Half Shekel, The

The Torah reading of the Shabbat that falls on or before Adar is supplemented with G‑d's commandment to Moses regarding the giving of the half-shekel.

The Shabbat before Purim is Shabbat Zachor. The day before Purim (in most years) is the Fast of Esther. Learn about the significance of these days and their associated observances.

Eyeing the Half-Shekel giving that enables national-census taking, we see Moses being shown a fiery coin; begging the obvious question: why the superfluous visual aid? A full investigation of this conundrum leads us into a passionate place of parallel per...

Why do we give a haf-shekel to charity, and why is it done on Taanit Esther?

Study the daily lesson of Sefer HaMitzvos for day 59 with Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, where he teaches the mitzvah in-depth with added insight and detail.

Payment of a ransom is merely a transaction in this material world, but has far reaching effects in the spiritual domain.

As someone who struggles with "Blackberry on the Brain," and with the difficulty of being truly present whilst feeling torn in multiple directions, my friend's words struck a chord. How DOES one become "present"?

"Half doesn't mean twins," explained Mr. Gold. "Half means that a person is only complete with G‑d as our other half. Each of us is different, but also each person is a half..."

Seemingly empty words and accompanying gestures that are even less sincere. They're not fooling G‑d, so why bother wasting time having people act out a meaningless charade?

In terms of today's money, what would be the value of the biblical half shekel? Maimonides writes (Laws of Shekalim 1:5) that the half shekel mentioned in the Torah – the annual contribution every Jew was required to give to the Temple coffers – is equal ...