KI SISSA 1992

In the Torah portion Ki Sissa we learn about various things.  We learn about the census that was taken of all those young men who would be going into the army, that they had to bring a half a shekel, all those who were of military age from 20 up.  We also learn about different things in conjunction with the Tabernacle, and then we learn about the golden calf, how the Jewish people worshipped the golden calf.  What connection, though, is there between the story of the golden calf and about the giving of the half shekel that everyone was required to do who were of military age?

The rabbis tell us that there were only three times in which the Jewish people were to give a half a shekel.  They had to give a half a shekel yearly to maintain the sacrifices in the Temple.  They also gave a half a shekel here in order to count the men who were to be part of the army.  We also know that they were to give a half a shekel for the sockets, for the bases upon which the Tabernacle would rest.  On the other charity obligations people gave according to their means.  The rabbis tell us that it is important that everyone have an equal share in the running of religious institutions, and that is why they decreed that the daily sacrifice had to be only based on the equal contributions of all the Jewish people, the half a shekel that was given yearly, and also the basis of the Temple also had to based upon the equality of all the Jewish people.  This was true, too, as far as army service, that everyone was to serve universally in the army.  A rich man could not, as was the case in the United States and other countries in previous centuries, buy his way out of military service by paying somebody else to do it.  When it comes to responsibilities that each of us bear, they must be borne equally.  Also, when it comes to the running of religious institutions everybody has an equal voice, the poor and the rich.  One of the big problems with the separation of church and state in America is that it corrupts religion.  Ninety-nine percent of a church or a synagogue's activities is raising money, and we know that this corrupts the whole institution because then, as they say in Hebrew, the one who has the Meah has the Deah, that the one who has the money has the opinion, which means that his opinion counts where others do not.  One of the reasons why Judaism looks so different in America than other places is because the rich are favored in the running of the synagogues of America.  The rich can do many times things that the poor cannot do, and the rich are catered to and their views are taken into consideration more than the views of the poor, not vis-à-vis the constitution, but people are afraid to lose the support of a rich man.

If we look here at the Torah portion we have some questions.  It says, "When you will lift up the head of the sons of Israel according to their numbers, and they shall give each man a redemption for his soul."  Why does it say "they shall give each man a redemption for his soul"?  Why doesn't it say "he shall give each man a redemption for his soul"?  Also, here it says that they shall give half a shekel in a shekel of holiness.  We see here that the Jewish people are commanded not to give one shekel, a whole shekel, but just to give a half a shekel.  The rabbis say that the letters in the word shekel add up to 430, and that is exactly the number of Nefesh, soul.  If we take Shin, Kuf, Lahmed, that adds up to 430, and if we take Nun, Fay, Shin, that also adds up to 430, but here we are not taking a whole shekel, we are taking just a half a shekel.  Redemption for a person's soul is not just giving money.  Some people think that all that is important is giving money, but money is only half the story.  A person also has to give dedicated service.  A person also has to have ideals to which he is willing to devote himself.  Just writing a check is not enough.  Vice versus is also true.  There are some people who only want to give service and they do not want to give any money.  I remember in Seattle as I was growing up there was a man who used to come to shul twice a day and used to like to daven, too, before the Ohmed, and he was a man who would only give $100 as year to the shul.  Of course, $100 in those days was a considerable sum, but he was a man who could have given $10,000 a year to the shul, and people asked him why he only gave $100.  He said he came to shul every day and that was his contribution.  Let those people who only come to shul 2 or 3 times a year let them give bigger sums to support the synagogue.  In other words, let me pray and they will pay.  That, of course, is a wrong attitude.  When it comes to fulfilling the necessities of our soul we have to not only give money to our cause but we also have to give dedicated service to our cause.  It is not true that just because a cause is able to attract money that it is a worthy cause.  After all, the Jewish people gave a lot of gold to build the golden calf, but the golden calf was a wrong cause.  Sometimes just because you give money to a cause does not mean that you are a righteous person.  It does not mean that you have given a holy shekel.  What you must do is make sure that the cause to which you are giving is a just a right cause also.  Some people feel that if they write out a check that is enough.  That is, of course, why we read about the giving of the shekel and the golden calf in the same Torah portion, to teach us that just writing out a check is not enough.  We have to know something about the cause.  You also have to give your personal service to the cause.  You also have to give your personal dedication to the cause, otherwise you will not have a redemption for your own soul_.  Half of the redemption can come from giving money, but the other half must come from devoted and dedicated service.  That is why it says "you shall lift up the children of Israel".  If you are truly acting in the correct manner in this world by giving not only of your means but also of yourself, then you will truly be lifted up, but you cannot be content with just giving money.  On the other hand, you cannot be content with just giving service.  There are so many other things that are vital and important.  Today everyone is concerned about the 10 billion dollar loan guarantee.  I agree that Israel needs a 10 billion dollar loan guarantee, but if Israel will not get the loan guarantee it will not be the end of the world.  After all, in 1948 Israel absorbed proportionally many more immigrants than they are today, and they did not have any loan guarantees, but, yet, they had the idealism and the dedication and the devotion of their people.  Therefore, they were able to overcome all the different kinds of problems.  Yes, it was hard but they were able to overcome the problems.  In our day, too, if Israel will not get the loan guarantees it will not be a catastrophe.  Israel will still be able to assimilate and acculturate the immigrants that are coming into Israel because money, itself, is not everything.  If Israel will have to sell her security in order to get the loan guarantees, it is not worth it.  They money, itself, is not enough.  You cannot sell out your ideals.  You cannot sell out your security, and you cannot sell out your sense of well being for the sake of money alone.  We see that here, too, in the United States where unfortunately there are many people who sold out their whole soul for money.  Look at what happened with the S & L scandals.  Most of those S & L's went broke because of criminality, because the officers and directors were bending the rules for their own favor.  They were actually breaking the rules, but because they felt that their whole self-image depended upon money, and these were not poor people, therefore, they felt justified in manipulating the rules in order for them to get more money until they drove their own institutions into bankruptcy.  Yes, the shekel that we give must be a holy shekel.  It must be imbued with values and principles.  That, of course, is why money alone can never bring happiness.  As George Bernard Shaw said, "The greatest source of happiness is to find a good cause and to wear yourself out in it".  That, of course, is a rabbinic teaching as well.  The important thing to remember is that money is only half the battle.  The other half must come from a person's own inner resources, from a person's own dedicated service.  We also cannot say that if you did give dedicated service that from now on you do not have to give money either.  Unfortunately, there are some Israelis who do say that.  They say, "I served in the army so, therefore, I am free from the other types of obligations,".  This is especially true of the Israelis who come here.  They say, "I served in the Israeli army so, therefore, you have to give me an education free and JCC membership free and shul membership free, I have already done my job.  Now it is up to you to help me in every financial way."  That is not true either.  It is not enough to give dedicated service.  You also have to be willing to share your resources as well.  Yes, this sedra is telling us that "they shall give", which means that every single one of you shall give, "the redemption of his soul", and that means even if you have done dedicated service you still have to give half a shekel.  A person should never feel that because he has given half a shekel that that is enough.  You also have to give devoted service in addition to it.  The rabbis say that the half a shekel one gives establishes the principle of Jewish unity, that nobody gives a full shekel, that we all need each other and all have to work for each other.  We also have to do it in an honest and sincere way.  Unless we do it in an honest and sincere way with correct values, then we will not lift up our soul.

I am reminded of the story they tell about a consultant who passed on.  He was coming up to heaven.  When he got to the gates of heaven he was met by 4,000 or 5,000 angels who were singing songs of greeting, and he was met by Gabriel, himself, with a band.  Gabriel had a plaque for him and a ribbon for him.  He was giving him the key to heaven.  The man looked astonished and said, "Why are you doing all this for me?" Gabriel said, "Well, because we never had a man who lived to be 130 before."  The man said, "But I am not 130.  I am only 65."  Gabriel said, "Are you sure?" Then Gabriel looked at his book and said, "Well, I guess we must have added up all your billing hours."  Money, itself, is not enough.  You also need dedicated service.  If you give dedicated service you still have to give money.  In order for us to lift up our souls so the Mashiach will at least half of our contribution must be in our resources and half must be in our dedicated service.  Let us all hope that we will be willing to give such a service so the Mashiach will come quickly in our day.  Amen.