<b>This they shall give, everyone that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel (Exod. 30:13).</b> Because they had sinned at the sixth hour,<sup class="footnote-marker">16</sup><i class="footnote">Word-play reading the word <i>boshet</i> (“shame, disgrace”) as <i>bo shish</i> (“the sixth hour”); thus, “The sixth hour came, they erected the golden calf.”</i> which is the middle of the day, they shall give half a shekel, which is six grammata. R. Johanan declared: Because they had violated the Ten Commandments each one had to give ten gerah, which totals half a shekel. R. Simeon the son of Levi said: Because they sold Rachel’s firstborn for twenty pieces of silver and each one took a coin for himself, each one had to give one coin.
R. Judah the son of Simon stated: Moses heard three things from the lips of the Mighty One that confused and startled him. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: <i>Let them make Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them</i> (Exod. 25:8), he replied: Master of the Universe, the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain Thee. He responded: Moses, it is not as you think. Erect twenty boards on the northern side and twenty boards on the southern side and eight on the eastern side and eight on the western side, and I will compress My Shekhinah and dwell within them; as it is written: <i>And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee</i> (ibid., v. 22).
Similarly, when He said: <i>Command the children of Israel, and say unto them: My food which is presented unto Me for offerings</i> (Num. 28:2), Moses called out: Master of the Universe, if I should assemble all the animals and all the beasts in the world, they would not be sufficient for even one offering, and all of the trees in the world would be insufficient for a single fire, for it is said: <i>And Lebanon is not sufficient fuel, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for burial offerings</i> (Isa. 40:16). He replied: Moses, it is not as you think. You need offer unto Me but one lamb in the morning and not two, for they are not meant to be food and drink for Me. If I had food and drink when you were with Me on the mountain for forty days, would I not have eaten, and if I had food would you not have eaten? <i>Only for a sweet savor, shall ye observe to offer unto Me</i> (Num. 28:2).
And when He said: <i>When shall they give every man a ransom for his soul</i> (Exod. 30:12), he wondered and said: Who is able to give a ransom for his soul, since it is said: <i>No man can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, for too costly is the redemption of their soul</i> (Ps. 48:8–9)? He replied: It is not as you imagine. <i>This they shall give</i> indicates that they shall give something like this. R. Huna said in the name of Rab: <i>The Almighty, whom we cannot find out, is excellent in power</i> (Job 37:23) implies that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not impose impossible burdens upon Israel. When Moses realized that he declared: <i>Happy is the people that is in such a case</i> (Ps. 144:15) and <i>Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob</i> (ibid. 146:5).