Tzedakah as the deed that elevates to the root

וענין זקיפת ראש בכח השקלים דכתיב צדקה תרומם גוי דאיתא בזוה"ק מילין דלעילא בעי לאתערא בעובדא.

The idea of the "lifting of the head" through the power of the shekalim, as it is written "Tzedakah lifts up a nation" — for it is brought in the Zohar HaKadosh that matters of the upper world need to be awakened through a physical deed.

The half-shekel that "raises the head" of every Jew works through tzedakah, because spiritual realities above can only be drawn down when they are aroused through a concrete maaseh (action) here below.

ואחר שחטאנו בנעשה.

And after we sinned in the realm of "naaseh" (action).

The cheit ha'egel was a failure specifically in the dimension of doing — Bnei Yisrael had said "naaseh" (we will do), and it was that very dimension of action that was damaged.

התיקון בכח הצדקה שנק' מעשה כמ"ש והיה מעשה הצדקה שלום.

The tikkun (repair) is through the power of tzedakah, which is called "maaseh" (a deed), as it is written "and the deed of tzedakah shall be peace."

Since the sin was in the realm of action, the repair too must come through action — and tzedakah is the quintessential "deed," which is why the posuk calls it "the deed of tzedakah."

וכן כתיב האיש אשר עשיתי עמו כו' בועז.

And so it is written "the man with whom I did (kindness)…" — referring to Boaz.

Boaz embodied this same idea: chessed expressed as a deed that is "done," drawing kedushah into the world through action.

וזה עצמו מ"ש וחסד לאומים חטאת כי ע"י עובדא זו מתעלה כל אחד לשרשו.

And this itself is the meaning of "and the kindness of the nations is a sin" — for through this deed each one is elevated back to its root.

Even an act of chessed reaches back to its spiritual source; the same deed that elevates a Jew to his root can, in the nations, strengthen the wrong side — for any maaseh reconnects a thing to wherever it is rooted.

נמצא שגם בסט"א מתחזקין ע"י העובדא כדאיתא בזוה"ק פ' יתרו ובנ"י מתעלין לאחדות האמת בכח הצדקה:

It emerges that even the sitra achra (the "other side") is strengthened through the deed, as is brought in the Zohar HaKadosh in Parshas Yisro — while Bnei Yisrael are elevated to the true Oneness through the power of tzedakah.

A deed channels spiritual power to its source either way; when Bnei Yisrael give the shekalim and do tzedakah, their action draws them upward and binds them to the true Achdus (Oneness) of Hashem.

Summary: The half-shekel "raises the head" of every Jew because heavenly realities can only be drawn down through physical action; tzedakah is the deed that repairs the failure of "naaseh," and through it Bnei Yisrael are elevated and bound to the true Oneness of Hashem.