A.
Our parasha begins with a commandment concerning one of the tërumoth discussed in more general terms in parashath Tëruma, two weeks ago; this one involves a census: כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל בפקודיהם ונתנו איש כפר נפשו לד' בפקד אתם ולא יהי' בהם נגף בפקד אתם: זה יתנו כל העבר על הפקדים מחצית השקל בשקל הקדש עשרים גרה השקל מחצית השקל תרומה לד': כל העבר על הפקדים מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה יתנו תרומת ד': העשיר לא ירבה והדל לא ימעיט ממחצית השקל לתת את תרומת ד' לכפר על נפשתיכם: (“For you will elevate the head of the bënei Yisra’él in their census, and each man will give a substitute for his life [kofer nafsho] to Ha-Shem when they are counted, and there will not be amongst them a plague when they are counted. This shall they give, each one who passes by the counting: Half a sheqel of the holy she-qel – twenty géra the sheqel – half a sheqel tëruma for Ha-Shem. Each one who passes by the counting, from 20 years and up, will give tërumath Ha-Shem. The rich will not give more and the poor will not give less than half a sheqel, tërumath Ha-Shem to atone for your lives [lë-chappér ‘al nafshotheichem]”; XXX, 12-15).
Note that the passage defines the coin to be given in great detail: Mahatzith ha-sheqel (“half a sheqel”), defining the sheqel in question as sheqel ha-qodesh (“the holy sheqel”) since, after all, the word simply means “weight,” to differentiate it from various other coins then in circulation with that or similar names, and defines the specific weight as twenty géra. Indeed, Hazal tell us that when G-d said, “This they will give”, he showed Moshe a fiery simulacrum of the coin to be donated (ירושלמי שקלים פ"א ה"ג).
It is thus evident that this specific coin and its half-sheqel weight is somehow crucial to the matter at hand. Why is this? What lesson are we to draw from it?
The ‘Arvei Nahal reports in the name of qëtzath mëfarëshim (“some commentators”) that the point of mahatzith ha-sheqel is שידע כל אדם שאין בו שום שלימות והוא רק חצי דבר וצריך מי שישלימו וזהו מדה טובה באדם וכמו שא"ה "הנני נשפט אותך על אומרך לא חטאתי" יורה כי אף שחטא אם יודע בעצמו חטאו ופחיתותו לא יכעוס ד' עליו כי זהו תחלת הרפואה מה שמכיר חסרונו וכמש"ה "כרפאי לישראל ונגלה עון אפרים" (“that every person should know that there is no perfection in him whatsoever, and he is only half a thing, and needs someone to perfect him; and this is a good quality in a person, and is as Scripture says, ‘Behold, I shall be judged with you, because you say, “I have not sinned” [Jeremiah II, 35],’ teaching that even if one has sinned, if he knows his sin and his shortcoming by himself, Ha-Shem will not be angry with him, for this is the beginning of healing, that he recognizes his own fault, as Scripture says, ‘When I heal Israel, and Efrayim’s transgression is uncovered’ [Hoshéa VII, 1]”).
This idea appears to find some support in our passage from the occurrence of such phrases as kofer nafsho and lë-chappér ‘al nafshotheichem, which link the mahatzith ha-sheqel to the concepts of reparation and atonement. But this begs another question: What has this mitzva to do with a census?
B.
To approach an answer to our questions, let us first consider the nature of the sacrifi-cial service. The ba‘alei musar tell us concerning the verse: והפשיט את העלה ונתח אתה לנתחי'
(“And he will strip the ‘ola and cut it up into its parts”; Leviticus I, 6) that this is indicative of the sort of self-analysis each of us must be continually engaged in. The ‘ola (feminine active participle of the verb ‘ala, “ascend”) is so called because the entire sac-rifice ascends in smoke on high from atop the altar. This is thus a fit metaphor for any feeling of superiority a person may have. Such feelings are often accompanied by ga’ava (“pride, arrogance”), and are best combated by stripping the feeling bare, and breaking it down into its constituent parts, analyzing it and coming to recognize it for what it us.
It is also true that the sacrifices generally stand in place of human beings, singly and collectively. There are some sacrifices which represent both the physical and the metaphysical, both body and soul, such as shëlamim, of which the blood and the hélev, the tallow in the animal’s hind-quarters, are burnt up completely, but the meat is given to the owners (cf. Leviticus III); and there are others, such as the ‘ola, which, being burnt up entirely, represents only the soul. Hazal tell us that the ‘ola is offered to atone for hirhu-rei ha-lév, improper thoughts or feelings (מדרש תנחומא פרשת תצוה ט"ו וצו י"ג וע"ע זוה"ק ח"ג רמז. ורנ"ד:), which are obviously matters of the soul; hence, in such matters, as much as in the case of actual actions, one must be careful to engage in a constant self-analysis, as suggested by our verse.
Whenever one has feelings of ‘aliya, then, one must “strip” them of their veneer, look underneath and analyze, “cut up,” dissect what one finds, to reveal the problems which still exist, to see what remains to be worked on. In that way, ‘aliya, elevation to some higher state, will not lead to ga’ava and can still be coped with.
With this, then, I believe that wee can proceed to answer the question of what all this has to do with counting Israel.
As has been argued in discussing the last two parashoth, the universe was brought into being according to the blueprint of the Torah, in order that Israel would accept the Torah, and the Torah would be properly observed in the universe, the goal being to elevate the physical universe, so profoundly alienated from its Divine source, back to a level where it would once again be in contact with that source, and resonate with it. To that end, Israel erected the miqdash, to set up a feed-back loop of qëdusha which would spiral ever higher, building up a “signal strength” such that the Shëchina would be implanted in the universe’s heart, that very miqdash, and overflow into the world at large.
Each individual human being, we asserted, is also constructed according to the blueprint of Torah, and there exists a one-to-one correspondence between all of the organs and limbs of the human body and the mitzvoth of the Torah. A little reflection will reveal that it is obviously true of the nation of Israel, as much as it is of each individual member of the Holy Nation.
Consider the 613 mitzvoth: There are many which each and every individual of Israel can observe: Shabbath, kashruth, kibbud av va-ém, and so on. Then, there are some mitzvoth which some merit and others do not: Not everyone happens upon a bird’s nest such that he can perform the mitzva of shilluah ha-qan, of sending away the mother bird in order to collect the eggs, for instance. And then there are entire classes of mitzvoth which can only be performed by certain people: Only the kohanim and Lëviyyim can serve in the miqdash, for instance, and their service there is not interchangeable; similarly, no kohén can engage in the mitzvoth of taharath ha-méthim, “cleansing the dead,” and burying them. Observance of the Torah with all its mitzvoth requires the entire nation of Israel.
So, just as it is necessary for each individual to look beneath his surface, to “strip” himself of his exterior and examine all of his parts, analyzing and judging which “limb” is performing its mitzva satisfactorily and which needs work, so too must the entire nation, as a nation, be subjected to such analysis. As we count our limbs to enumerate the mitzvoth to be performed and judge their performance, then, so was Moshe commanded to count Israel, to ascertain and demonstrate that there were enough of each category to proceed in the mission which Israel had been set.
D.
The mitzva of the half sheqel is still in effect today; the half sheqel was collected in every synagogue and béyth midrash in which the mëgilla was heard this Purim. The purpose of the tëruma remains the same: To demonstrate to us that we are all imperfect, and in need of someone to perfect us. To that end, our rebbé’im exist in each and every generation, teaching us Torah, providing us with living examples of how to conduct a life of Torah and mitzvoth, how to bring about again the great perpetual qëdusha machine which Israel and the miqdash (may it be rebuilt speedily in lour days) are meant to be.
Moshe was the first and greatest of our faithful rebbé’im, and taught all Israel. Thus, in his day, he was the “heart” of the nation. As the heart circulates life-giving nutrients to all the limbs and organs of the body, so did Moshe circulate the words of Torah, כי הם חיינו ואורך ימינו (“for they are our lives and the length of our days”), as we say with each ma‘ariv.
A census such as the one described in our parasha casts the harsh, actinic, prophetic light of din on all those singled out by the count, a light which throws into sharp relief every shortcoming and fault of every individual involved. This is the reason why one might expect a negef, a “plague”, as the result of such a census. By counting coins rather than people, the light is deflected somewhat, a measure of shade, as it were, is spread over the group being counted. If at the same time the coin bears the message that the people being so singled out understand that they fall short, that they are still a work in progress with “no perfection in them whatsoever” (to paraphrase the ‘Arvei Nahal’s wording), it deflects any Divine wrath altogether, as we have seen.
Some years ago, a family friend came to a Purim së‘uda dressed as a representative of “Queen Esther’s Cleaning Service,” wearing a sign on her back warning: “Only 30 cleaning days till Passover.” With this in mind, we can appreciate that the ‘Arvei Nahal provides us with a very clear reason for collecting the half sheqel on Purim.
For this does indeed mark the beginning of the season to begin cleansing every Jewish home of hamétz, of leavened material. Leavened bread is characterized by gases released as the yeast cultures ferment the dough, causing it to become puffed up. This, the sëfarim ha-qëdoshim tell us, is emblematic of what the yétzer ha-ra‘ does to the human soul; it is emblematic of ga’ava.
By stating at the very outset of the process by which we remove the hamétz from our souls simultaneously with cleaning the hamétz from our homes, we are, as the ‘Arvei Nahal assures us, beginning the necessary process of healing.
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