The Torah portion of Sisa begins with G-d telling Moshe that, when he takes a census of the Jewish nation, he should do so by having each individual give a half-shekel atonement offering. So powerful was this charity offering that, when Moshe was perplexed as to how the Jews could be uplifted, G-d told him that it would be accomplished by this half-shekel gift. What was so unique about this charitable act? Charity is, after all, a logical action; it was practiced even before the Torah was given. Moreover, acting in a charitable fashion is not limited to human beings; animals, too, can be charitable.

This half-shekel gift was therefore very different from all acts of tzedakah performed until then, and enabled the Jews to be uplifted to a far greater degree than they had yet experienced. This lofty manner of tzedakah is alluded to by the phrase "a coin of fire, whose weight was half a shekel" -- a combination of two opposite qualities. A coin possesses a definite shape and form, while fire has no distinct shape. What's more, fire rises, while the value of a half-shekel coin lies precisely in its weight. Because fire rises, it symbolizes the selfless desire to leave the physical and become one with our Source above, while the weight of a coin is symbolic of the heaviness of physicality that causes one to be dragged downward. The combination of these two opposites in the half-shekel - weightless and formless fire with weighted and shaped coin -- thus denotes a level of tzedakah that surpasses all limitations. Just as fire has no form and constantly strives upwards, so too with the highest manner of tzedakah -- it is given with fire and passion, and not as a result of one's emotions or intellect, or for the sake of reward, or even out of a desire to fulfill G-d's will, but simply -- like fire itself -- because of every Jew's formless, limitless and intrinsic response to G-d's command. Nevertheless, this ethereal tzedakah was given by means of a coin -- in a very tangible manner -- demonstrating that the ultimate tzedakah permeates the giver's entire physical being. (From: A Chassidic Dimension by Rabbi Sholom Ber Wineberg. Based on Sefer HaSichos 5749, Vol. I, pp. 280-287)

"The Levites did as Moshe had ordered, and approximately 3,000 people were killed that day." (32:28)QUESTION: Why were 3,000 people killed? ANSWER: Concerning this pasuk there is a wondrous Midrash which quotes the pasuk, "One who steals an ox and sells it or slaughters it -- 'Chamishah bakar yeshaleim tachat hashor' must pay back five oxen for the ox" (21:37). What is the connection between this pasuk and our subject? This Midrash can be explained as follows. King Shlomo says, "Echad mei'elef matzati ve'ishah bechol eileh lo matzati" -- "One man in a thousand I have found, but one woman among them I have not found" (Ecclesiastes 7:28). The Midrash on Ecclesiastes explains that the first part of the pasuk refers to the sin of the golden calf (a young ox -- see Rashi 32:4). It is telling that one of every 1,000 men committed the sin of worshipping it. The latter part of the pasuk refers to the fact that though the men proclaimed, "Eileh elohecha, Yisrael" -- "This is your god, O Israel" (32:8), not one Jewish woman participated in any way. The census of the Jewish community was 600,000. Thus, if one of every thousand sinned, then there were 600 sinners. The wondrous midrash is teaching that to atone for this grave iniquity, five people died for every single sinner. Consequently, the Levites killed a total of 3,000 people. (From VeDibarta Bam by Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky)

My father said: I am certain that when a Chasid is in the beit hamidrash teaching or reciting a maamar of Chassidus to others, my forebears are filled with joy; and their joy is adequate to provide that chassid, and his children and children;s children, with an abundance of blessing, materially and spiritually.(from: the rebbe's hayom yom - Adar 13).