English translation — מאמר זה יתנו תש"מ

B"S.

Shabbos Parshas Mishpatim,

Parshas Shekalim,

Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5740*

"This they shall give, everyone who passes among those counted, a half-shekel of the holy shekel—twenty gerahs the shekel—a half-shekel as an offering to Hashem..."1

And it concludes2

"to make atonement for your souls."

And the maamar of Shabbos Parshas Mishpatim and Parshas Shekalim 5680

(printed in Pardes)3

questions the double expression of "half-shekel" in the verse,

which says "a half-shekel of the holy shekel,"

and then repeats "a half-shekel as an offering to Hashem."

Also, what is the meaning of "twenty gerahs the shekel,"

since one only needs to give a half-shekel?

It also questions the meaning of "to make atonement for your souls,"

and as it continues and explains there that the concept of the half-shekel is to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf4,

and it questions what is the virtue of the half-shekel that it is so capable of atoning for that sin.

And one may add to this

(as a comment in brief),

that the sin of the Golden Calf is a general sin, and it is the source and root of all sins, iniquities, and transgressions.

And as it is brought in the Gemara5

that at the time of the Giving of the Torah, their contamination ceased

(that the serpent had injected into Chavah),

and after the sin of the Golden Calf it returned6.

And although it did not return completely as it was before that7,

for even after the sin of the Golden Calf the concept of choice remained for the Jewish people,

"and in us You chose"8,

in the physical body which in its materiality resembles the bodies of the nations of the world9

(and see in the Gemara there10

"Why are the nations of the world contaminated..."),

nevertheless, the sin of the Golden Calf is the general sin,

and about it is written11

"And on the day I make My account"

(for every sin)

"I shall bring it to account..."

Therefore, an explanation is most needed as to what is the virtue of the half-shekel that atones for this sin.

And now, from this offering

(of the half-shekel)

they purchased the communal offerings for the entire year,

and the concept of offerings nowadays is the concept of prayer,

as our sages, of blessed memory, said12

"Prayers were instituted in place of the offerings,"

and from this it is understood

that the concept of the half-shekel also exists in the service of prayer.

B)

And to understand all this, the maamar continues to explain13

the concept of prayer,

and brings on this the statement of our sages, of blessed memory14

"One should not stand to pray except from a heavy head."

And one may add to this,

based on what Tosafos says in Maseches Menachos15

that the language "one should not... except..." comes to exclude, meaning it is invalid after the fact.

And so is the simple explanation of the matter,

that "one should not stand to pray,"

meaning that the concept of prayer does not apply,

except from a heavy head.

And it brings on this the explanation of the Maggid of Mezeritch, his soul in Eden16

that the prayer should be about the heaviness in the head,

that when one prays about a deficiency, he should not pray about his own deficiency, but about the deficiency above,

for there is no deficiency below that does not have a deficiency above.

And he explains,

that the concept of the deficiency above is as our sages, of blessed memory, said17

"At a time when a person is distressed, what does the Shechinah say? As it were, 'My head is heavy upon Me, My arm is heavy upon Me,'"

for the Shechinah is the aspect of Malchus, which has ascents and descents, etc.

And this is the concept of the "heavy head" of the Shechinah,

and this is "one should not stand to pray except from a heavy head,"

meaning, about the heaviness and deficiency in the head.

And afterwards it brings the explanation of our master, the Alter Rebbe

(and so it is also in the discourse "Ein Omdin Lehispael" of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe18)

that "head" refers to the souls of Israel.

"Israel is the head for Me,"

and in this there is the concept of "heavy head" caused by sins,

as it is written19

"For my iniquities have passed over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me."

And this is: "One should not stand to pray except from a state of heaviness of head,"

and through prayer, not only does one nullify the heaviness of head,

but furthermore, it becomes "Lift up the head... of the children of Israel... according to their skulls"

(as explained in Likkutei Torah, beginning of Parshat Bamidbar),

that he elevates the head to the level of their skulls,

which is above the head.

And this is through the service of refining the animal soul,

by which he elevates the head of the G-dly soul,

for the root of the animal soul is from the aspect of the chaos that preceded rectification,

for Esav is the great firstborn,

and the abundant lights of chaos elevate the lights of rectification.

3)

And this is the matter of the half-shekel,

that the giving from below is only a half,

and according to the teaching of the law

"Make for yourself two trumpets,"

two half-forms,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Israel are two half-forms that complete each other, as it were,

and as our sages, of blessed memory, said,

"My twin, my twin."

That is,

that through his service with his ten powers, he affects above as well.

And in his service itself, the matter of the half-shekel is,

that he elevates the ten powers of the animal soul,

and through this he affects the G-dly soul,

and as above, that the abundant lights of chaos elevate the lights of rectification.

And it can be said,

that this is also the connection

of the two interpretations of "heaviness of head,"

the head above and the head of the soul

(the G-dly soul).

For just as through the refinement of the ten powers of the animal soul,

ten gerahs,

he elevates the upper half,

the ten powers of the G-dly soul,

so too is it according to the interpretation that it refers to the head above,

for through that

(the Holy One, blessed be He, assists him, as it were)

he elevates the ten powers of his soul,

that the soul descended below,

and "authority and ability are given to every person"

etc.,

and through this he affects, as it were, also the Divine Presence, etc.

4)

And with this will be understood that which concludes "to atone for your souls,"

that through this one effects a rectification of the sins, up to the sin of the [Golden] Calf.

For since through the clarifications one ascends to a most exalted place,

the aspect of Tohu that preceded Tikkun,

and beyond this,

to the place where Yaakov is the firstborn

(as per the analogy of the tube, where the drop that enters first emerges last28),

and beyond this,

to the place where both are equal,

"Behold, Esav is a brother to Yaakov"29,

until the aspect of simple unity,

it is simple that from there is drawn the rectification of all lacks and blemishes, etc.

And this is the matter of the twenty gerah mentioned above,

as it is stated in the Book of Bahir30

"Regarding the ten Sefiros from below upward we do not know; from above downward we know,"

for through the service in the aspect of "from below upward" one draws from the aspect of "we do not know,"

which is entirely above the concept of knowledge, etc.

And this is also why this was the rectification for the sin of the [Golden] Calf,

for the sin of the Calf occurred when "Moshe delayed in descending"31,

and our sages, of blessed memory, said32

"Do not read 'bosheish' (delayed) but 'ba'u sheish' (came six),

that the sixth hour came,

midday,

and he did not come,

and the rectification for this is specifically through the service of the half-shekel33.

5)

And behold, just as through the giving of the half-shekel they offered sacrifices throughout the year,

so too in [divine] service,

that the aforementioned service must be [performed] throughout the year,

and in a manner of joy and goodness of heart,

from an abundance of everything,

meaning that in place of the lack of everything, there will be an abundance of everything,

and beyond this,

for "one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is more beautiful than all the life of the World to Come"34.

However, for a reason known to their Maker, the matters are not now revealed,

and very soon "the glory of Hashem will be revealed and all flesh together will see"35.

And may it be His will that soon we will fulfill the commandment of the half-shekel in the Third Beis HaMikdash,

souls in bodies, from proper health and with expansiveness,

and "they will awaken and sing, dwellers of the dust"36

and Aharon and Moshe with them37,

and "a great congregation will return here"38,

very soon.