Lead Tidbit Observation: Back in Parshat T'ruma, the people of Israel were solicited, so to speak, to contribute generously to the building of the Mishkan. The materials needed were gold, silver, and copper, dyed wool, linen, skins of certain animals, wood, olive oil, spices, precious and semi-precious stones. The rest of T'ruma and T'tzaveh showed us what the materials were to be used for. Ki Tisa began with a command to contribute exactly one-half silver shekel - not more and not less. Then we see more of what the "contributions" were used for. In the beginning of Vayak-hel, we find a review of the materials and a restatement that the people were asked to give whatever their hearts moved them to give. The Torah tells us that the giving was so generous that the craftsman reported to Moshe that they had enough material, and Moshe told the people to stop giving. And then the Torah proceeds to describe the use of the collected materials in the construction of the Mishkan and its furnishings. In P'kudei, before the Torah continues with the description of the garments of the Kohein Gadol, it gives an accounting of the gold, silver, and copper collected. And here is the point of this observation. The gold and the copper (as well as all the other materials) came from voluntary donations- no set amounts; but the silver, the 100 Kikar 1775 shekel, which is 301,775 shekels (based on 3000 shekels to a Kikar) of silver, came from the half-shekel mandatory, fixed-amount collection. The amount equals a half shekel from 603,550 males, 20 years old and up. And what was the silver used for? 99.4% of it was used for the ADANIM. The foundation sockets of the Mishkan. Foundation. Get it? Foundation. That came from everyone, equally. Build upon that, furnish the Mishkan, with the free contributions. But the foundation is shared equally by all. Hi O Silver! [The Parshat
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