Parashat Ki Tissa
The Coin of Fire
How to rectify material wealth.
By Shimshon Stuart Seigel
This
commentary is provided by special arrangement with Canfei Nesharim. To learn
more, visit www.canfeinesharim.org.
Parashat Ki Tissa opens with God
commanding Moses to take a census of the Children of Israel by collecting a
half-shekel coin from each adult. The silver from these coins is to be used to
make the sockets that hold the planks of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle
that will be God's sanctuary among the people (Rashi on Exodus 30:15-16).
The previous two Torah portions, Terumah and Tetzaveh, featured
detailed instructions for the construction of the Mishkan and all its utensils.
At the beginning of Parashat Terumah,
God tells Moses to call for a donation of precious goods to be used in the
project:
"…gold, silver, and
copper; and turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool; linen and goat hair; red-dyed
ram skins, tahash skins, acacia wood; oil for illumination, spices for the
anointment oil and the aromatic incense; shoham stones and stones for the
settings... (Exodus 25: 3-7)"
The silver half-shekel, which is to be used to make the very
foundation of the Mishkan, is not proscribed until now, two portions later.
What is unique about these coins that they are not listed with the other
materials donated in Terumah?
Wealth in Egypt
The Midrash says that God showed
Moses a half-shekel coin made of fire and said, "Like this one shall they
give (Rashi on Exodus 30:13)." The Noam
Elimelech explains that money is like fire; it can be used to create,
protect, and nourish, or it can be used to harm and destroy. The silver
half-shekel stands at the opening of our Torah portion as a warning of the
potential dangers of wealth.
Many of the donations for the Mishkan came from the great
wealth that the Israelites, following God's command, requested and were given
from their Egyptian neighbors as they were preparing to leave slavery.
In Biblical times, Egypt, more than any other nation, was
noted for its prosperity. The thought of Egypt evoked massive pyramids and
palaces, heavily adorned with gold and precious materials. The yearly flooding
of the Nile produced fertile soil that was farmed to feed vast populations. Not
coincidentally, in the Book of Genesis, both Abraham and Jacob go to Egypt when
there is famine in the Land of Israel.
A New Paradigm
Yet Egypt stands as the Torah's prime symbol of the gross
misuse of material possessions. "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for
aid," the prophet Isaiah says, "they did not turn to the Holy One of
Israel and they did not seek out God (Isaiah 31:1)." Even though Egyptian
wealth was sometimes used for good, feeding many in times of famine, the
Egyptian relationship to wealth obstructs the awareness that God is the
predominant power in the world.
Rebbe Natan of Breslov sees Egypt as the heart of
materialism--pervaded by a lust for money so intense it became idol worship.
According to the Midrash, Egyptians worshiped the sheep, a symbol of wealth
(Exodus Rabbah 11).
Egypt's massive construction projects deified the wealth
from which they were built, and the kings and queens whose power ordained their
construction. It was this spiritually toxic relationship with property that God
wanted the Israelites to leave behind when they departed from Egypt.
Leaving, however, was not enough. God intended that through
the Exodus, Israel would create a new paradigm of materialism in the world.
Rebbe Natan explains: "Israel was exiled to Egypt in order to purify the
wealth from there, because in the wealth… there fell all the [holy] sparks
(Likutei Halakhot, Purim, 6:9)."
The Torah does not condemn personal possession, even great
wealth, but demands a certain mode of usage. Riches do not exist for their own
sake or for the sake of man's ego. Rather, all the abundance of the earth is
focused on the implementation of God's will.
The elevation of the wealth of Egypt occurred through the
construction of the Mishkan, which was built from the donations solicited at
the beginning of Parashat Terumah.
From a certain perspective, the opulence of the Mishkan and the Cohen Gadol,
the High Priest, whose lavish clothing was also made from the donated
materials, may seem ostentatious and elitist.
But the essence of all of this holy finery is that it
originated in Egypt's culture of acquisition and material perversion, and
passed through the purifying fires of the hearts of the Children of Israel, who
gave willingly, rather than hording the wealth. This transformation returned
the idea of wealth to its essential state--as a means through which God's
in-dwelling Presence is made manifest in the daily lives of human beings.
However, the rectification of Egypt's wealth did not proceed
unhindered. Parashat Ki Tissa climaxes with the tragedy of
the Golden Calf, the ultimate example of the Noam Elimelech's destructive fire.
Just as they are poised to affect a worldwide paradigm
shift, the Children of Israel stumble. Moses fails to appear in the moment he
is expected, and the Israelites panic and demand a tangible representation of
God's power.
In contrast to the intricate details of the Mishkan--the
viable channel for God's glory--the Golden Calf was made haphazardly, after the
people demand no more than, "Make us gods that will go before us!"
The people celebrate the Calf, but their worship is empty worship; the golden
statue is not a pathway to God.
Modern-Day Wealth
Unfortunately in our time we often see religious
institutions with opulent external structures and well-paid clergy, but do not
sense that these places are truly Tabernacles of God. Well-meaning congregants
donate to the shul in exchange for a conspicuous honorary plaque, a personal
parking spot, or an entire building bearing their name.
Yet, as contemporary commentator Dr. Aviva Zornberg points
out, the most precious golden parts of the Mishkan--the Ark and the golden
Cherubs resting on top of it--were not within view of anyone, ever, except for
the High Priest on Yom Kippur, and to him only through the fog of incense.
In contrast, the Golden Calf, and the orgies that attended
it, stood exposed before all the people (Rashi on Exodus 32:6). Proper use of
material wealth sanctifies God's name in a way that is modest--practically
unseen--and yet affects the whole world for good.
Today, wealth is portrayed as a gateway to personal
fulfillment, power, and status. Consumer products, from cars to clothes to
personal electronics, promote a life that is generally a race for acquisition
rather than a quest for righteousness and communion with God.
The conveniences of modern life have freed us to pursue more
consumption, while spiritual and emotional fulfillment is at an all-time low,
as evidenced by the meteoric rise of the self-help and anti-depressant
industries. People are seeking wholeness and healing, but they are turning
towards consumer products and profit-driven media to find them.
And yet we celebrate the Exodus from Egypt every year at
Passover, as if we were free, without even realizing that the ultimate slavery
is not chains and forced labor, but the deification of wealth and human
achievement. All of Egypt was enslaved to perverse materialism, and it was for
this reason that God decimated the land and sent Israel out with its wealth.
God commands Moses to collect the half-shekel in the context
of a census. "Ki Tissa," often
translated as "when you count [the people]," literally means
"when you lift." The elevation of material possessions elevates each
of us when we dedicate all that we have to the furthering of righteousness in
the world.
The Jewish people was born out of the rejection of material
worship, and charged with the mission of transforming the way societies view
wealth. Were we to really embrace this spiritual work, we would undoubtedly be
a light unto the nations, and offer a model for satisfaction in Divine service
over gratification in material excess.
Suggested
Action Items:
1. Dedicate your wealth in service of something that will
elevate you and make God's Presence manifest in your daily life.
2.
Choose to buy something that is better for the environment, even if it
will cost more.
3.
Consider sponsoring a Torah and environment project through Canfei Nesharim.
Shimshon Stuart Siegel is studying for rabbinic
ordination at the Bat Ayin Yeshiva in the Judean Hills.
