To help understand the following esoteric discussion of the half-shekel donation mentioned in this week's parasha, we have used the commentary of the holy Ari in his book (as yet not translated) Mevo Shearim, page 305 part one, item 89. The concept of giving half a shekel is connected with weights. "Shekel" is from the word "mishkal", meaning "weight", and relates to the silver content of the coin that had to weigh 20 gera. The ancient scales consisted of two pans joined by a rod that was balanced at its midpoint. The rod connecting the pans is the secret of daat, which connects chochma to bina and descends down the middle column of the sefirot tree. This is also hinted in the name Havayah; the two letters hei are the two pans and the vav corresponds to daat; the yud is chochma and represents the weight placed in the pan.

Rebbe Shimon asked the Faithful Shepherd [Moses], What is the inner meaning of the commandment to give half of the holy shekel? This is like the sacrificial measurement of half Hahin [a liquid measurement]. [This is like one of the two "hei-im" - letters hei - in the name Havayah.]

The vav in the name balances between two letters hei, and the weighing stone in the pan is the letter yud.

The weight of the shekel had to be twenty gera, and this represents the yud.

Ten sefirot of Nothingness, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven….

The letter yud when spelled in full - yud vav dalet - has the numerical value of 10 + 6 + 4 = 20. The yud symbolizes the ten sefirot of Abba, and vav dalet are the secret of Zeir Anpin and Nukva. The letter vav represents the six sefirot of Zeir Anpin - chesed, gevura, tiferet, netzach hod and yesod, while the letter dalet represents Malchut. The letter dalet/Malchut is called poor in relation to Zeir Anpin as it only contains the light which it receives from the sefirot above her.

The verse goes on to state that the wealthy shall not add. This is the middle column [Zeir Anpin] that is not to add any more than ten.

Even though Zeir Anpin receives the great light of G‑d, it only receives according to its measure, and G‑d, the Infinite Being, can certainly not be counted in addition.

This is what we learnt in the Book of Creation: (Sefer Yetzira 1:4) "Ten sefirot of Nothingness, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven."

The sefirot are described as Nothingness, or "BliMah", which literally means, without questioning, because it is impossible to fully understand spiritual reality. The sefirot are only ten in number, no more and no less, and this is a spiritual axiom.

The idea that the poor shall not give less than half a shekel weighing 10 gera is like the tzadik [in malchut] who [even though poor] cannot give less than ten, as we have learned, "ten and not nine." This is the half shekel [that must weigh ten units,] which is the letter yud [representing the ten sefirot].

Zohar, parashat KiTisa, page 187b; translation and commentary by Simcha-Shmuel Treister

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