Parshas Bamidbar
What’s in a Shekel?
MESHECH CHOCHMAH
based on Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein
Take the Leviim in place of every firstborn of Bnei Yisrael... And as for the redemptions of the two hundred and seventy-three of the first-born of Bnei Yisrael who are in excess of the Leviim; you shall take five shekels for each headcount... the shekel is twenty geras. You shall give the money to Aharon and his sons. (Bemidbar 3:45-48)
“Aharon And His Sons” – Midrash Chazal
As the above pesukim describe, of the 22,273 first-born among Bnei Yisrael, 22,000 had their kedushah transferred to the 22,000 Leviim, while the remaining 273 redeemed themselves with money, which was given to Aharon and his sons.
How was this redemption money apportioned? The pasuk does not discuss this matter explicitly. However, Chazal (Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 4:11) explain the Torah’s directive that the money be given to “Aharon and his sons” to mean that Aharon shall receive half the money and his sons will divide the other half. This exposition parallels a statement of the Gemara in a different context. The Torah (VaYikra 24,9) states that the Lechem Hapanim is to be given to “Aharon and his sons,” which the Gemara (Bava Basra 143a) explains to mean that Aharon shall receive half of the loaves and the remaining half shall be divided among his sons.
The Meshech Chochmah proceeds to explain that this understanding of the division emerges not only from the exposition of Chazal on the words “Aharon and his sons”, but also from a closer look at our pasuk itself.
“The Shekel is Twenty Geras” – Understanding The Pattern
Pasuk 47 which states that each firstborn shall redeem himself with five shekalim, concludes by saying that each gera is twenty shekel. This detail is something the Torah has stated on previous occasions – but not on all occasions. For example:
In the beginning of Parshas Ki Tisa, when commanding the Bnei Yisrael to donate a half- shekel to the Mishkan, the Torah adds that each shekel is twenty gera.
In contrast, in the end of last week’s parsha, (Vayikra 27:3-8) when dealing with the mitzvah of redeeming pledges (arachin) to the Beis Hamikdash, the Torah simply states the various amounts in terms of shekalim, without adding how many gera there are in a shekel. Having said that, toward the end of the perek, when describing the redemption of an ancestral field (s’deh achuzah), the Torah does mention this.
What determines when the Torah will state how many gera are in a shekel?
The answer, says Meshech Chochmah, lies very simply in whether whole shekalim are to be given or parts thereof. Thus, when the Torah commands that a half-shekel be donated to the Mishkan, it then adds how many gera comprise a shekel, so that one may give half that amount. In contrast, the arachin pledges all comprise amounts of entire shekalim, hence, there is no need to add how many gera are in a shekel. It is only with the regard to one who redeems an ancestral field that this needs to be mentioned. Since the rate is prescribed as fifty shekalim for forty-nine years, the redemption rate per year will be somewhat more than one whole shekel, and thus the Torah adds the sub-denominations of the shekel in that pasuk.
