Photo Credit: Met Museum open access
KI Tisa
The phrase Ki Tisa has two meanings. It means to count and to elevate.
A census is typically taken when one is looking to count on people to achieve a mission, like building the Mishkan or collecting money to pay for the communal korbanot. Whatever one contributed, one should admit to oneself that one could have given more, that one’s work is never complete. The half Shekel represents a job half done and atones for it. It is this admission that elevates a person by incentivizing one to reach for more.
The half Shekel had another purpose. It was used as a substitute for a direct headcount which in King David’s time caused the death of seventy thousand people from Dan to Be’er Sheva (Shmuel II 24:15).
In addition to financing the building of the Mishkan and the communal korbanot, we are told that the half Shekels served as “a remembrance for the Israelites to atone for their lives” (Shemos 30:16). Some of these half Shekalim were, so to speak, put in the bank for a rainy day when forgiveness would be needed in the future. That rainy day came centuries later. These remaining half Shekels reminded G-d of the Jew’s past generosity in contributing to the Mishkan and the korbanot and stayed the hand of the angel of death who otherwise would have gone on to destroy King David’s Jerusalem.
Moshe was given the recipe for making the sacred anointing oil. This oil was used to anoint the High Priest and later on the kings of Israel. It was also used to vest the Mishkan, the Holy Ark and the Mishkan’s utensils with sanctity.
One of the oil’s ingredients was besamim rosh, a choice spice called “mor deror” (Shemos 30:23), which the Targum translates as “meira dachya,” which sounds like Mordechai. Indeed, Chazal tell us (Chullin 13b) that these words refer to Mordechai who was the leader of the Jewish people, who are compared to fragrant spices.
What is the connection between these choice spices and Mordechai?
By accepting the Torah, the Jews themselves became “a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation” (Shemos 19:6). However, Chazal tell us (Shabbat 88a) that their acceptance of the Torah was under duress. At the Revelation, G-d gave them an ultimatum: “If you accept the Torah you will be fine, but if not, you will die.”
Being that their acceptance was under duress, the Jews had an escape clause. They could unilaterally revoke the covenant with G-d and abandon their status as the Chosen People at any time.
That almost happened during the reign of Achashverosh. The king invited the Jews to participate in a party which celebrated three things: the abandonment of their hope of ever returning to Israel, the renouncement of their Jewish identity and their total assimilation with the Persian people. The Jews participated in this party and were about to trigger the escape clause when suddenly Haman and the King threatened to annihilate them. It was Mordechai who saved the day by making them fast, pray repent and unconditionally accept the Torah. Now they understood that G-d’s ultimatum at Sinai was not a threat. It was the answer to antisemitism. The only escape was to remain faithful to the Torah, because that is the Jews’ guaranty of survival. It was due to Mordechai that the Jews, renounced the escape clause and regained their status as the Holy Nation who could once again be compared to the fragrance of choice spices.
The story of the building of the Mishkan is interrupted by the laws of Shabbat to remind us that although the laws of Shabbat are suspended when it comes to offering up sacrifices in the Temple, they are not suspended for the purpose of building the Temple, (Rashi, Shemos 31:13). The reason for this is because Shabbat is an everlasting sign that there is a G-d and that He created the world (Shemos 31:17).The Beis Hamikdash also bore testimony to the existence of G-d through the ten miracles that were evident there for all to see (Avos 5:5.) But the Beis Hamkidash was only a temporary sign of G-d’s existence, whereas Shabbat is a permanent sign. The temporary cannot override the permanent.
By refraining from working on Shabbat, irrespective of what that might cost us in loss of income, we bear testimony to the fact that “it is not our own strength and power that brings us prosperity, but it is G-d who gives us the power to be prosperous” (Devarim 8:17-18). If G-d, who created the entire universe, could lay down his tools of creation on Shabbat, we certainly should be able to put down our tools of survival for one day a week.
On Shabbat we are told that G-d ceased working and withdrew to the spiritual – “shavas vayinafash” (Shemos 31:17). So too, Shabbat for us should consist of two components. Resting from physical work and working on restoring our souls by studying his Torah.