Hashem says to Moshe in the Book of Exodus (30:11-16)’ When you take a census of the Children of Israel..every man shall give an atonement for his soul when counting them. This shall they give..a half shekel of the sacred shekel..from twenty years of age and up, shall give the portion of Hashem.

‘The wealthy shall not increase and the destitute shall not decrease from half a shekel to give a portion of Hashem, to atone for your souls.

‘You shall take the silver of the atonement..for the work of the Tent of Assembly, and it shall be a remembrance before Hashem for the Children of Israel, to atone for your souls.’

Ibn Ezra comments:’The Torah mentioned the reason for ‘not increase’ nor ‘decrease’, because it is for an atonement for your souls.’

The Alshich Hakadosh elucidates:’Do not wonder why I should prevent the wealthy that he not increase, and burden the destitute that he not decrease, for the intention is ‘to atone for your souls’ - and had I permitted the wealthy to increase his contribution, and been lenient on the destitute, it would suggest that the soul of the wealthy is more important and precious in My eyes, and therefore its redemption more expensive.

‘I spoke well when I said:’’The wealthy shall not increase and the destitute shall not decrease’, as all souls are equal in My eyes.

‘This is why it says:’To atone for your souls’, as they are all equal.’

Rashi notes that ‘contribution to G-d’ is mentioned three times in these psukim:

’The first refers to the contribution for the אדנים, the bases..each one gave half a shekel, and from them the bases were made.

‘The second refers to the census, for he counted them after the Tabernacle was erected.. In these two contributions, the rich and the poor were equal. It is about this contribution that it says:’To atone for your’ sins.

‘The third refers to the contribution for the Tabernacle.. and in this not everyone was equal, but each gave what his heart moved him to give.’

Abarbanel expounds: ’Behold, Hashem commanded:’the rich shall not increase, and the indigent shall not decrease’ -from contributing a half shekels - as, these contributions were an ‘atonement for their souls’, and all beings being equal in their existence, it was only right that their atonement should be equal for all of them.

‘We can also advance another reason for this commandment: Hashem’s concern, that if each person was left to decide how much to contribute, you would find a low-life who had prospered, would proffer a large amount, whilst an honorable man, who had come down in his fortune, was unable to match his contribution, and this worthy man would be shamed.

‘So that no man be embarrassed, Hashem commanded that all bring an equal contribution which was within the reach of even the indigent.

‘At the same time, the miserly person who does not willingly part with his money, will be compelled, by Hashem’s command, to - against his will - grudgingly make the contribution.’

The Ralba’g expounds, as to the equal contributions by all, rich and indigent:’In this, Hashem said: the rich shall not give more than the half shekel, and the poor shall not give less - first, because this contribution was for matters common to all the people, in which it was appropriate that each person should have a share, and, in this regard, it was not right to obligate them to contribute but an equal amount.

‘The second, as it was to atone for their souls, and each person has a soul, therefore all should be equal in this contribution.’

Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur Kotler comments - as to the first of these two reasons for the equal contributions:’With these half shekel contributions, the communal קרבנות: offerings, were bought, which are for the merit of each and every individual, and atones for them.

‘By their contributions, every individual therefore had a share in the communal offerings, and the service in the Sanctuary.

‘This is not in the nature of a partnership between all the individuals, in which each person has his own share, but by each giving their contributions to the Sanctuary, it is an offering to the community, so that the offerings are offerings of the whole community.

‘By his contribution of his half shekel, each individual has included himself in the כלל: the whole, and the Torah therefore says:’The rich shall not increase, and the indigent shall not decrease’ - from contributing the half shekel - as the obligation to make this contribution, is not a matter of צדקה: charity, but of being part of the whole, and, in this, it is not conceivable that one should have a greater share, than his fellow.

‘This is also the reason for the Torah saying:’This is to atone for your souls’, as thereby ‘you will not be afflicted by a plague when you take a census’.

‘The danger in the census is: when a person is judged - not as part of the whole, but - as an individual, all his deeds are subject to scrutiny, and this can bring about the ‘plague’; - unlike if he was included with all the others - as no individual, if judged on his own, can hope to avoid being found liable to punishment.

‘This can be learned from the answer of the Shunamite woman to Elisha:’in the midst of my people..’, meaning: I do not want you to pray in my name only, as it is better that I be included in the whole people, and not as an individual.

‘From this we can see that the matter of atonement by giving the half shekel, is, that he thereby includes himself with the whole people, and they assuredly have the merit of the whole, so that there will not be the affliction of a plague.’

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz adds :’Just as there is a prohibition of ‘not to decrease’, there is also a prohibition of ‘not to decrease’ - both being equally forbidden, because the Sanctuary could only be built by the כלל: the whole of the people, and only if all would contribute equally.

‘Should one contribute more - even by a minute amount - he has separated himself from the whole, and has become an ‘individual’ - and it is not possible that the Sanctuary for the Shechina will be built from his contribution, nor a house in which the Torah would enter.

‘This can be gleaned from the day of the inauguration of the Sanctuary, when the Torah states:’They brought their offering...on a wagon of two of the princes, on which Sforno comments:’as a sign of the amity between them, in the merit of which they were worthy that the Shechina should reside between then’, as it says:’And it was that there was in Yeshurun a King, when the heads of the people assembled together’.

‘Meaning: the Shechina does not reside in a place where each person is ‘an individual’ - only by ‘the wagon of the two princes’, which alludes to their unity, were they worthy that the Shechina should reside.’

A footnote to Rav Shmulevitz’s commentary, adds:’Even though only אדנים: the base of the Sanctuary were purchased from the half shekels that each person contributed equally - and not the rest of the materials from which the Sanctuary was constructed, to which each person contributed what ‘his heart offered - since the base was from the half shekels, this was enough for the Sanctuary to be deemed as being from the contribution of the כלל: the whole.’

Rav Yosef Salant expounds:’The command to each person to contribute towards the purchase of communal offerings, is readily understood, as they were for all the people.

‘However, the contribution for the אדנים: the base requires explanation, as in the construction of the Mishkan, there was no obligation to contribute - only whatever one’s heart moved him to contribute, and of whatever kind that he wished.

‘Why, then, was the Torah so demanding that all contribute to the bases, and, moreover, in an equal amount, be they wealthy or indigent.

‘We would have thought that there was more reason to make this requirement in, for example, contributions to the Ark in which the Luchot were placed, so that all should have an equal share in them - why was this obligation imposed, instead, in regard to the bases?

‘Perhaps one could answer, from that which was said in Yechezkel:’Say to Bnei Israel: they are the House’ - that all the details of the Sanctuary teach the required conduct of man, in accordance to the Torah and its ordinances.

‘Thus, the principal place of residence of the Shechina, is on man - if he should sanctify himself in the performance of Mitzvot, then the Sanctuary will be he himself, and the promise:’Make for Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell בתוכם: in them’, will be fulfilled.

‘The gemara ( Makkot 24. ) says that Chabakuk came and established the whole of the 613 Mitzvot that Moshe received at Sinai, to one: ’The tzaddik lives by his אמונה: his faith’ - meaning that Emunah is the foundation of foundations of the entire Torah.

‘If, as we have posited, the Format of the Sanctuary , and all its utensils, allude to the Torah and the Mitzvot, that by contemplating them man can learn and understand how he is to conduct himself and his affairs, AND since Emunah is the foundation of the whole Torah, the Sanctuary which alludes in its details to all the Mitzvot of the Torah, we can conclude that the bases which were the foundations of the Sanctuary, also allude to Emunah, as the foundation of the whole Torah.

‘Though not all are equal in their Torah observance, each has his share and his level, in accordance with his situation - be it in their level of Torah learning and knowledge; indeed, there may be ר’לֶ some who may have no learning or knowledge, and so, too, in the observance of the Mitzvot, or only performing them by rote.

‘Be that as it may, in regard to Emunah, every Jew has to believe in the Torah from end to end - should he not believe in respect of even one matter, that it was not given from Above - even though he fully accepts everything else in it - he is an Apikores.

‘As the Sanctuary, in all of its details, alludes to all the details of the Mitzvot, and the bases, which are the foundations of the Sanctuary, allude to Emunah - in which, as we have stated, each Jew is required to be in complete and perfect. faith - we can understand why Hashem commanded that each and every Jew, whatever his financial situation be, is required to make a contribution, and all in an equal amount.’

Further, adds the Rav, this is also the reason, why the obligation is to contribute a half shekel - and not a whole shekel.

Emunah requires us to believe in perfect faith, even though we, in this world, only see half the picture - only in the world-to-come, do we see the entire picture.

‘This poses the great challenge - in the eyes of many people - as to what they see in the fate of men, which seems, in a simple sense, as unjust, and may ר׳ל lead to the loss of their Emunah.

The ‘half’ shekel answers: perfect Emunah obligates us to believe, despite these seeming difficulties, knowing that we only merit - in this world - to see ‘half the picture’.

We find parshanim who learn a different lesson from our passuk, as to proper conduct, which we can derive from the prohibition of ‘do not increase’, and ‘do not decrease’, in the contribution of the half shekel.

The Ben Ish Hai expounds:’The wealthy shall not increase and the indigent shall not decrease’: meaning: If a person is rich in Torah and Mitzvot, let him not become haughty, as if, he does, his pride will cause his ‘wealth’ to be lost.

‘On the other hand, if he be poor in Torah and Mitzvot, he should not diminish his worth in his eyes, as this, too, is the work of the yetser ha’ra - if it sees a common person who seeks to come closer to sanctity, to accept the yoke of Torah and Mitzvot, the yetser ha’ra will say to him: who are you, and what is your worth, are they not as nought, so what value will the Torah and Mitzvot that you seek to now attain? You will surely not succeed, and it is better for you, to enjoy the pleasures of this world, than to pursue your wish, so why waste your time and raise your hopes!

‘This is all part of the machinations of the yetser, and the person needs to believe, that though he be but flesh and blood, it is possible for him to be completely righteous, like the great early personalities.

‘To this end, the Torah said: One who is rich in Torah and Mitzvot, will not became great in his own eyes, but will remain humble, saying :’What am I and what are my deeds’.

‘On the other end of the scale, if one is poor in Torah and Mitzvot, will not lessen his efforts, and his worth in his own eyes, lest he fall away in his service of Hashem.’

The Imrei Emet derives the same mussar:’Our Sages say ( Nedarim 41. ):’ There is no poverty, except בדעת: in knowledge’ - the Torah here teaches one who is rich in knowledge, that he should ‘not increase’, meaning: become haughty.

‘To one who is impoverished in knowledge, the Torah says:’do not decrease’, meaning: Do not despair, but, rather, become stronger, in knowledge ( Menachot 110. ):’One who increases, and one who decreases, as long ss their hearts are towards Heaven - and this is alluded to in the following words in our passage:’To give the contribution of Hashem’: that his heart should be to Heaven.’

A parting gem from the Be’er Mayim Chaim:’’The wealthy shall not increase and the indigent shall not reduce’: One who is truly wealthy in Torah, or in intellect or in possessions, will not become haughty, and prideful because of this, as we read concerning the wicked Balaam, who merited to have lofty spiritual insights.

‘So, too, one who is indigent, is not to contribute less than the half shekel for atonement of his soul - meaning, the wealthy one should each day increase his humility, as, in reality, whatever a man ‘hss’ is not his, but all is from the hand of Hashem, and that which he sees as ‘his’ is in reality the property of the One who everything, is His, and He can overnight take it from the ‘wealthy’ person - how, then, can that person be proud of that which is not his, but only ‘borrowed’ by him, as st any moment, the One whose it is, may come and take it back.

‘When he internalizes this, he will become humble, and because of this humility, he will merit to be deemed, in Hashem’s eyes, as if he has offered all the korbanot.

‘Our Sages teach that haughtiness is the worst of all bad attributes, in the eyes of Hashem - so much so, that He cannot dwell in the presence of the haughty.

‘However, at times, in matters of sanctity, it is highly praised, when a person converts his bad attribute, to a lofty one - and utilizes it to serve Hashem.

‘Were this not the case, a person might err to think that he and all the Mitzvot he performs are of little value, and becomes less careful in their observance, thinking that even if he were punctilious in their performance, they are ‘as nothing’.

‘If he places on his mind that by his Mitzvot he brings great pleasure and nachat ruach before the One whose it is said:’And let there be the world’, and that each of his prayers brings pride to the One to whom he prays, then he will always raise jis voice in the hope that perhaps he will be favored that the opportunity to perform a Mitzvah, comes before him - and, when it does, he performs it with great alacrity and joy, in humility to the One whom he merited to serve.

‘This is the meaning of our injunction ‘not to increase and not to decrease’, that though a person has become truly humble, let him not minimize the worth of his service, but rather - in regard to Mitzvot - he should say:’For me the world was created’, and all the worlds depend on me: if I perform the Mitzvot as they should be performed, then I bring light to all the worlds, but if, ר׳לֶ, I do not, then I reduce the light of all the worlds.

‘Therefore, all who are counted for the census, this should he do: the wealthy one - in his mind - should not be prideful because of his wealth, boasting that he has done more than others, and become haughty.

‘The destitute - in their own mind - should not be lessened intheir eyes, and not say that their situation is due to the paucity of his Mitzvot.

‘Neither of them should increase nor decrease from the half shekel, which is the middle measure - before performing the Mitzvah, he should regard the zechut to perform it, as a great treasure - due to the greatness of Hashem - Hashem, in His great mercy gracefully accepting out Mitzvot; as he is performing it, and more so, after doing so, he should be truly humble and contrite, saying to himself: I have only just begun to serve Hashem, and this will prevent him from becoming haughty, by reason of his ‘merits’.’

לרפואת כל חיילי צה"ל נועם עליזה בת זהבה רבקה ונחום אלימלך רפאל בן זהבה רבקה, בתוך שאר חולי עמנו.