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The sages say that the meaning of a holy place, or "mishkan," is not only something "within us" but is also something we share between us. As Yeshua said: "Where two or three are gathered in my Name, there I am in their midst" (Matt. 18:20).
The offering of the "half-shekel" (i.e., chatzi ha'shekel: חֲצִי הַשֶׁקֶל) that is mentioned in this week's Torah portion (i.e., Ki Tisa) symbolizes how each of us individually contributes to make a shared holy place of the Lord. Recall that each person, no matter how rich or how poor, was required to offer a half-shekel, that is, a small silver coin equal to a few dollars in today's currency, for the sake of the upbuilding of the sanctuary (Exod. 30:-12-16).
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Originally these half-shekels were collected (in a census) and then melted down to make the silver sockets for the mishkan, that is, sockets used to anchor the frame of the Holy Place (אַדְנֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ) as well as to make hooks for the beams (ווִים לָעַמּוּדִים) to hold the inner veil (Exod. 38:27-28). The sages comment that these sockets and hooks secured the foundation and held the sanctuary in place -- a beautiful picture of how a part of each person upholds the sacred place.
Interestingly the half-shekel contribution was said to be an offering to "atone for your souls" (לְכַפֵּר עַל־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם), which some sages said represents the giving of the soul to God, but it also suggests the need for atonement within the innermost chamber of the Holy of Holies (i.e., the heart). The Torah's language, however, makes it clear that the giving of the half-shekel is quite a serious matter, since its contribution created a sense of community that is vital to our spiritual well-being. We all need each other, and the half-shekel only has its place among other half-shekels, which is to say that a given individual contribution may seem insignificant, but it is equally important to the whole. The whole may be greater than the sum of its parts, but the parts are essential to make the whole...
Every "jot and tittel," chaverim; the pattern of the Mishkan reveals much. Individual believers are "the temple of the living God" and "temples of the Holy Spirit" where God's presence dwells (1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16). Collectively we are "joined together to become a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph. 2:21-22). We are brought together as "living stones" to form a "spiritual house" and to serve as priests who offer sacrifices of praise to God (1 Pet. 2:5).
The "Torah of the Half-Shekel" teaches that each of us has something essential to contribute to the sanctuary of God, and no one can be left out. The Holy Place belongs to us all. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 23:3 Hebrew reading (click):
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