Parshes Vayeishev – The Price of Peace

“Midianite men, traders, passed by; they pulled and brought Joseph up from the pit and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver; then they brought Joseph to Egypt.” –Genesis 37:28

“G-d spoke to Moses, saying: “When you will take a census of the children of Israel according to their counts, every man shall give G-d an atonement for his soul when counting them, and there will be no plague amongst them when counting them. This is what they shall give - everyone who passes among the counted – half of the shekel, by the holy shekel, the shekel is twenty geirah, half of the shekel as a portion to G-d.” – Exodus 30:12-13

One of the least understood but probably most important sections of the Torah, is the subject of the half a shekel. The Torah commands us to use a half of a shekel as a means of counting the Jewish people, thereby effecting atonement. What is so significant about half a shekel? How can man atone for sin by merely donating money?

The answer to this question can be found (with some analysis) in the Midrash of Parshas Vayeishev and the Jerusalem Talmud in Tractate Shekalim. The Midrash explains that the twenty pieces of silver for which Joseph was sold into slavery were actually twenty dinarim (a form of currency). Each dinar is a quarter shekel, hence it turns out that Joseph was sold for five shekels. The money was divided among the ten brothers, with each brother receiving half a shekel. In a sense then, the Midrash tells us, that by giving half a shekel, we each individually atone for the sale of Joseph. In conversation, my father noted that according to the Midrash Pirkei D’Rebbi Eliezer (and Midrash Heichalos) the brothers used the money to purchase shoes. Why of all items available for purchase did the brothers choose to buy shoes. Did something occur to their shoes during the sale of Joseph that they needed new shoes?

Perhaps by focusing on the essence of the shoe for a moment, we can understand the significance of a shoe. Shoes are antithetical to sanctity. A shoe represents the lowest part of the spiritual realm. It is closest to the ground, it is molded from animal skin, and it serves as the final separation between man who represents the possibility of elevating the physical into spiritual service and sheer earthliness. (That is why the shoe is used in the Yibum/levirate marriage ceremony, being that it acts as an excision of the departed soul from this world.) Joseph’s brother’s decision to purchase shoes with the illicit proceeds of their sin mirrors the diminution of sanctity created by their sin itself. Their gut reaction to this terribly heinous act was the manifestation of the greatest expression of physicality.

What could possibly serve as a rectification for that sin? The root cause of the act must be purged. We know that G-d’s presence amongst the Jewish people is dependant upon Jewish unity, as the Torah states vayehi bishurun melech bihisaseif rashei am – “A King reigns in Jeshurun when the people coalesce” (Deuteronomy 33:5). G-d cannot dwell amongst the Jewish people when they are torn apart by dispute. The sale of Joseph was only possible because of their lack of brotherly unity. It follows therefore that the atonement for this sin would require the same half shekel with which the sin was commited. By joining a people toward the common goal of building a house for G-d’s presence, the half shekel becomes a catalyst for fusing the disparate forces of the Jewish nation. What’s more, these new half shekels became shoes for the Tabernacle itself. The Torah tells us that the half shekels were used to make the silver sockets that fitted onto the bottom of the boards of the Tabernacle. These shoes represented the base of the Tabernacle, the place where the divine spirit rested on earth. The Talmud in Megilah 13b states that the miracle of Purim was accomplished by virtue of the merit of the half shekel. Haman claimed that the Jewish people were scattered amongst the nations lacking any unity. This claim unto itself made them susceptible to annihilation. The half shekel stood up and proclaimed that we as Jews stand united. We have atoned for the sins of our forefathers in taking the value of shoes and transformed them into a common effort; we have constructed the foundation for G-d’s presence in this world. The shekel testifies that a united Jewry cannot be destroyed.

May we all merit to take the lesson of Joseph’s sale to heart. We all belong to the same family, so it’s time to cut out our dysfunction, and to focus on bridging the gaps and joining back together as one. In that merit we surely will realize the final redemption speedily in our days.