Parshat Ki Tisa
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו 

Uniting with the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land 

 כי תשא ... ונתנו איש כופר נפשו

“May it be Your Will HaShem our God and God of our Fathers... that You sustain us with good sustenance with grant, with ease, and with plentitude, for the sake of Your service...”

We see from this week's parsha that one's money is not a mere material matter,  but rather has strong spiritual ties to its owner as it can conduct as 'an atonement for one's soul' as in the case of the 'half shekel' given to the Mishkan/Bais HaMikdash.  Indeed, we see this spiritual link again in our Sages' comparison of stealing money to stealing one's soul. This concept can be seen in many laws of the Torah, such as the importance of monetary possession of the four species, and more, but our focus  will be on the laws of the Holy Land in parallel to the Holy House (Bais HaMikdash) to which the 'half shekel', of our title quote, is given.

One of the fascinating laws in regard to ownership in the mitzvot of the Land is the necessity that produce have (Jewish) owners in order to be liable for Truma and Maaser, rendering all owner-less produce exempt from truma and maaser. This law is extrapolated from the term 'your produce' which our Sages interpret to mean that produce must have owners in order to be liable for truma and maaser. In both instances, in the Holy Land and in the Holy House, we can say that the soul's spiritual connection to possession is a crucial component in the holiness of such materials, whether produce in the Land which can be raised to the status of teruma-'kodesh' (as called in the Torah), or money, as in the half- 'holy' shekel given for the holy functions of the Bais HaMikdash.

Our Sages say that HaShem foresaw the monetary 'deal' between Haman and Ahasverosh to obliterate all Jews. Therefore, as a provision of the 'cure before the blow', HaShem commanded Israel to donate the half-shekel as an atonement for their souls, which would also give them merit to be saved from the decree of Haman. Even today, Purim is linked to the power of donations towards mitzvot and charitable causes. This can be seen in the custom of the 'commemoration of the half-shekel' before and/or during Purim, and the mitzah of giving charity to the poor on Purim itself.

As is the case all year round, charity to the poor of the Land of Israel is especially commendable in halacha, and of-course such charity in context of Purim takes extra meaning. Among the Torah-mandated gifts of the Land is Maaser Ani - the tithe to the poor. Thus, we go in the ways of the Torah when we  initiate gifts to the poor of the Land of Israel. With that, may we remember and be remembered with the kindness of our Patriarchs of Hebron who plead compassion upon us to this very day. 

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Real Stories from the Holy Land #110:

“I had been waiting more than two months for a particular certificate in the mail, but nothing came. One day, I decided to write a letter to the people who were supposed to send the certificate, to remind them of their commitment. That very same day, I found the certificate in my mail-box (of-course it is impossible that they read my note and had the certificate arrive the same day)...” 

Sources: Rambam Trumot 2, 1, Megila 13b, Baba Kama 119a

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