Half-Shekel
Counting the Soldiers in God’s army

Counting the Soldiers in God’s army

The Book of Bamidbar, which literally means 'in the desert', is referred to in English as Numbers. Rather appropriately, it begins with a census of the Children of Israel (Numbers 1). This is, in fact, the third census taken during the...

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The Tabernacle: Giving From the Heart

The Tabernacle: Giving From the Heart

The Torah describes how the Children of Israel brought so many voluntary offerings for the construction of the Tabernacle that Moses called a stop to donations. The people gave so enthusiastically that there was enough for the...

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The Holy Half-Shekel

The Holy Half-Shekel

In the beginning of the Torah portion of Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-34:35), God commands the Children of Israel to take a census by collecting a silver half-shekel from every male over the age of 20. Every year, each Jewish male over the age...

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