KI TISA

Sh’mot 30:11- 34:35

Giborah McDonald 28/02/2021 Yeshivah Shuvu

Chazal acronym for Hakameinu, Zikhronam, Li’vrakha sages from before Yeshua’s time, his times
and the people who wrote the Mishna, Tosefta and helped put the talmud together.

Onkelos Roman National converted to Judaism CE 32-120

Rabbi Ishmael 90CE +- One of the 10 martyrs great sage Mishnah

Pirkei De Rabbi Eliezer written Italy after 830CE Believed to be a tannaitic composition which
originated with the Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus Jewish Encyclopedia

Rashi 1040 -1105 CE Medieval French Rabbi from Troyes

Chizkuni 1200 French Rabbi and commentator

Rabbeinu Bachya ben Asher 1255 -1340 Spain

Sforno 1475 -1550 Born Cesena and died Bologna Italy

Or HaChaim 1696 -1743 from Sale Morocco Chaim ibn Attar died Jerusalem

HALF SHEKEL
11. When you take a census of the Israelite people according to their
numbers, every man shall give the LORD an atonement for his nefesh
when numbered, that no plague may come upon them through their
being numbered.

‫ּכִ֣י תִּׂשָ֞א אֶת־ֹר֥אׁש ּבְנֵֽי־יִׂשְָראֵ֘ל לִפְֻקֵדיהֶם֒ וְנָ֨תְנּ֜ו אִ֣יׁש ּכֹ֧פֶר נַפְׁשֹ֛ו לַיהוָ֖ה ּבִפְֹק֣ד‬
‫
אֹתָ֑ם וְֹלא־יִהְיֶ֥ה בָהֶ֛ם נֶ֖גֶף ּבִפְֹק֥ד אֹתָֽם׃‬

12.This is what everyone who passes through the census shall pay: a
half-shekel by the sanctuary weight—twenty gerahs to the shekel—a
half-shekel as an o ering/ terumah to the LORD.

֙‫זֶ֣ה ׀ יִּתְנּ֗ו ּכָל־הָעֹבֵר֙ עַל־הַּפְֻקִד֔ים מַחֲצִ֥ית הַּׁשֶֶ֖קל ּבְׁשֶֶ֣קל הַּקֶֹ֑דׁש עֶׂשְִר֤ים ּגֵָרה‬
‫הַּׁשֶֶ֔קל מַחֲצִ֣ית הַּׁשֶֶ֔קל ּתְרּומָ֖ה לַֽיהוָֽה׃‬
GMCD 2021
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13. Everyone who passes through the census, from the age of twenty
years up, shall give the LORD’s o ering/ terumah.:

‫
ּכֹ֗ל הָעֹבֵר֙ עַל־הַּפְֻקִד֔ים מִּבֶ֛ן עֶׂשְִר֥ים ׁשָנָ֖ה וָמָ֑עְלָה יִּתֵ֖ן ּתְרּומַ֥ת יְהוָֽה׃‬

14 the rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than
half a shekel when giving the LORD’s o ering/terumah as to atone
for your souls /nefesh.

‫הֶֽעָׁשִ֣יר ֹלֽא־יְַרּבֶ֗ה וְהַּדַל֙ ֹל֣א יַמְעִ֔יט מִּֽמַחֲצִ֖ית הַּׁשֶָ֑קל לָתֵת֙ אֶת־ּתְרּומַ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה‬
‫לְכַּפֵ֖ר עַל־נַפְׁשֹתֵיכֶֽם׃‬ ff
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“When you take” an expression of taking as Targum Onkelos renders ie when you
wish to take the sum total of their numbers to know how many they are do not
count them by their head but each one shall give a half shekel and you shall count
the shekels and then you will know their number (RASHI)

Sforno says the need to count human beings stems from the fact that human
beings are not the same each time, i.e. ever since death was decreed upon
mankind this re ects sin. Prior to sin man, who was meant to live inde nitely, would
be the same at each count. The sages have said that no one dies unless he had
committed a sin (Shabbat 55). It follows that mention of a head count of people is
an oblique reminder of man’s sin, his guilt. This being so, it is most appropriate that
at the time of such count he should pay some ransom on behalf of his soul, his life,
so that he will qualify for atonement. This also explains why the poor must not give
less nor the rich more, as a soul’s ransom is not calculated in terms of the amount
of money o ered to G’d.

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Or HaChaim:- He asks why ‫ ּכִ֣י תִּׂשָ֞א‬is used at the beginning instead of the
usual expression ‫ ּבִפְֹק֣ד‬bifkod “when you count” and why ‫ “ אֶת־ֹר֥אׁש‬the
heads of the sons of Israel instead of the more common expression ‫כי תשא‬
‫את בני ישראל‬, “the children of Israel”

He also notes that the word ֒‫לִפְֻקֵדיהֶם‬/ lifkudayhem “according to their

numbers” is super uous.

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Or HaChaim goes on to say that the verse can be understood by what
the Rabbi’s say in:-

Bereshit Rabbah 12:10 states “that sinners heads are often bent over
because of their sin’s. An aspect of evil is that evil - doers will look to
the ground because evil is degrading and lowering. The opposite
being that holiness is uplifting, as we nd, “ So Ephron’s eld …
rose” Bereshit 23:17 which the Rabbi’s explain to mean that the eld
experienced an elevation Bereshit Rabbah 58:8” ie a spiritual
elevation because it came into Avraham’s possession.”

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In as much as the Torah commands this count ,it takes place after the
sin of the golden calf as Rashi concluded based on the words ‫ונתת‬
‫" אותו על עבודת אהל מועד‬and you will appoint it for the service of
the Tent of Meeting" in verse 16, we can understand why the
expression ‫כי תשא‬, "when you will raise," is appropriate.

Or HaChaim continues “The word ‫ תשא‬in Bereshit 40,13 when the

Torah refers to Pharaoh "raising" the head of the chief of the butlers
who would be reinstated into his position. In our case, the Israelites will
be enabled to hold their heads high again as a result of this count
which served as atonement for the sin of the golden calf. “

Or HaChaim continues: Up until this time they had not felt able to raise their
heads due to the shame of having had a part in that sin. ‫לפקדיהם‬, "according
to their number;" this is to be understood as parallel to Bamidbar 31,49
where the Torah states that not a single one of the 12,000 men whom Moses
had sent on the punitive expedition against the Midianites had become a
casualty during that war. There too the words ‫ נשאו את ראש‬meant that "they
counted the sum." Shabbat 64 explains that the words ‫ולא נפקד ממנו איש‬,
“ not a man among us is missing” which meant that not a single one of those
soldiers was guilty of a sin. ‫ונתנו איש כפר נפשו‬, "each one will give (this) as
ransom for his nefesh to G'd." This is a reference to the Israelites each having
forfeited their lives through participation in the sin of the golden calf. ‫בפקד‬
‫אותם‬, bifkod otam “when numbering them." Our Rabbis explain (Yevamot
.61a) that this means that none of the men had sinned.

The word ֒‫ לִפְֻקֵדיהֶם‬lifkudahem means that by collecting a half shekel

from each Israelite Moses was to lift their heads which were bent as a
result of the Golden calf. Thus by atoning for their sin Moses would ll
what was wanting.

Or HaChaim gives another understanding:Another meaning of the

word ֒‫ לִפְֻקֵדיהֶם‬is that the only reason a count was justi ed at all was
the fact that their number had diminished (due to the people who had
either died or been executed during that episode). The count was
meant to establish how many of the people had survived. The count
in Bamidbar 31,49 we mentioned was also undertaken only to
determine if and how many soldiers had become casualties during
that campaign. Basically, a census was to be undertaken only in order
to count the number of soldiers going to war or returning from war.

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 Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 48:16

Rabbi Ishmael said: The ve ngers of the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, all
of them appertain to the mystery of the Redemption. He showed the little nger of the
hand to Noah, (pointing out) how to make the ark, as it is said, "And this is how thou shalt
make it" (Gen. 6:15). With the second nger, which is next to the little one, He smote the
rstborn of the Egyptians, as it is said, "The magicians said unto Pharaoh, || This is the
nger of God" (Ex. 8:19). With how many (plagues) were they smitten with the nger?
With ten plagues. With the third nger, which is the third (starting from) the little nger, He
wrote the tables (of the Law), as it is said, "And he gave unto Moses, when he had made
an end of communing with him… tables of stone, written with the nger of God" (Ex.
31:18). With the fourth nger, which is next to the thumb, the Holy One, blessed be
He, showed to Moses what the children of Israel should give for the redemption of
their souls, as it is said, "This they shall give… half a shekel for an o ering to the
Lord" (Ex. 30:18). With the thumb and all the hand the Holy One, blessed be He, will
smite in the future all the children of Esau, for they are His foes, and likewise (will He
smite) the children of Ishmael, for they are His enemies, as it is said, "Let thine hand be
lifted up above thine adversaries, and let all thine enemies be cut o " (Mic. 5:9).

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As a result of such considerations, the silver given for this census was
used to construct the sockets (bottom) of the walls (upright beams) of
the Tabernacle in order to serve as an ongoing warning how the people
had committed a theological reversal in worshipping the golden calf, or
considering it as a symbol of the attribute of G’d which had taken them
out of Egypt (compare what we have written on Exodus 38,28). Seeing
that the Israelites were “weighed” in terms of the “sacred shekel,” they
were found wanting. This is perhaps best illustrated by a verse in
Daniel 5,27: ‫תקל תקלתא במאזניא והשתכחת חסיר‬, “you were weighed
in the scales and found wanting.” (the meaning of the writing on the
wall in Belshazzar’s palace). Seeing the sin committed by the Israelites
at the golden calf episode had been so grievous an error, they were
required to give this sacred half-shekel to G’d in atonement for their
souls.

“let each one give to Adonai an atonement for his nefesh”

give ‫ וְנָ֨תְנּ֜ו‬vnatanu literally “and they shall give” After the Israelites
recognise their short comings they shall give half a shekel to atone for
them.

The extra letter ‫ ו‬in ‫ ונתנו‬is to tell us of an additional condition, i.e. that
these people were not only to be counted but that they also had to
contribute a half-shekel as ransom for their nefesh This was a unique
occurrence.

The Torah stipulates that the minimum age at which a person had to make
this half-shekel contribution was from twenty years and up. The Torah
revealed a secret here when it did not demand that males from the age of
13 and up had to make this contribution. Seeing that males are considered
as adults from the age of 13, why would teenagers not have been liable for
this ransom? They also had participated in the golden calf episode! The
Torah told us here that a person's personality (‫ )נפש‬has not matured until
age 20 as he has not had time to absorb and comprehend the various
spiritual components which make up a true Israelite until he has reached
that age. There is a sound reason why man should not be liable to
punishment at the hands of heaven until he has reached that age, seeing
that he has not yet matured emotionally and intellectually. Such maturity is
essential to enable us to successfully battle the evil urge and to appreciate
G'd's message to man. By the time man has reached the age of 20 he is
considered as fully equipped to cope with all kinds of temptations.

 “an o ering for G’d.” The expression ‫תרומה‬, gift, heave-o ering,
occurs three times in this paragraph.verses 12-14 The Torah wanted
to remind us that there were in fact three distinct such gifts. The rst
gift was the contribution of the materials for building the Tabernacle.
(Sh’mot 25:2) The second contribution was the half-shekel mentioned
here; the third ‫תרומה‬, contribution, was the money (shekel) for the
public o erings on the altar in the Tabernacle. (Bamidbar 1:2)
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 Or HaChaim asks:- Why did the Torah write the expression ‫“ בפקד אותם‬when you number them”
twice in the same verse?

There is also an assurance here that not only would the Israelites obtain their atonement by means
of this count and the manner in which it was conducted, but it would protect them against a
plague in the future. We learn by inference that a head count would be liable to result in a plague
for those so counted.

‫ = זֶ֣ה ׀ יִּתְנּ֗ו ּכָל־הָעֹבֵר֙ עַל־הַּפְֻקִד֔ים‬This is what everyone who passes through the records shall give
1.This was the atonement factor of this count.
2.a count should never be a head count but should be conducted by means of some other object.

We nd this con rmed when King Saul numbered the people he mobilised in his war against the
men of Yavesh Gilead, where we are told (Samuel I 11,8) "he numbered them by means of
shards" (based on Rashi, Yuma 22)." Unless you interpret the verse in this fashion we must ask
who permitted Saul to conduct the count by means of shards seeing that the Torah had spoken of
each person handing over a half-shekel? When you accept our interpretation that in future people
to be counted would simply hand over some object (other than a coin) you will have no di culty.
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Rabbeinu Bacheya, picks up on King David who took a census:

The reason that David erred when he ordered a head count as reported in
Samuel II 24,2 was precisely because the wording of the Torah back in Sh’mot
30:12 at this point sounds ambiguous. He ordered Yoav at the time to count the
people without resorting to shekalim or similar devices when he said: ‫שוט נא‬
‫בכל שבטי ישראל מדן ועד באר שבע ופקדו את העם וידעתי את מספר העם‬, “Make
the rounds of all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-Sheba and take a
census of the people, so that I may know the size of the population.” It is
written further (verses 3,4, and 10) Yoav answered the king: “May the Lord your
G’d increase the number of the people a hundredfold, while your own eyes see
it! But why should my lord king want this? However, the king’s command to
Yoav and to the o cers of the army remained rm; and Yoav and the o cers of
the army set out, at the instance of the king, to take a census of the people of
Israel. But afterward David reproached himself for having numbered the people,
and David said to the Lord: ‘I have sinned grievously in what I have done.
Please, O Lord, remit the guilt of Your servant, for I have acted foolishly.’”
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Today, the state of Israel uses the word “shekel” as the word for its
currency,  but originally the word actually described a weight. Coins
themselves were not introduced as a currency until around 700 BC.
Interestingly, the Sages teach that Moshe was unsure of what
HaShem meant by a ‘half-shekel’. The Midrash adds a fascinating
detail,

“R. Meir expounded: The Holy One, blessed be He, took what
resembled a coin of re from beneath the Throne of Glory and
showed Moses, ‘This they shall give,’ namely, they shall give a coin
that resembles this one.” Numbers Rabbah 12:3,

According to the Midrash, Moshe was “taken aback” by the idea that
one could ransom his soul via this o ering of the coin, so as a visual
aid, HaShem showed him a coin of re. What was the secret
connection between the nefesh and the coin of re?
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Or HaChaim discusses "This is what they shall give, etc." We are told in Tanchuma 9
on this verse that G'd showed Moses a coin of re situated beneath His throne. It
appears strange that G'd did not rather inform Moses of the weight of the coin in
question. This would have been easier to comprehend than a coin made of re. Any
image such as that described by the Midrash could at best have given Moses an
approximation of the size of that coin.

He goes onto ask? Why was G'd interested in a half-shekel? He should have at least
asked for a full shekel! Why did G'd forbid the wealthy to contribute more and the poor
to contribute less than the half-shekel?

The very expression ‫ זה יתנו‬of which our verse speaks begs the question. G'd told
Moses that the visible element in the legislation is secondary to the invisible element.
This is why the coin described as being shown to Moses is presented as only an image,
not as the real thing. We have mentioned several times that the Presence of G'd is
usually referred to by our sages as the Throne of G'd's Glory. This "Throne" and its
location are determined in large measure by the conduct of the Jewish people.

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The alienation between Israel and its G'd resulted from the episode of the golden
calf which a ected the roots of all the Jewish souls. G'd therefore commanded that
the people give a "half-shekel" to symbolise that their previous action had resulted
in something whole having become divided. The contribution of this half-shekel
was to repair the damage done to the whole through the people's participation in
the sin of the golden calf. When G'd showed Moses the coin of re as being
immediately beneath the throne of G'd, He drew his attention to the mystical
dimension of this legislation. Payment of a ransom is not merely a transaction in
this material world, but has far-reaching e ects in a spiritual domain. Performance
of G'd's commandments is predicated on the participation of the heart of the
performer in his deed. Every ‫ מצוה‬is meant to close a gap that may exist between
man and G'd. This is why the Torah added the words ‫את תרומת השם‬, the
contribution restores one's closeness with G'd.

We can now understand that if the wealthy person were allowed to contribute
more, the whole purpose of the half-shekel would be denied. The same applies to
the prohibition for the poor to contribute less than the half-shekel. The symbolic
meaning of the "half" was paramount in drawing people's attention to what was to
be accomplished.
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The Gospels record that the some disciples of Pharisees attempted to
entrap Yeshua of Nazareth in his words. It is important to note that the
Pharisees enlisted the help of the Herodians. According to the Jewish
Encyclopedia, they may have been part of, or closely aligned with, the
Sadducees in their opposition to the Pharisees. The Herodians were
called by the Rabbis the “Boethusians.”

What was the purpose of their presence in this question to Yeshua?

The account is as follows,
15 Then the P’rushim went away and put together a plan to trap Yeshua with
his own words. 16 They sent him some of their talmidim and some members of
Herod’s party. They said, “Rabbi, we know that you tell the truth and really
teach what God’s way is. You aren’t concerned with what other people think
about you, since you pay no attention to a person’s status. 17 So tell us your
opinion: does Torah permit paying taxes to the Roman Emperor or not?”
18 Yeshua, however, knowing their malicious intent, said, “You hypocrites! Why
are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used to pay the tax!” They
brought him a denarius; 20 and he asked them, “Whose name and picture are
these?” 21 “The Emperor’s,” they replied. Yeshua said to them, “Nu, give the
Emperor what belongs to the Emperor. And give to God what belongs to God!”
22 On hearing this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
Matthew 22:15-22
 Lets look at the opening words, “Teacher, we know that you . . . teach
the way of G-d in truth, nor do you care about anyone, for you do not
regard the social status of men.”
They begin to “praise” Yeshua for his fearlessness in preaching the
truth, despite whom it might o end, and intentionally highlight the fact
that he is not afraid to speak it in front of anyone, regardless of their
nancial, religious or political status. This was said because the
Herodians were present, who were deliberately included in this
dispute so they could “witness” His answer to their trick question.
The Herodians would have been quick to inform Herod of the slightest
word spoken against Caesar, super cially guarded these Pharisees
from being classed as moserim, ‘informers’, who were categorized
along with heathens, irreligious Jews, and minim (heretics).

The Jewish Encyclopaedia notes,

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“Nothing was more severely punished by the Jews than talebearing;
and no one was held in greater contempt than the informer. On
account of the fact that his deeds frequently caused mischief and
even entailed death and destruction, the sages of the Talmud
compared the “moser” to a serpent.”

Jewish Encyclopaedia on Moser

1) The shikmi Pharisee he is one who performs the action of Shechem.
(i.e. gets circumcised for the wrong reasons, or wears his deeds on his
shoulder)

2) The nikpi Pharisee he is one who knocks his feet together. (he walks
with exaggerated humility)

3) The kizai Pharisee R. Nahman b. Isaac said: He is one who makes his
blood to ow against walls.

4) The pestle Pharisee Rabbah b. Shila said: [His head] is bowed like [a
pestle in] a mortar.

5) The Pharisee [who constantly exclaims] What is my duty that I may

perform it? but that is a virtue! Nay, what he says is, “What further duty is
for me that I may perform it?” (he feels that he has already accomplished
the mitzvah, and nothing else is left)

6) The Pharisee from love

7) and the Pharisee from fear.

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Yeshua experienced intense opposition from the the Pharisees as well
as the Saducees. This particular dispute had an immense impact
upon the crowd. All were amazed at the words and indeed reading
the text by itself, his answer is quite brilliant. However, in knowing the
Jewish context of his words, his answer is beyond brilliant, leaving
one dumbfounded, speechless, like those who tried to trap him.

The stakes were high if Yeshua’s answer a rmed the authority of Rome to
conduct censuses, and collect taxes. He would have violated the Torah,
denied that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, and ultimately
rejected the restoration of the Kingdom of David. All of Yeshua’s followers,
who all passionately desired to see the Throne of David restored to Israel,
would have been crushed if he had sided with Rome and denied a
fundamental precept of the Torah. Conversely, if he had denied the right of
Caesar to collect taxes, as the Pharisees had expected, the members of
Herod’s political party would have immediately ran and told Herod, who
would have, in turn, informed Caesar of Yeshua’s promotion of
insurrection. This would inevitably lead to his arrest and possible
execution for sedition. This is the ultimate “rock and a hard place.” The
young Rabbi asked for the coin as a visual aid for his upcoming answer,

“Show me the tax money.” So they brought him a denarius. And he said to
them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.
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What coin was this? What did it look like? It is possible the coin that they
brought to was the Pontif Maxim:

“Tiberius was Emperor for 23 years and is represented by two denarii. After 15
AD all Tiberius denarii were the same type: PONTIF MAXIM surrounding a
seated female gure. Huge numbers of these coins were produced; many
thousands of them still exist today.”

Doug Smith, Tiberius: The Tribute Penny However, there were many denarii circulating at this time,

therefore,” . . . there is no real evidence that Jesus saw this coin. Denarii in
circulation that day (over fteen years into the reign of Tiberius) would have
included quite a mix of Republican types and vast numbers of the common
types of Caesar Augustus . . . The purpose of the coin in this case could have
satis ed by any Republican denarius with a head and Latin inscription. That
coin collectors have settled on this one coin as THE Tribute Penny is more of a
convention than a historical fact. It is, however, quite likely that this type was
among the most common denarii in circulation in the early 30’s CE and it does
show the Emperor who reigned at the time of the ministry ofYeshua”

Doug Smith, Tiberius: The Tribute Penny

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 Con dent that they had painted the Great Teacher into an inescapable
corner, Yeshua answers their treacherous plot with words that have echoed
throughout millennia, “Show Me the tax money.” So they brought him a
denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They
said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is
Caesar’s, and to G-d what is G-d’s.” When they had heard these words,
they were amazed, and left him and went their way.” The theological
backdrop of his reply deepens the Rabbi’s response, and reveals unknown
depths and meaning to His amazing words. The Mishnah says,

“For a person mints many coins with a single seal, and they are all alike one
another. But the King of king of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, minted
all human beings with that seal of his with which he made the rst person,
yet not one of them is like anyone else. Therefore everyone is obligated to
maintain, “On my account the world was created.”

Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5

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“Perhaps these theological concepts serve as a background for the
saying of Yeshua, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
and to G-d the things that are G-d’s.” After all, not only is Caesar’s
image stamped upon each coin that he has minted; the divine image
of the King of kings is stamped upon each person. Yeshua was calling
upon the people to give everything to G-d, the Creator of every
human being.”

Brad H. Young, The Parables

This understanding ampli es Yeshua’s amazing words. Give unto the earthly king
his image, and give unto the Heavenly King His Image, that is, yourselves, your
entire being, and all that is within you. In Pirkei Avot, it says, “Rabbi Elazar of
Bartosa would say: Give Him what is His, for you, and whatever is yours, are
His. As David says: “For everything comes from You, and from Your own
hand we give to You” (I Chronicles 29:14).”Pirkei Avot 3:7,

This also reveals to us the value of each person, and how all are equal before
HaShem. When a rich young ruler came to Yeshua, and asked him, “What is the
greatest mitzvah (commandment)?” Yeshua’s answer to him was, in essence,
the same as it was to the Herodians and Pharisees: Give unto HaShem your
entire being, which is the real coin, and is the very ful llment of the Sh’ma: “Hear
O Israel, HaShem our G-d HaShem is One. And you shall love HaShem your
G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.”
Devarim 6:4-5

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