The Torah describes the machzit ha-shekel collection in the context of the census as a form of "kapparah". This reference recurs four times in the space of the five pesukim (Shemot 30:12-16- "kofer nafsho", "lechaper al nafshoteichem", "kesef ha-kipurim", "lechaper al nafshoteichem") detailing the process. Moreover, the Torah indicates that the machzit hashekel collection which equates poor and wealthy Jews and demands a cooperative effort staves of calamity ("negef"). Why is the notion of census so problematic?
Rashi (30:12) explains that counting a large group entails the concept of ayin ha-ra, an abandonment of tzeniut that renders the nation vulnerable to other forces. While the precise nature of the concept is somewhat mysterious, the notion of ayin ha-ra is often associated with gratuitous publicity and excessive transparency that undermines tzeniut, the embodiment of subtlety, refinement and dignity. Sometimes a measure of ambiguity is far more conducive to spiritual categories and goals. The laws of hezek reiyah that protect and enforce privacy as a legal right are often linked to this idea of ayin-ha-ra (See Chidushei ha-Ramban, Bava Batra 59a). According to the midrash (parshat Miketz), Yaakov counseled his sons to enter Egypt surreptitiously precisely to avoid the gratuitous attention that would engender ayin-hara. The gemara declares that "ein ha-berachah mezuyah ela min hasamui le-ayin" (blessing is linked to the unknown or undefined - Bava Metzia 42a). The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim, 3:8) argues that Hebrew is invested with holiness and referred to as lashon ha-kodesh precisely because it subtly conveys certain physical functions, avoiding more precise, yet graphic terminology. (See Pesachim 3a, and Ramban's critique of this view- Shemot 30:13.) Chazal tell us that the first luchot were ill-fated because they were accompanied by excessive publicity and unfettered transparency (shaltah bahen ayin ha-ra - Rashi 32:3). The Ramban (Bamidbar 1:2) expands upon this theme. He explains that the danger of excessive transparency dictates that every census is halachically problematic, requiring justification and kapparah. (See Chidushei Rabbenu ha-Grim al ha-Torah, Ki Tisa).
The antidote to this condition engendered by the census process is a reaffirmation of the centrality of privacy, modesty and personal obscurity. The guidelines employed in the machzit ha-shekel collection which stressed the equality and insufficiency of each individual, obscured personal wealth and individual contribution effectively fostering these qualities.
The census is problematic from another perspective, as well. By enumerating individuals to measure the nation, the census eroded the pure collective character of the nation that necessarily transcends its individual constituent components. Halachic life is experienced on both individual and national planes. While individuals are subject to halachic obligations, many mitzvot require a quorum or other communal forums for implementation. Moreover, the full complement of 613 mitzvot that chazal assert are patterned after various parts of a single human organism require collective effort. Parshat Keriat Shema, embodying kabbalat ol malchut shamayim is written with an individual focus, while the companion section of ve-hayah im shamoa, conveying kabbalat ol mitzvot, addresses the collective. The integrated collective dimension of Jewish nationhood establishes the principle of collective legal responsibility (kol Yisrael areivim zeh la-zeh) and is a particularly singular aspect of kedushat Yisrael.
The census, even when necessary, has the unintended and unwanted impact of reducing the national collective to a quantity of individuals. Moreover, it does not appear to promote the personal contribution of each individual either since it simply relates to everyone as an anonymous number. The methodology of counting by means of uniformly collecting half shekels irrespective of individual wealth redressed this flaw by underscoring the themes of collective and joint effort (See Perush of R. Moshe Alshikh).
The Kli Yakar notes that the term "nisiat rosh" used in connection with the census, implying an elevating or edifying experience, signifies the uniqueness and superiority of Jewish nationhood. He explains that Moshe's census does reflect the idea of personal input and individual contribution, as each individual was worthy of a separate count. He bases this view on the halachic principle that anything that is worth counting is endowed with individual stature and cannot be overlooked (ein davar she-beminyan batel). In light of our analysis of the kapparah theme of machzit ha-shekel, one might add that the willingness and capacity of a nation of singular individuals to practice self-effacement and tzeniut, as well as to blend uniformly into a single integrated national identify of Klal Yisrael is elevating, indeed.