Parashat Ki Tisa – Opening Questions

Why was there a need to give half-shekels?
Why did Moshe's absence prompt the people to make the Golden Calf? How could Aharon have played a lead role in its creation?
How does the census taken in the first year of the nation's travels relate to that taken in the beginning of the second year?
How, if at all, does the command to build the Mishkan relate to the Sin of the Golden Calf?
What does "פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים" mean? Are children punished for their parents' sins?

Parashat Ki Tisa/Questions