By the Sinai revelation, the Jewish people attained a lofty Divine status and a marriage-like union with Hashem. After they sinned with the Golden Calf — “like a bride who is disloyal to her groom while still under the wedding canopy,” in the words of the Sages — Hashem enabled them to gain atonement by building Him a Mishkan where He would once again dwell amongst them. Many Jews died as a punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf. In order to show the preciousness of each Jew to Hashem, He told Moshe to count by having them each contribute a half-shekel coin toward the silver foundation bases of the Mishkan. Thus, the giving of the half-shekel served multiple related purposes: atonement for the sin, the counting of the people after the punishment for the sin, and the building of the Mishkan to house Hashem’s presence that departed as a result of the sin. A full shekel weighs 20 gerah of silver, so the half-shekel weighs 10 gerah. Women are not obligated to contribute, but they may do so if they wish.

The Midrash relates that when Hashem told Moshe that the Jewish people could atone for their sin by means of a monetary contribution, he was taken aback. How could any amount of money rectify the spiritual damage of cosmic proportions that was caused by the sin of the Golden Calf? Hashem told him, “I do not place upon people demands that are beyond their capabilities.” He withdrew a coin of fire from beneath His Throne of Glory and told Moshe, “This is what they should give” (Bamidbar Rabbah 12:3). One interpretation of this Midrash is that when the Jewish people contributed toward the making of the Golden Calf, they were guilty of shifting their love away from Hashem and onto an idol. Now they would reverse this sin at its root by rededicating their love to Hashem and contributing toward His service. Although they would only give a single coin, this would be done with fiery devotion, thus returning glory to Hashem’s Throne of Glory. In this way, their limited physical acts would assume an unlimited spiritual form. Although they would each provide only a minuscule contribution, Hashem in His great mercy derives great satisfaction from His people’s deeds by focusing on the loving intention in our hearts.

This mitzvah includes the requirement to give a half-shekel in the Adar that precedes Nissan to pay for the communal offerings and other expenses, and there is a corresponding enactment of the Sages to read the passage of this mitzvah in the Shabbos before Adar. In this way, the offerings belong to and represent every Jew equally. In addition, these contributions provide atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf whose effects reverberate until this day. Hashem told Moshe, “Just as the heads of the Jewish people that became lowered in shame due to their sin will now become raised in dignity through the half-shekel coins, so will their heads become raised every year when they read the passage of this mitzvah” (Midrash Tanchuma). By reading this passage, even without actually giving the coin, we awaken a fiery desire to give to Hashem, and we thereby atone for the fiery desire to give toward the Golden Calf (Sfas Emes, Shekalim 5631). The coins are made of silver, kessef, which is related to the word kissufim, meaning, loving desire (Shem MiShmuel, Mishpatim 5675).

Although the mitzvah of the half-shekel does not apply when there is no Beis HaMikdash, we may attain atonement through acts of charity. If a Jew does not give charity, Hashem may cause gentiles to take money from him against his will to bring about the necessary atonement (Bava Basra 9a). There is also a custom to give three half-shekels corresponding to the three times the word terumah, donation, is written in the passage of the half-shekel, by the Minchah prayer of Taanis Esther, in remembrance of this mitzvah (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 694:1).

To be continued