Parshas Mishpatim (Shekalim) 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- 4 hours ago
- 1 min read
על פי כל כסף הקדשים כסף נפשות ערכו כל כסף אשר יעלה על לב איש (מלכים ב' יב-ה)
The Jewish people were instructed to contribute a Machatzis HaShekel - a half-shekel coin to the treasury of the Bais Hamikdash. This was a way to take a public census, as well as money to upkeep the Mishkan. Similarly, due to the public’s lack of care, the young King Yoash and Yehoyada, the Kohen Gadol, institutionalized a system to ensure that there would always be sufficient funds to keep the Bais Hamikdash clean and beautiful.
R’ Pinchas ben Pilta zt”l (Bris Shalom) explains that the posuk, “the money of the value of the people … to bring to the house of Hashem,” is meant to be understood that because Jews are never allowed to be counted, the worth of the Machatzis HaShekel coin was meant to be a substitute to the actual human being (Megilla 29b). However, as we know, human life is priceless so how can one ever evaluate the value of a human soul?
Chazal tell us that the “Machatzis HaShekel” donation was given with“money which comes from a man's heart,” and the same coin was given whether the person was wealthy or poor. The purpose of this was to create a unity amongst the Jewish people and even though the coin itself might have been of little value, it was HOW the half-shekel coin was given that made all the difference.
Ultimately, the motive, not the societal class of the giver, was the deciding factor in evaluating the value of the Machatzis HaShekel coin.