04 Mar KI SISA: WHY DID MOSHE NEED A VISUAL IMAGE OF THE HALF-SHEKEL COIN?

This week’s parsha
contains the mitzvah

to donate the half-
shekel coin: “This

shall be given by
everyone who passes
through the counting,
from twenty years old
and up, a half shekel from the holy shekel
coin, the shekel weighing twenty geirah, a
half shekel as gift to Hashem.” [Shemos
30:13-14] Rashi cites a Medrash that G-d
showed Moshe the appearance of a coin
made from fire weighing a half shekel and
told him “This is what they shall give.”
Rashi actually abbreviates the Medrash.
The Medrash itself mentions that Moshe
had difficulty envisioning what exactly the
half-shekel coin looked like and G-d
therefore showed him a heavenly vision of
exactly the way it appears. The
commentators are bothered – why was it so
difficult for Moshe to envision the
appearance of this half-shekel coin?
The Gemara has a similar narration
concerning the Menorah. The Menorah has
very intricate detail and geometric

configuration. We can understand how
Moshe might not have been able to picture
what the Menorah looked like until he was
shown an example of a fiery Menorah in a
vision. Likewise, the Talmud says that
Hashem had to show Moshe examples of
the reptiles and insects (sheratzim)
mentioned in Parshas Shmini. That
statement can also be understood. But what
is so hard to envision about a coin? Why did
G-d have to show Moshe a coin made out of
fire?
I will share one answer to this question
based on Derush [homiletic interpretation]
and another answer based on Pshat [simple
interpretation].
This homiletic interpretation is offered by
many. I saw it in the Oznaim LaTorah.
Moshe Rabbeinu had difficulty
understanding how money could serve as an
atonement (kaparah). Money is the root of
most evil. However, Hashem speaks of the
half-shekel donation being ‘kesef
hakipurim’ [the money of atonement].
Moshe wanted to know how that can
happen. How could something that is the
cause of so much evil and trouble serve to

bring man closer to His Maker?
Therefore, G-d showed him a coin made out
of fire. Is fire good or bad? Fire can be the
most destructive thing in the world. It can
kill. It can decimate. On the other hand,
where would we be without fire? We would
freeze in the winter. We would not be able to
prepare our food. The world would not be
able to exist without fire.
We see that there are things in this world
that can bring tremendous good and at the
same time can bring tremendous evil. They
can bring tremendous improvement and
tremendous destruction. The point of
showing Moshe the coin made out of fire
was to equate money with fire. Money, too,
can be destructive or constructive,
depending upon how it is used.
An interpretation that is more
straightforward and closer to the ‘pshat’ is
offered by Rav Simcha Zissel, the Rosh
Yeshiva from Chevron, zt”l: Moshe
Rabbeinu understood that there are things in
this world that are called “Cheftzah shel
mitzvah” [items with which Mitzvos are
performed]. Some things are natural
products (e.g. — lulav, esrog, haddasim,

aravos). Other things are “manufactured”
(e.g. — cowhide upon which is written
certain words may be made into a Sefer
Torah, Tefillin, or Mezuza). Although the
latter are man-made products, the intent of
the scribe in creating them may make them
holy and allow them to become a “Cheftzah
shel mitzvah”. Moshe did not have trouble
understanding this.
However, Moshe could not understand how
it is possible to do a mitzvah with a coin that
is minted for commercial purposes. How is
this piece of metal, which is minted by
secular authorities able to become a
“Cheftzah shel mitzvah”? Therefore,
Hashem showed him the coin of fire and
thereby informed him that in fact even such
an item could be sanctified and used for
achieving atonement, as long as it is GIVEN
for the sake of a mitzvah.