Ki Tisa – The Three Offerings

"When you take a census of the Israelites to determine their numbers... Everyone included in the census must give a half shekel."

The word "offering" is mentioned three times to tell us that there were, in truth, three different offerings. The first one went to build the Tabernacle. The second one – is to buy daily sacrifices to be brought in the Tabernacle. And the third one – to make the silver sockets where the beams of the Tabernacle would stand.

Concerning the daily offerings, which atone for people's transgressions, the Sages have said, "No man in Jerusalem would remain there overnight without having his sins expiated." To this offering, the words of the Torah, "redemption for your souls," apply. The sockets atoned for the sin of the Golden Calf, and these are described as The offering of God, atonement for your souls." The daily offerings, connected to 20 gerah coins, represent the expansion of the letter yud (יוד - יוד ויו דלת). In turn, the sockets, "adanim," are related to the name of God, "Adonai," and are connected to a complete 100 with the expansion of the expansion, as we have learned before – to recap,

1=א
ד=4
נ=50
י=10

אלפ דלת נונ יוד

אלפ למד פא דלת למד תיו נונ ואו נונ יוד ואו דלת

65+35=100

Art: The erection of the Tabernacle from the Figures de la Bible, illustrated by Gerard Hoet