"When you lift the sum of the Children of Israel according to their number..." (Shmot 30.12)

"And the Holy One, Blessed Be He said to him: "Moses, Israel owes what it borrowed from Me. As it is said: 'When you lift...' So we learn (Devarim 24.10): 'When you lend to your neighbor...' Tell them to return that which they owe me, meaning, "When you lift." (Shmot Rabbah 39.1)

The commentaries ask why the Torah did not use the term, "When you count," but rather the phrasing, "When you lift", in commanding Moses to take the people's census. In what way are the people uplifted when they are counted?

Consider human nature. When one finds himself in financial straits and is compelled to take out a loan, it is difficult for him to be indebted to the lender for the factor extended to him. It is often common for the borrower to resent the lender (for being financially or psychologically in his debt.) This, despite the fact or possibly due to the fact, that the lender may have saved him from ruin. Why does the borrower choose to minimize the lender's kindness? Because it is our nature to reject dependency and despise indebtedness.

Only one who can rise above his egocentric needs can recognizes and appreciate a favor that is extended to him by others. In fact, man's worth is not diminished by his need for or reliance on others. Professor Albert Einstein would often say how grateful he was to the plumber or the common workman, without whom his daily life would be intolerably difficult. One is not diminished by the gifts of others. The more one can recognize his debt to others, the more he becomes uplifted as a person.

For this reason, the Torah commands us to give the half-shekel. On the surface, it appears to be a simple method for courting the people. But this is not its real significance, for it does not say, "When you count," but rather, "When you lift." The giving of the half-shekel was an elevating act, a contribution to the Mishkan. It was a small, symbolic statement of their indebtedness to the Almighty, a lender whom they graciously recognized and to whom they would lovingly return a modest portion of their debt. Repaying a debt, and appreciating goodness received, is a spiritually uplifting act.

It is incumbent upon us at all times to recognize God's goodness to us and our debt to Him, fulfilling the words (Psalms 15.8), "I have set the Lord always before me."