However, this “Great Love of Hashem” does not come to everyone, to be able to experience the level of “twenty Geira,” meaning having both halves of the love of Hashem, from below and from Above.
There are two reasons for this:
- To be a proper vessel for this higher love, a person must be complete in “doing good” and “turning from bad,” which is difficult.
- To receive this higher love, a person must possess a lofty soul that is capable of receiving this revelation, the "heads of the Jewish People."
However, the first type of love explained above, which a person can awaken in himself, is an obligation on everyone to achieve.
This is the idea of giving the “half shekel,” which is ten geira, meaning, to give over to Hashem his own soul, which is comprised of ten aspects, through awakening the love for Hashem and having it permeate all ten aspects of his soul.
This is the inner meaning behind why each person is only obligated to give half a shekel, which is ten Geira, since each person must reach this half of the love of Hashem that comes through our own efforts, through awakening this love and causing it to permeate the ten aspects of our soul.
Now the Rebbe will finish the explanation of the verse that our Maamar is based on:
This is the deeper meaning of what it says (Shemos 30:13): “This half shekel is what they shall give, all ‘הָּעו בֵרַׁע לַׁםיִּד וקְּ פ ה-those who pass through the census,’” the word הַפְּקוּדִּ ים can also mean “The Commandments” and הָּעו בֵר can also mean “a person who transgresses,” thus implying that our verse means that a person who transgresses against the “248 Positive or 365 Negative ןיִּד וקְּ פ-Commandments” must give the half shekel.
Meaning, that even someone who transgressed, G-d forbid, on any mitzvah, nonetheless, it is an obligation on him to give the “half shekel,” meaning the ten aspects of his soul, through the first type of love of Hashem explained above.
This is the inner meaning behind what it says in the verse “This is what they shall give, all הָּעו בֵר עַל הַפְּקוּדִּ ים-those transgress the commandments:” Even someone who isn’t perfect in keeping Hashem’s commandments and transgresses them sometimes is still obligated and capable to give the “half shekel,” meaning to awaken in himself the love for Hashem so strongly that it is “Ten Geira,” that it permeates his ten soul powers, so he should be given over to Hashem with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might.
A person might think that since he isn’t doing everything that Hashem wants, he “transgresses the commandments,” why should he try to awaken in himself this love which is so far removed from him? Therefore, the Torah says that even a person who “transgresses the commandments” is able to awaken in himself this love for Hashem, and that will help him improve in fulfilling Hashem’s will. He shouldn’t wait until he is perfect, but just the opposite, this will help him to grow and serve Hashem properly.
This “half shekel” is the ultimate “donation to Hashem.” Meaning, that this love that a person awakens in himself to give himself over to Hashem is the ultimate gift he can give.
