In this week’s parsha, parshas Mishpatim, we find additional details regarding the revelation of Matan Torah. Here are the pertinent pesukim (ibid. 24, 5):
"וישלח את נערי בני ישראל ויעלו עולות ויזבחו זבחים שלמים לה' פרים, ויקח משה חצי הדם וישם באגנות וחצי הדם זרק על המזבח, ויקח ספר הברית ויקרא באזני העם ויאמרו כל אשר דיבר ה' נעשה ונשמע, ויקח משה את הדם ויזרוק על העם ויאמר הנה דם הברית אשר כרת ה' עמכם על כל הדברים האלה".
He sent the youth of Bnei Yisrael, and they brought up olah-offerings, and they slaughtered bulls to Hashem as shelamim-offerings to Hashem. Moshe took half the blood and placed it in basins and half the blood he sprinkled upon the altar. He took the Book of the Covenant and read in earshot of the people, and they said, “Everything that Hashem has said, we will do and we will obey!” Moshe took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people, and he said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that Hashem sealed with you concerning all these matters.” Rashi comments: “Moshe took half the blood.” Who divided the blood in half ? A malach came and divided it. Rashi's source is the Midrash (V.R. 6, 5), which states that a malach descended from above in the likeness of Moshe and divided the blood into equal parts. Why was it necessary to divide the blood up into two precisely equal portions—a procedure necessitating the service of a heavenly malach?
To illuminate the matter, we find two visionaries teaching the same idea—the holy Rabbi from Apta, zy"a, in Ohev Yisrael (Shekalim), and the holy Maggid of Kozhnitz, zy"a, in Avodas Yisrael (Mishpatim). It is well-known that HKB"H and the people of Yisrael have a relationship akin to a “Chasan” and “kallah.” This is illustrated by the following passuk related to Matan Torah (Shemos 19, 17): "ויוצא משה את העם לקראת האלקים מן המחנה ויתייצבו בתחתית ההר"—Moshe brought the people forth from the camp toward G-d, and they stood under the mountain. Rashi comments: The Torah is telling us that the Shechinah went out to greet them like a bridegroom going out to greet his bride. And we have another passuk that states (Yeshayah 62, 5): "ומשוש חתן על כלה ישיש עליך אלקיך"—and like a bridegroom rejoicing over his bride, so will your G-d rejoice over you.
Furthermore, we are taught in the Zohar hakadosh (Vayikra 7b): A male without a female is referred to as half of a body. Therefore, in order to demonstrate His great love for Yisrael, HKB”H diminished Himself, so to speak, to be considered only half of a body. Hence, He commanded Moshe to divide the blood of the korbanos into two equal portions—half of the blood was sprinkled on the mizbeiach, a heavenly portion directed toward HKB”H, so to speak, and half was sprinkled on Yisrael. This procedure required a malach to descend from above and divide up the blood into two precisely equal portions.
The Apter Rav, zy”a, extends the analogy regarding the relationship of HKB”H with the congregation of Yisrael being that of a “Chasan” and “kallah” to the mitzvah of “mAchaszis hashekel.” In this regard, HKB”H views Himself, so to speak, as a mere half of a shekel, like half a body, with Yisrael being the other half. With this understanding, He requests that Yisrael give “a half of a shekel as a portion to Hashem.” In other words, they must contribute their half to complete and forge a perfect union with HKB”H.
Notwithstanding, it is now incumbent upon us to explore and try to comprehend this revelation. For, we see that at Matan Torah, HKB”H demonstrated that in His incredible relationship with Yisrael, they are each only considered a half. As such, the blood had to be divided up into two equal portions, so that half could be thrown on the mizbeiach and half on the people of Yisrael. Then, this wonderful relationship was fortified by the donation of the “mAchaszis hashekel.” Every Jew donates a silver coin annually worth a half of a shekel, and HKB”H, so to speak, supplies the second half to form a complete shekel.
