There are four parshiot that are read in the Purim-Pesach season. Shekalim, Zachor, Para and Parashat HaChodesh.
Today we will discuss Parashat Shekalim, which is read on the Shabbat prior to Rosh Hodesh Adar. It’s based on a Mishnah in Megilah (29b) that tells us to read Shekalim this Shabbat. The reason for this is that the fiscal cycle of Korbanot started in Nisan, and therefore, the offerings had to come from new monies, which had to be dedicated.
We read it in our times because, as some say, we want to remember what happened in the times of the Bet HaMikdash, when it was read originally. Another opinion is that it’s more than a remembrance. There’s a rule that whenever you can’t do something, you should learn about or read about it. So by reading about it, Hashem considers it like you gave it yourself.
A third reason brought down is from the Yerushalmi, based specifically on the connection to Purim.
We read Shekalim before Purim because the Machasit HaShekel that we gave before the story of Haman offset the money that Haman wanted to give Ahashverosh to pay for the Jewish people.
How does one offset the other?
There are different reasons given.
One is an Ahavat Yisrael message. Haman said, “There is a nation that is scattered and disbursed,” so the person gives a half- shekel in order to show that he is only a half, until he is united with his brother. That fixes the sins of the Jewish people during the times of Haman.
Another reason it fixes the sin is that they learned about the Machasit HaShekel in the times of Haman, when the Bet HaMikdash wasn’t yet rebuilt, because they believed that the Bet HaMikdash would be rebuilt. So it was their reading and giving of the Machasit HaShekel that showed their bitachon.
The Yaarot Devash says that this is what offset the sins of the Jewish people on the times of Purim.
What was their sin? According to many, they went to the party.
What was wrong with that?
The reason for the party was, that based on Ahashverosh’s calculations, he believed that Yirmiyah’s prophecy of the exile returning after 70 years had not come to pass. Ahashverosh thought the 70 years were up (he was off by a few years) so he made the party to celebrate that God would never redeem the Jewish people. And he wore the Kohen Gadol’s clothing to the party. He served his food and drink in the vessels of the Bet HaMikdash, and he invited the Jews, in order to instill despair in their hearts. That is why Mordechai told them not to go to the party. He knew that it was a plot contrived in order to plant despair in their hearts. But they didn’t listen to Mordechai, and many people did despair. They felt that God completely left them, that He was hiding Himself completely.
After the party, where they saw Ahashverosh wearing the Kohen Gadol’s clothing, and thought the 70 years had passed, they felt that they would never get out of the exile. That was their sin.
How do you fix that sin? With Machasit HaShekel. By saying, “No we don’t yet have the Bet HaMikdash, but we will learn the laws and read about it, because we will have a Bet HaMikdash. We aren’t giving up on it.”
This is a timely topic for us. As Russia invades the Ukraine, people start looking for, and finding, sources that say that when Russia invades Ukraine, Mashiach is coming. We know that we can’t read signs and symbols of history, but that is not the point. The point is that Mashiach can come any day. We always have to say that we have to do Teshuva with because Mashiach is coming. Russia invaded Ukraine! It is going to happen. Mashiach will come. It is the time of year. It’s happening as we are about to announce Rosh Hodesh Adar. And if we believe in Mashiach, Mashiach comes. Don’t give up. That is the second reason for how the Machasit HaShekel statement of belief offsets the sin of despair.
To recap,
The first reason was that the sin of lack of unity and dissension was fixed by by everyone giving a half-coin. Two halves make a whole.
The second reason is that we offset the despair with the hope of the Machasit HaShekel.
And the third reason brought down by the sefarim is that the Machasit HaShekel is counted as an indicator that Hashem is watching over the Jewish people. Every single person is counted, and the Kli Yakar says that this is an indicator that we are under God’s Hashgacha. To this day, God knows who we are and what we are doing. That counters Haman, who comes from Amalek, who denies God’s involvement in our lives. It says of Amalek, “Karecha Baderech,” which can either mean they cooled everyone off, or that they attributed everything to coincidence (from the term Mikreh/happenstance).
Yalkut Shemoni on Esther says that Haman says, Yeshno Am Echad, which can mean, “There is a certain people,”
but it can also mean, “The Jewish God is sleeping.”
To that, God says that He doesn’t sleep. He watches over the Jewish nation all the time. And God promised that from sleeping, Haman would go down. Hashem controlled the dreams of Ahashverosh and got into his sleep.
We are offsetting the beliefs of Haman, by saying we believe in God’s involvement in individual supervision, by counting with Machasit HaShekel.
So we have three things to think about this week.
1-unity
2- don’t despair
3- God is watching over us.
Have a Shabbat Shalom, and a wonderful beginning of these great days of the Purim- Pesach season.