Thought for the Day: Three Donations to the Tabernacle -- Two Equal for All, One Depends on Wherewithal
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." So states the Declaration of Independence. I was imbued by that idea from my earliest memories. (By the by... there is no doubt that we all understood the word "men" in the classic sense of "human being".) By the time I reached my late teens, however, the idea of "self-evident truths" had taken a sinister turn toward "things we just believe without question -- and don't you dare start questioning it!" Of course, both because of being a teen and my nature... that just became a dare to question and re-evaluate all such "truths"; many (perhaps most) have transitioned from "self-evident" to "patently false".
Besides which... is it even true? Are all people created equal? Moreover: does Western society even really believe that they are? For years there has been movement to add an equal rights amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The text is essentially: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. One might question why in the world I need a "self-evident truth" to be explicitly called out in the text of a legal document. At worst, though, that's just silly. Much, much more disconcerting, however, is that they have not been able to agree to add that amendment... which purportedly does nothing but ratify a "self-evident truth"! Somebody ain't walkin' the talk.
So... what does the Torah have to say about this? The Gur Aryeh at the beginning of parshas T'ruma explains the underlying meaning of the three donations -- two half shekels and one generosity (that is, whatever-you-feel-is-appropriate) donation. All of these donations are in one way or another related to the Tabernacle; which, in turn, is a response to the חטא העגל/Sin of the Golden Calf. Why three? Because each person sinned with his body, his soul, and his money/resources.
One half shekel donation was to atone for their physical participation; that donation went to the building the silver sockets into which the beams of the Tabernacle fit. The body is the receptacle which supports/receives the soul to be able to function in this world, so it corresponds to the sockets, which form the base of of the Tabernacle. The other half shekel went to purchasing the animal, grain, and wine offerings. Those offerings are the spiritual reason for the Tabernacle to even exist, which is why they atone for and correspond to the soul. The generosity donation was used for the building materials for construct the Tabernacle. Each person gave according to his resources and feeling of involvement. It was not an option to give nothing; the only option was how much to give.
The Gur Aryeh notes that the half shekel for the body and the half shekel for the soul was the same for everyone, precisely because we are all equal in that regard; we have a body and we have a soul. When it comes to economic resources, however, we are not all equal. Moreover, the Gur Aryeh has spends quite a bit of ink explaining that one's economic worth is not just his bank account; there are many other factors that go into that calculation.
Bottom line: In two dimensions, all people are created equal; their physical and spiritual presence in this world. In terms of fiscal ability, responsibility, and culpability, however, we are most certainly not created equal. As usual, there is what they say, and there is the Truth -- as revealed only to Klal Yisrael through HaShem's Torah.
Besides which... is it even true? Are all people created equal? Moreover: does Western society even really believe that they are? For years there has been movement to add an equal rights amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The text is essentially: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. One might question why in the world I need a "self-evident truth" to be explicitly called out in the text of a legal document. At worst, though, that's just silly. Much, much more disconcerting, however, is that they have not been able to agree to add that amendment... which purportedly does nothing but ratify a "self-evident truth"! Somebody ain't walkin' the talk.
So... what does the Torah have to say about this? The Gur Aryeh at the beginning of parshas T'ruma explains the underlying meaning of the three donations -- two half shekels and one generosity (that is, whatever-you-feel-is-appropriate) donation. All of these donations are in one way or another related to the Tabernacle; which, in turn, is a response to the חטא העגל/Sin of the Golden Calf. Why three? Because each person sinned with his body, his soul, and his money/resources.
One half shekel donation was to atone for their physical participation; that donation went to the building the silver sockets into which the beams of the Tabernacle fit. The body is the receptacle which supports/receives the soul to be able to function in this world, so it corresponds to the sockets, which form the base of of the Tabernacle. The other half shekel went to purchasing the animal, grain, and wine offerings. Those offerings are the spiritual reason for the Tabernacle to even exist, which is why they atone for and correspond to the soul. The generosity donation was used for the building materials for construct the Tabernacle. Each person gave according to his resources and feeling of involvement. It was not an option to give nothing; the only option was how much to give.
The Gur Aryeh notes that the half shekel for the body and the half shekel for the soul was the same for everyone, precisely because we are all equal in that regard; we have a body and we have a soul. When it comes to economic resources, however, we are not all equal. Moreover, the Gur Aryeh has spends quite a bit of ink explaining that one's economic worth is not just his bank account; there are many other factors that go into that calculation.
Bottom line: In two dimensions, all people are created equal; their physical and spiritual presence in this world. In terms of fiscal ability, responsibility, and culpability, however, we are most certainly not created equal. As usual, there is what they say, and there is the Truth -- as revealed only to Klal Yisrael through HaShem's Torah.
Comments