end, Haman was undone by his inability to realize that it is quality, and not quantity, that matters. The little mitzva of Omer was able to trump all of Haman's elaborate plans, since Omer represents that which is above and beyond this world. It is representative of the power of that which is truly qualitative, an idea that is encapsulated by fire. A small fire can overtake even the largest building. Even further, fire is the only thing on earth about which it can be said that anything that enters it becomes it. Mixtures of sugar and water and the like can still be separated and distinguished under laboratory tests. Fire, however, turns everything into ash. Yaakov understood this idea when he went out against Esav and all of his men (see Rashi on the beginning of parashat Vayeshev), that he strength against overwhelming numbers lay in the quality of his character. Haman's failure was in his inability to realize this exact point.

Taking all of this into consideration, we can return to our earlier questions. Hashem showed Moshe a coin made of fire, a coin that was all quality and not quantity. Hashem's message to Moshe was that the half-shekel was not about showing off how much money one could give to charity. Rather, it was about each person making his contribution and showing that he counted in a meaningful manner. Each person's contribution was special, and when a person does something special, a person can be proud and can life his head up high. Thus, Hashem told Moshe to "lift up the heads" of the Jewish people. He commanded Moshe to teach the Jews a mitzva that would allow each person to feel pride in his role as an equal member of the Jewish nation.

The Gemara in Megilla 13a states that Reish Lakish teaches us that Hashem knew that Haman would in the future pay a large sum for the lives of the Jews, and thus He pre-empted him by introducing the mitzva of the half-shekel. Reish Lakish, who began his career as a gangster and was able to find within himself the strength of character to return to Hashem, he is the one who teaches us this lesson about the half-shekel, a mitzva which is focuses on each person discovering what is special about himself.

In contrast to Reish Lakish, the gemara in Chagigah 15a states that Rabi Meir and Elisha ben Avuya were once walking on Shabbat (the Yerushalmi says it was Shabbat which was Yom HaKippurim) and they came to the end of the techum Shabbat, the farthest that one may walk outside of the city limits before violating the Shabbat. Rabi Meir pointed this fact out to his teacher and implored him to return to the city with him. Elisha ben Avuya, who had been one of the great Torah giants of his generation before veering from the straight and narrow path, answered that he could not do so, since he "has heard it stated from behind the (heavenly) curtain: Return may wayward sons, except for Acheir." Acheir, or 'the other one," was the name by which Elisha had come to be known, since he was now estranged from Hashem. However, Rabi Meir was trying to tell his mentor that he could still return, if only he would leave behind the part of him that had strayed, as Reish Lakish had done. However, Elisha failed to see this message. He heard the heavenly voice as saying that he could not return at all, since he and "Acheir" were one, he was totally consumed by the rebellious side within him, to the point where he could no longer conceive of the internal strength of his character being able to dominate and lead him back to the true service of Hashem.

The introduction to the Zohar includes a reference to the verse in Yeshayahu 40 "mi bara eileh" - who has created this. It explains that "eileh" refers to that which we can explain, while "mi" is a question word which refers to that in the world which we cannot find an answer to. While humans chase after those things that they can explain, one who does so without looking for the "mi" as well is worshipping idolatry. Together, these two words in Hebrew spell out Elokim, the name of God, as he is composed of everything, both the knowable and the unknowable in this world.

In this vein, we can understand some of the events surrounding the Golden Calf. When the Calf was constructed, those who danced around it said "eileh elohecha Yisrael," - these are your Gods, Israel. They had the "eileh," the simple and knowable, but they lacked the "mi," the mysterious and unknowable side of Hashem. Moshe restored this aspect to the Jews when he descended, shouting "mi la-shem elai" - whoever is for God should join me! Even further, the numerical value of "mi" is fifty, again indicating the presence of this supreme number as a foundation of faith and belief.

Finally, we come to the first mention of the half-shekel in the writings of the Sages. When the servant of Avraham presented Rivka with gifts at the well, one of the things that he gave her was a nose ring weighing a "beka." Rashi mentions that this alludes to the "beka la-gulgolet," the weight of the half-shekel. At the very moment when the Jewish people were being formed, as a spouse was being found for the child of Avraham, his servant incorporated into that marriage a major factor that would exist in the eventual covenant between Hashem and the Jews. The servant understood that the Jewish people, now only in their infancy, would only survive if they understood the secret of the half-shekel, the secret of those things which are eternal.

The Importance Of Actions

The Midrash Tanchuma (Ki Sesa #3) says כשהגיע משה לפרשת שקלים אמר רבונו של עולם שמא משאני מת אין אני נזכר, אמר לו הקב"ה חייך כשם שאתה עומד עכשיו ונותן להם פרשת שקלים ואתה זוקף את ראשן, כך בכל שנה ושנה כשישראל קורין בפרשת שקלים כאלו אתה עומד וזוקף את ראשון שנאמר (שמות ל יב) כי תשא.  Many seforim talk about the meaning of this enigmatic Midrash.  Why did Moshe feel a need to be remembered ,why would he be forgotten, he is all throughout Chumash, why is shekalim specifically the way to remember Moshe and what does it mean he raises the heads of Klal Yisrael? 

I just want to share the idea the Aish Kodesh (Shekalim 5700) says about this Midrash which is very apropos for today, the yartzheit of my grandfather.  He says that the oft cited derash of ושכנתי בתוכם בתוך כל אחד ואחד is not just for a Jew to experience Devine revelation but it is also for the sake of the Shechina which desires to be revealed in the most physical of the worlds.  The reason a person comes into the word is to do physical mitzvot.  Those actions elevate the soul to a greater place than it could reach before it came into a physical form.  He says, therefore, when a person wants to do something to elevate the soul of one who has departed, one should have in mind the departed when they are actually involved in the mitzvah and that will give the departed a piece of the physical mitzvah.  In his words, 

טובה היא להנשמות גם כשזוכרים אותן בעת עשית המצוה ותלמוד תורה, לא זכירה בלבד רק כשנתקשר אתן לעשות המצוה, ללמוד תורה יחד, ואז הן מתלבשות בגוף ובעשי׳ לתורה ולמצוה שהיא התגלות קדושה יתירה, אם הוא ית׳ ככיכול רוצה לשכון בתוך כל אחד מישראל ק״ו הוא איך טובה היא להנשמות לאחר פטירתן שהארה מהן ישכנו כישראל ועמהם יעשו תורה ומצוות.

Says the Aish Kodesh, that was what was bothering Moshe.  How will I be able to do mitzvot when I am no longer alive?  How will I partake in the act of doing a physical mitzvah?  Hashem told Moshe, when Klal Yisrael reads the shekalim you will life their heads, you will elevate them.  That is the action Moshe will do.  Through that actions, Moshe is now connected to every Jew all of their mitzvot and now Moshe is a player in those actions.

What does it mean Moshe lifts up the heads of Klal Yisrael? There are many interpretations given.  One approach based upon the Or Hachayim is that the machatzis hashekel is to achieve a means of atonement for the sin of the agel.  After a sin one's head is hanging low, a person feels low and disgraced.  (In Sefer Hashar it says that man walks upright because we have a neshama that is pulling us upward as opposed to animals that walk bent over because they are connected to the earth.  One who sins, who is overtaken by their animal soul droops downward.)  It is the job of Moshe, of the leader, to be able to access the access the fiery shekel, the internal fire of the person and blow on it until the person rises up (see article by R' Willig and  Toras Menachem 5711.)  When one gets inspiration from the past generations, when one uses their experiences as motivation to actually live a better life, that connects the to one's own actions and gives an iluy nishama . 

An Uplifted Heart

From the Mir parsha sheet.

Harav Hagaon Binyamin Cohen Shlita

In this parashah, the Torah describes two categories of people who contributed to the Mishkan, as it says: וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ אֹתוֹ הֵבִיאוּ אֶת תְּרוּמַת ה'. What is the difference between כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ andוְכֹל אֲשֶׁר נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ אֹתוֹ ?

The Ohr Hachaim and the Ramban offer different approaches to understanding these two categories.

According to the Ohr Hachaim, both categories refer to those who donated to the Mishkan, but there were two levels of donors. The lower of the two levels was נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ, which refers to a person who gave willingly and happily, according to his means and capabilities, with no heaviness in his heart. The higher level is נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ, which refers to a person whose heart spurred him to go beyond his capabilities. The Torah first mentions the higher level, using the word ish — כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ — which is a lashon of chashivus, as we see in the phrase וְהָאִישׁ מֹשֶׁה. The people in this category donated with an uplifted heart, meaning that they gave more than they were able to.

The Ramban explains that the category of נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ refers not to those who donated to the Mishkan, but rather to those who performed the actual construction of the Mishkan. He notes that the term nedivus is used in connection with those who gave donations — נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ — but that term is not a fitting description of those who did work; the term used for those people is נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ.

What does having an “uplifted heart” mean in the context of constructing the Mishkan?

The Ramban explains that the Yidden had just left Mitzrayim, where they worked with bricks and mortar, and were unskilled in the various forms of craftsmanship necessary for the construction of the Mishkan. In Parashas Ki Sisa (perek 31) the Ramban expands on this point, noting that when Moshe Rabbeinu used the word רְאֵה, see, in the passuk: רְאֵה קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה, he was telling Klal Yisrael: “Look at this wondrous phenomenon!” Klal Yisrael were not used to using their hands for delicate work, yet they were able to perform the skilled labors required for fashioning gold, silver, and stone, as well as embroidery. Even in the professional world, it is uncommon for one person to perform all types of crafts, yet here certain members of Klal Yisrael were able to do all the necessary labors. What was their secret?

With the words נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ, the Torah reveals the secret: Their hearts were uplifted. In this regard, the Ramban quotes the passuk: וַיִּגְבַּהּ לִבּוֹ בְּדַרְכֵי ה'.

A baal gaavah is someone who thinks he’s the richest, the smartest, the strongest — not necessarily in line with reality. When it comes to avodas Hashem, however, a person should have that gaavah. He has to think above and beyond his capabilities.

This principle applies not only to the building of the actual Mishkan, but also to the construction of one’s personal Mishkan: the avodas Hashem that creates one’s own dwelling place for the Shechinah. A person does not need money, knowledge, or brains to succeed. All he needs is one prerequisite: נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ — the desire to serve Hashem, independent of his capabilities. This nesius halev — the willpower and dedication to perform avodas Hashem — empowers a person to transcend his own abilities.

The passuk says: וְהַחָכְמָה מֵאַיִן תִּמָּצֵא, and the gematria of מֵאַיִן is 101. Learning 101 times indicates the person’s powerful desire to understand Torah — he chazzered so many times! Chochmah comes מֵאַיִן, from the yearning for avodas Hashem represented by the gematria 101. When a person has this nesius halev, then he’ll merit chochmah.

The Rambam (Hilchos Talmud Torah 3:6) uses this very term, נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ, regarding a person who wants to be zocheh to the crown of Torah, as he writes: מי שנשאו ליבו לקיים מצוה זו כראוי לה, ולהיות מוכתר בכתרה של תורה. When it comes to avodas Hashem and limud Torah, physical limitations should not hold a person back. If there’s נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ, if the person really wants, he can achieve beyond what is physically possible.

This week is also Parashas Shekalim, and I would like to mention one lesson that we learn from the machatzis hashekel. Chazal say that Hakadosh Baruch Hu showed Moshe Rabbeinu a matbeia shel aish, a fiery coin. When I was a bachur, before I came to Eretz Yisrael, I was learning in Yeshivas Torah Temimah, and on a Friday night of Parashas Shekalim, my friend and I were in Boro Park to speak to a rebbi of ours in learning. On the way back, at about midnight, we stopped in Bobov, where the rebbe, R’ Shlomo Halberstam, was speaking with great passion during his tish. He was saying: שקלי קודש – מטבע של אש, gelt is fire, fire! And he repeated this over and over many times: “Gelt is fire, fire.”

Fire can be very damaging and destructive – but it can also be very useful: it can repair, create, warm. It all depends on how you use fire. If you get too close, it’s a disaster. But if you use it responsibly, from farther away and in a proper way, it can be a tremendous asset. Money, the Rebbe was saying, is fire. If used improperly, it can wreak terrible damage. But if it’s used properly, it can become שקלי קודש, with the ability to accomplish tremendous things.

Shabbos, Shekalim And Six

The parsha opens up with the parsha of the עבד עבריה that works for six years and goes free in the seventh.  Many holy books connect this to our  life cycle of the six days of work and the seventh day, שבת is the day of spiritual freedom.  This is true on a personal, physiological and spiritual level where everyone's focus on Shabbos is different from that of the week.  However, this is true for the interaction of the world's relationship with G-d as well.  In Torah Or Yisro (69:4) the Alter Rebbe points out that through the beginning of בראשית the name of אלוקים is used.  It is only after the creation of שבת that the name הויה is used.  During the six days of the week the world operates under the צמצום and העלמה of the name אלוקים.  It is only come Shabbos that the "cover comes off" and the world is indirect connection with the name הויה.  The world is "freed" from the bondage of the limitations of the שם of אלוקים.  In fact, our freedom on Shabbos is merely only an outgrowth of the general freedom of the world.  

There are 6 sides in the cube, it is the farthest טבע can extend.  שבת is the middle core, the פנימיות of it, as the Maharal and Sfas Emes explain.  One can becomes ensnared within the confines of this world, s/he can contaminate 6 days of the week but שבת, the core, will remain pure and is the doorway to release an individual from the bondages of the evil inclination.

The Yerushalmi Shekalim (9b) says: זה יתנו כל העובר על הפקודים ר' יהודה ור' נחמיה חד אמר לפי שחטאו במחצית היום יתנו מחצית השקל וחרנה אמר לפי שחטאו בשש שעות ביום יתנו מחצית השקל דעבד שיתא גרמסין [It is half like half of the day, 6 hours for it was at that point that they thought Moshe was late and started making the Egel.  Or since the sin started at 6 hours into the day we give half a שקל which equals 6 גרמסין (a coin that existed in Moshe's time.)]   The Shem M'Shmuel says the emphasis on the six represents that it is our external powers, the effect on the 6 directions that became tainted by the Egel.  However, it was a philosophical error as the Rishonim explain, and at the core we remained pure.  The fix to the darkness that spread on account of the Egel is to use this power of six for the good and that is represented by the giving of the shekalim.

Shekel Sense

The Rambam in the beginning of the Laws of Shekalim rules that the half shekel must be given in on shot, one can’t give part of it one day and complete the rest another day.  However, the Ramban says in verse 15:  והנראה מן הכתוב הזה שאם הביא הדל בשקלו פחות ממחצית השקל, שהוא עובר בלאו הזה, שהכתוב הזה מניעה. שאם נאמר בהעשיר לא ירבה שיהיה שלילות, לומר שבכך די לו, לא נוכל לפרש כן בוהדל לא ימעיט. ואם כן, שתיהן מניעות, אם שקל העשיר היחידי יותר, ושקל הדל פחות, עבר בלאו. ושמא מה שהיו תורמין בקופות על האבוד ועל העתיד לגבות (בבלי כתובות ק״ח.) יתקן להם זה, כי הדל הממעיט במותר עתיד לגבות הוא, ומן העשיר המרבה לא יתרמו הגבאין ביתרון, ולא יהו מזכין במותרות. וראיתי לבעל הלכות ולכל המונים המצות שלא הזכירו הלאו הזה.  It is clear that he holds that if one gave part of the half-shekel that he can make up the rest later on.  What is the source of the Rambam and what is this debate about?

I would have expected the Laws of Shekalim to appear in the Rambam’s book of Avodah.  (I polled a few people and most also assumed it would be in Avodah.)  However, that is not the case; it appears in Zemanim.  Why does it appear there (the Rambam really is copying the Mishna which places Shekalim in Moad, but that itself needs an explanation?)  The Rambam is teaching us that the giving of the shekalim isn’t just for the sake of the korbanot, it is its own mitzvah.  The Ramban on the other hand holds that the point of the shekalim is for the korbanot, for the korbanot to be offered from new shekalim.  This may also be the debate between Rav and Shmuel if parshas shekalim is what we read, Ki Sesa or Tzav, the parsha of the korban tamid (Rav Zolti in Kovatz Moadim.)

The Levush cited in the Mishna Berura says that reading parshas shekalim is a fulfillment of ונשלמה פרים שפתינו.  That would seem to fit only if the shekalim is connected to korbanot but if it’s a separate mitzvah than it wouldn’t seem apropos to say ונשלמה פרים שפתינו.  

The achronim ask why does the Rambam hold that shekalim is different from pidyon haben where the 5 selaim don’t have to be given in one shot?  The Rogotchover explains that the half-sheklel isn’t a shiur in quantity, it’s a shiur of quality.  The siman to know if it’s a shiur in quantity or quality is if it causes something else positive than the numbers can add up to equal the required number, if it is to remove something than you can’t add up to the shiur.  According to the Ramban, the shekalim are for the korbanot therefore the half-shekel is a quantitative shiur to be donated towards the korbanot.  The Rambam holds that it is its own mitzvah לכפר על נפשותיכם, to remove sin, hence it’s a qualitative shiur and giving less than a half-shekel is nothing.

The Krias Sefer says the source of the Rambam is from the verse והדל לא ימעיט, why doesn’t it just say you must give a half-shekel?  Rather it means even the act of giving can’t be less than half a shekel.  However, we don't find a hint to this in the Rambam and that would seem to be a detail in the mitzvah so why would the Rambam put it in the first halacha which teaches us the basics of the mitzvah?  The Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvot says:   המצווה הקע"א הציווי שנצטווינו לתן מחצית השקל כל השנה. והוא אמרו יתעלה: "ונתנו איש כפר נפשו לה'" (שמות ל, יב), ואמר "זה יתנו" (שם שם, יג). וברור, שאין הנשים חייבות במצווה זו, לפי שהכתוב אומר: "כל העובר על הפקודים" (שם). וכבר נתבארנו דיני מצווה זו במסכתא המיוחדת לה, כלומר: מסכת שקלים. ושם נתבאר, שמצווה זו אינה נוהגת אלא בפני הבית. (Kopach edition courtesy of http://www.daat.ac.il.)[Other editions of Sefer Hamitzvot have slight changes in the text.]  Why does the Rambam need to cite two verses when citing this mitzvah?

The Rebbe (Likutay Sichos volume 16 Ki Sesa #1) explains based upon the Rogotchover that the first verse, ונתנו איש כפר נפשו לה, tells us the geder of the shekel is a כפרה, it is a law pertaining to the giving of the individual (דין בגברא.)  The second verse, זה יתנו tells us a law pertaining to the חפצא, that this, the half-shekel must be given, not its value, the coin itself must be given (see ibid footnote 50.)  That is why this law that the half-shekel can't be given in multiple installments is the first law in the Rambam, for it reflects the very essence of the law.

It is noteworthy that Rashi disagrees with the Rambam as well.  Rashi (30:15) says ונתנו כל אחד מחצית השקל, והן לקנות מהן קרבנות ציבור של כל שנה ושנה, והושוו בהן עניים ועשירים. ועל אותה תרומה נאמר: לכפר על נפשותיכם, שהקרבנות לכפרה הן באין.  It is clear that he holds there is no intrinsic atonement in the shekel itself, the atonement is affected by the korbanot bought with the money.  That is why Rashi holds (Menachos 52a ד"ה לרבות) that one must have intent for the korbanot when donating the half-shekel.

The Ramban entertained that if a poor person gives less than a half-shekel or a wealthy person more that it is a violation of a lav.  We understand that giving less would be forbidden but why is giving more a lav, what is the test for the wealthy man that the Torah must make it a lav?  Rav Yeruchem (Daas Chachma U'Mussar #19) explains that if a wealthy individual gives a larger donation he tends to feel look what I did, I made this building etc. and that's why a person wants to give more.  The Torah says, the mishkan is equally owned by everyone.  No one can say the mishkan or korbanot are mine, it was my donation that made it happen.  The same applies in learning, if one thinks of a sevara and then he finds it in a sefer there a sad feeling that it isn't my idea.  It is this feeling of selfishness, sense of self, that the Torah is teaching us to eradicate.

Shekel, Shabbos And Mikdash

Why does the Torah tell us the issur of Shabbos specifically regarding the prohibition to light a fire?  Rashi says that we are told about Shabbos here to tell us that the building of the mishkan doesn’t override it.  If Shabbos if just a detail in the mishkan it would seem more apropos to put the commandment of the mishkan first, why does it put Shabbos first?  Shabbos is the day of unity between Klal Yisroel and Hashem.  We abstain from our normal labor and focus on spiritual pursuits.  This unity with Hashem is dependent upon the unity of Klal Yisroel together, hence vayakhel Moshe.  The Berashis Raabah says 14:9 each one of the days is paired with another bur Shabbos is the odd man out.  So, Hashem said that its pair is Klal Yisroel.  In order for there to be Shabbos, there must be a body of Klal Yisroel, there is a need for ויקהל את כל עדת בני ישראל.  We are all united via our neshamos, division and differences come about because of our separate bodies (Tanya Ch.32.)  It is the pursuit of gashmious that destroys the unity of Klal Yisroel.  Therefore, the Torah warns you shouldn’t have a fire, a bren בכל מושבותיכם, in all of your worldly pursuits.  It is the hakdama of Shabbos, the רזא דאחד, the unity between Hashem and Klal Yisroel that is necessary for the building of the mishkan (based upon Toras Menachem 5749.)

The Shla says כי תשא את ראש is a hint to Shabbos for when you raise the letters of ראש  to the letters following it equals שבת.  The Emrei Noam (Vayakhal) says שבתון קודש לה' stands for shekel.  What is this connection between Shabbos and shekel? See Emrei Noam for his approach.  What is the connection between the two parshios of the week, Vayakhal and Shekalim? 

As we already discussed earlier this week, shekalim hint to the achdus of Klal Yisroel, everyone is equal and they combine toward the korbanot tzibbur, to become one unit.  It effects the unity of Klal Yisroel together and their unity with Hashem.  Why do we give a half-shekel and not a full shekel?  It is a hint that one must be completed by someone else and by Hashem.  We combine to participate in the service of God via the korbanot.  It is this unity that is the meeting ground between Shabbos and the shekel.

Coming Together

The Gemorah in Megilah (13b) says Hashem knew that that Haman would give shekalim to Achashverosh, therefore he gave us a mitzvah of shekalim to counter the shekalim of Haman.  How do our shekalim overturn the shekalim of Haman?  And why do we need shekalim to overturn Haman’s decree?  Why is the name of Mordechai hinted to in the list of the ketores, mor dror-Mordechai (Chulin 139b?)  What is the connection between Mordechai and the ketores?  The Gemorah (16b) says that when Haman went to get Mordechai to lead him around the city in the royal garments, Haman found Mordechai teaching the laws of kemitza.  Rashi explains since it was the sixteenth of Nissan, the day of the offering of the omer, he was teaching how to do the kemitza of the korban omer.  Haman proclaimed that your kemitza is causing my downfall.  Why is it the merit of the kemitza that causes the downfall of Haman?

Achashverosh wasn’t so keen on killing out an entire nation from his kingdom.  Haman assuaged his concerns because klal yisroel is scattered among the nations and their absence won’t be noticed (13b).  This explanation of עם מפוזר ומפורד, wasn’t just to calm Achashverosh, it was why Haman thought he could be successful.  We are strong when united but fall when divided.  Haman noticed a lack of unity amongst us.  (See the Maharal on the verse (3:8) yeshnu am echad why the word yeshnu is used as opposed to yesh, to indicate separation, for the hey and nun don’t combine with any other number to complete a unite of ten or hundred.)  And that was why he sensed he could be successful in his attempt of annihilation. 

 The antidote to Haman was through the unification of klal yisroel.  The Alshich explains that we give a half shekel to recognize that you need someone else to complete you.  The shekalim show the achdus of klal yisroel and therefore they are able to counteract the actions of Haman.  The kemitza demonstrated achdus as well.  Rav Yosef Engel (Otzros Yosef 4,4) explains that a kmetiza is made up of two zeisim and is combined in the hand.  The combination of many parts symbolizes the unification of the many bodies of klal yisroel.  He adds that it was the kemitza of the omer, offered on Pesach, represented by Avraham, who taught יחוד השם to the world.  He suggests that’s why meshloach manos is two items united in the givers hand. 

The ketores had the power to include the chelbana.  The chelbana smells bad and represents the sinners that are included together with the rest of klal yisroel.  That’s why Mordechai is represented by the ketores for he was the leader to bring klal yisroel together to avert the evil decree of Haman.  The end of the Megillah reflects the unity achieved by klal yisroel, as the Gra points out kimmu ve’kiblu hayihudim is said in a singular terminology.  Klal yisroel become united and reaccepted the Torah together.