3:47 The Sacred Shekel

כ" באב תשס"ז

In follow-up on my thread of time post regarding the "time" of 3:47 - there is only one book of the five books of Moses, as it is currently sectioned into chapters and verses, with a chapter and verse correspondence to 3:47. That book is BaMidbar (Numbers).

BaMidbar 3:47

You shall take five shekels each according to the head count; in the sacred shekel you shall take--the shekel is twenty gerahs.

וְלָקַחְתָּ, חֲמֵשֶׁת חֲמֵשֶׁת שְׁקָלִים--לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת: בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ תִּקָּח, עֶשְׂרִים גֵּרָה הַשָּׁקֶל

Five shekels is the redemption price of the firstborn.

The sacred shekel denotes spiritual equality, balanced harmony among the middot, and hishtavut among all forces and all levels of creation.