<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">The Baal Haturim explains that the gematria of the word esrim (twenty), which is the weight of the half-shekel is 620. This is the same gematria for the words <i>ashir v'dal</i> -- the rich and the poor man. This shows that there is no difference between the wealthy and the poor. All Jews are of equal value in order to achieve atonement. Also, the obligation of the <i>machatzis ha-shekel</i> begins at the age of twenty (<i>esrim</i>). <div><br></div><div>Another interesting observation is that there are 613 mitzvos and an additional 7 d'rabbanan which are: 1) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#120B0A">Washing hands [before a meal and before the morning prayers], 2) making </font></span></font><i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#120B0A">eruvin,</font></span></font></i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#120B0A"> 3) reciting brochos, 4) kindling the </font></span></font><i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#120B0A">Shabbos</font></span></font></i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#120B0A"> lights, 5) reading the </font></span></font><i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#120B0A">Megillah,</font></span></font></i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#120B0A"> 6) commemorating Chanukah, and 7) reciting </font></span></font><i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#120B0A">Hallel<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">,</span></font></span></font></i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#120B0A"> (</font></span></font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; ">equalling 620). AND... there are 620 letters in the Aseres Hadibros and the same gematria for <i>kesser </i>(<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">crown</span></b> of the Torah).</span></span></div><div><br></div><div>Kol tuv.</div><div>ri</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 13px; ">"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; <br>if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."<br>--Mark Twain</span><br><div><br></div></div></body></html>