In this week's parsha we continue to learn about the Mishkan - the place of hashra’as haShechina in this world - and its keilim - the tools for connecting to Hashem.
Let us analyse the yesod of the Mishkan and examine how it facilitates our connection to Hashem.
Shabbos Shekalim
This week is Shabbos Shekalim. Each member of Klal Yisrael was required to donate half a shekel every year to the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash. In addition, in the midbar, Klal Yisrael donated half shekels as a method by which they could be counted.
What is the significance of the machatzis ha’shekel and what can we learn from its avoda?
The machatzis ha’shekel coins were used to buy the sockets, the adanim, which held up the krashim around the Mishkan. They were the Mishkan’s base. There were 100 adanim in total. The Ba’al Ha’turim explains that they corresponded to the one hundred brachos a Yid recites every day.
The machatzis ha’shekel served to atone for the chet ha’egel, which was an act of avoda zara and lack of emuna. The adanim which atoned for it, were thus a symbol of emuna. It is therefore apt that they represent the one-hundred brachos recited, which serve as a statement of emuna, numerous times each day.
Why, though, was only a half-shekel donated? Surely, if they represented emuna, they should have comprised a complete shekel?
