30 | FEBRUARY 11 • 2021
SPIRIT
Cost of Atonement
T
his Shabbat, when we
read Parshat Mishpatim,
is the first day of Adar.
This week’s additional read-
ing for the month of Adar is
titled Parshat Shekalim;
in it is the Jewish peo-
ple’s half-shekel contri-
bution to the Mishkan,
the Tabernacle.
After the Jewish
people sinned with
the Golden Calf, God
commanded Moses to
tell the people to each
bring an atonement of
a half-shekel. From that
year onward, every Jew
was required to bring a
half-shekel to be used
for the purchase of
communal offerings.
Although this donation
became unnecessary after the
destruction of the Temple, we
read this portion as a replace-
ment for its actual fulfillment.
Here are three life lessons that
may be derived from this spe-
cific commandment:
1. “God’s love of each and every
Jew is infinitely greater than the
love of elderly parents for their
only child born to them in their
later years.
” (The Ba’al Shem Tov.)
The verse states, in regard to
the half-shekel: “The rich shall
give no more, and the poor shall
give no less than half a shekel,
with which to give the offering
to the Lord, to atone for your
souls” (Exodus 30:15). When it
comes to matters of the Jews’
relationship with God, there is
no elite status for someone who
is rich or who has any worldly
advantage. The requirement
upon every Jew equally rep-
resents the ultimate unification
which God has with every Jew,
regardless of achieved status.
2. “
A Jew does not desire to,
nor can he, separate himself
from God.
” (Rabbi Shneur
Zalman of Liadi.)
Why was it specifically a
half-shekel and not a full shek-
el? There is one commen-
tary which explains that
this alludes to the fact that
atonement for the soul is
only necessary for half of
the soul. There is always
the part of the soul that
remains as pure as ever
throughout the struggles
of the integrated (with the
body) part of the soul. This
unaltered portion is what
leaves us eternally bonded
with God and fellow Jews.
3. “One who brings a
substantial offering and
one who brings a meager offer-
ing have equal merit, provided
that he directs his heart toward
heaven.
” (Menachot 13:11).
When it comes to matters
of atonement and reconcilia-
tion for the Golden Calf, a sin
which has had repercussions
throughout Jewish history, the
question arises: How is it that a
half-coin donation is meaning-
ful enough to atone for this sin?
The Talmud tells us that this
question bothered no less than
Moses. God responded to Moses
by “taking a half-shekel coin of
fire from beneath His throne of
glory and telling Moses, ‘Like
this you shall give.
’’’ What is the
meaning of this Godly response?
It is not the quantity that counts,
but the quality.
There is no greater step
toward reconciliation than a
Jew who gives what seems to be
an insignificant half-shekel, but
given with a fire and passionate
yearning to return to God.
Rabbi Mendel Polter is a rabbi at the
Woodward Avenue Shul.
TORAH PORTION
Rabbi
Mendel
Polter
Parshat
Mishpatim:
Exodus
21:1-24:18; II
Kings 12:1-
17. (Shabbat
Shekalim)
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