In the Midrash, Chazal suggest that this “jewelry” symbolizes a deeper spiritual entity. The golden ring of a half shekel alludes to the machatzis ha’shekel, the half shekel which each Jew gave for the Mishkan ; the two bracelets represent the two luchos which were joined together; and the ten-shekel weight denotes the Aseres Ha’Dibros which were engraved on the luchos. We must endeavor to understand the underlying message of these pieces of jewelry.
Horav Mordechai Rogov z.l., implies that the lessons to be gleaned from the machatzis ha’shekel and the luchos with the Aseres Ha’Dibros underscore the foundations for building an everlasting, harmonious marriage. The half shekel or ,kdkdk gec, which each Jew was implored to give, teaches us that one must take the last coin in his pocket and divide it to share with the Mikdash or with another Jew who does not have his own means of support.
The word gec means “to split”. We must take whatever we have and share it with others. Yitzchak’s message to Rivkah was simple. A marriage must be founded and maintained upon the noble concepts of tzeddakah, charity, and chesed, kindness.
The two luchos are joined together as one with the Ten Commandments, five on each tablet representing the mitzvos between man and Hashem and man and his fellow man. The configuration of the luchos also teaches an important lesson. The relationship man shares with his fellow man and the one he shares with Hashem must be joined together in total symmetry. If one “tablet” is missing, if an individual assumes that social welfare and sensitivity to his fellow man is all important, while his affinity to Torah and mitzvos is given cursory acknowledgment, he is woefully mistaken. Indeed, it is man’s relationship with Hashem which should inspire him and govern his concern for his fellow man.
The goal of marriage is to unite two diverse individuals into one being. This is a remarkable, if not almost impossible, undertaking. What joins them together? What is the bonding agent which sustains this union? Just as the symbolic design of the luchos implies, it is the couple’s fidelity to Hashem and the adherence of each to Torah and mitzvos which nurtures and preserves their marriage.
A home that is founded upon loyalty and obedience to the Almighty, one in which each partner shares the same hashkafos, philosophy of life, one in which each one strives for the same style of spiritual ascendency, can endure. Yitzchak’s message to Rivkah is timeless: just as the mitzvos on each of the two luchos must be observed in unison, so, too, must a couple’s spiritual observance play an active role in their marriage.
