Ex. 30:12 literally reads:"If you shall raise up the heads of the Children of Israel..." but is translated by some - "when you take the census". Obviously raising and counting are related for in order to count one has to usually pick up the object that is being counted. Nevertheless there is a special connection between this connotation of raising up the individual, with the act of giving the half-shekel in order to be counted.
The Zohar explains that the concept of half a shekel or half of a certain weight of silver signifies splitting a certain measure in half. This is similar to taking a certain compound and splitting it into its individual elements. When a person gives of themselves for the good of the whole they are splitting themselves into the part of the giver and the part that is being given. By giving up a part of myself, I bring about a revelation of the part of me who is the giver, and the influencer.
By splitting up my world into what is essential and what is superflous I open myself up to reveal an inner light which can transform my surroundings and my environment into a better world. Everyone has an inner light that when it reveals itself can distinguish intrinsically between right and wrong, good and evil. By revealing this inner guiding light I can pick out the good parts of my world and work with them to create a new reality, along with new sources of light.
How can I raise myself up by my own bootstraps? By letting go of what is unnecessary and distracting and clinging to the essential oneness that is within. This oneness then radiates out to every aspect of my life and transforms it from a barren selfish and separate element into a fruit-bearing living organic being.
Based on Derech Mitzvosecha by the Tzemach Tzedek.
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