@Moshe Green sent this very nice dvar Torah this week, it was in middle of a random thread that you possibly may not be following so I am forwarding it here...
I would like to share my vort on Parshas Shekalim. [If you are in a bathroom, please skip]
The Pasuk says, "The rich man should not give more (than a half Shekel) and the poor man should not give less."
My question is as follows. We know that the Torah talks in accordance to the Yetzer Hara. For example, because a person honors his mother more, the Torah says "Honor your father and mother", putting father first because it is the harder thing to do. This is opposed to holding ones parents in awe where the Pasuk says mother before father ("Your mother and father you should fear.")
If so, we know that "One who has 100 wants 200." That the more one has the more he wants. As we know, the rich man has a harder time giving away his money than an average person. Thus, the Torah should have said the opposite,
"The rich should not give less and the poor should not give more"!We must say that the definition of rich and poor is not how we generally think, that its about money and how much he has of it. The real definition of rich/poor is like the Mishnah says, "Who is rich? One who is happy with his lot".
Someone who is happy with all that he has and has the frame of mind that Hashem has given him everything he needs, will be in such a state of euphoria that he will constantly be wanting to give. More and more. Thus when the Torah tells him to give 1/2 a Shekel, he'll want to give 10. 20. 100! No, says the Torah. "Stop at 1/2".
But the one who always feels lacking. That he never has enough. He will have such a hard time giving even the 1/2. I need that money for myself. How can i afford it? The Torah tells him, "1/2! Nothing less."