Shekalim

Overview

Parshas Shekalim is the first of the four special parshiyos, read on or before Rosh Chodesh Adar. It recounts the mitzvah of the half-shekel that every Jew contributed equally toward the communal offerings of the Mishkan and Temple, recalling the annual collection that funded the public korbanos. Its themes are the equal inner worth of every soul, self-nullification into the collective (klal), and tzedakah as a vehicle of teshuvah from love, whereby the individual is lifted above nature and rejoined to his eternal root.

Themes

• The half-shekel's inner point
• Self-nullification into the klal
• Teshuvah me'ahavah
• Tzedakah elevates above nature
• Individual completes the collective
• The fiery coin of the soul

Must-read teachings

1. 1Shekalim awakens inner will and teshuvah me'ahavah"On the first of Adar they announce concerning the shekalim" (Shekalim 1:1). The Sefas Emes opens with the Mishnah's statement that the public call to bring the half-shekel goes out at the start of Adar. Why in Adar? He asks why this partic…תרל"א
2. 2Shekalim restores the eternal rootChazal expounded "lift up the head" (Shemos 30:12) — that Moshe Rabbeinu raises up the head of Bnei Yisrael. The command to "lift the head" through the counting is read as Moshe Rabbeinu elevating Klal Yisrael, restoring their dignity and s…תרנ"ב
3. 3Tzedakah elevates above nature"When you take (ki sisa)…" — Chazal said that when we read Parshas Shekalim, Moshe Rabbeinu raises up the head of Bnei Yisrael, as it is written: "Tzedakah uplifts a nation, but the kindness of the peoples is sin." (Mishlei 14:34) The very …תרנ"ט
4. 4Generosity's root connects Yisrael to Hashem"And they shall take for Me a terumah (portion)," etc. In the Midrash: "A good acquisition (lekach tov) I have given you," etc. — a purchase contains gold and silver, etc. The Midrash (on Shemos 25:2) reads "lekach tov" — Hashem's gift of T…תרל"ו
5. 5Ransoming the soul by dedicating the will"When you lift up the head of Bnei Yisrael... each man shall give a ransom (kofer) for his soul (nefesh)..." (Shemos 30:12). The Sefas Emes opens with the command of the half-shekel — a "ransom for the soul" given when the heads of Bnei Yis…תרס"ד
6. 6Half-shekel as departure from physicalityConcerning the shekalim: "twenty gerah is the shekel…" (Shemos 30:13). The Sefas Emes opens his discussion of the half-shekel and the meaning of its measure of twenty gerah. For it is written, "How beautiful are your footsteps… O daughter o…תרנ"ג
7. 7Half-shekel lifts the head after sinIn the Midrash: "Many say of my soul (there is no salvation for it)… but You, Hashem, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head" (Tehillim 3:3-4). Even when others despair of a person, Hashem remains his shield and lift…תרנ"ה
8. 8Generosity from below arouses Hashem's loveIn the Midrash: "Many waters cannot extinguish… the love…" (Shir HaShirim 8:7). The Sefas Emes opens with the verse that no flood of waters can put out the love between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael. For we see that after all the sin, Bnei Yisrae…תרמ"א