Skip to main content

Shekalim 1

Parent and Child: Rabbi Shlomo Kluger (Kehillat Yaakov; Shekalim 1) explains that when the Holy One, Blessed is He, created a person with a body and soul, He gave them as a gift to the person.

We belong to ourselves, and God relates to us as independent children. However, when we rebel against God, it is considered as if we have stolen the gift of our lives from the Creator. A thief who cannot repay what he has stolen is sold into slavery to pay his debt. It is impossible for us to repay the Creator for the gift of life, and we are sold, so to speak, into slavery. When we offer the Half Shekel we are paying half the debt, the second half is forgiven by God, Who never completely lets go of the relationship of parent to child.

 

The Half-Shekel is a statement that we are acting in partnership with God, our Father. One must have intention that he is giving his half of the shekel together with God. One should focus on God as a loving parent when giving the Half Shekel. 


By: Machberes Avodas Hashem

Labels:

Comments

  1. Partners In Prayer InsightsFebruary 9, 2021 at 8:26 PM

    Is seems as if we are offering our Half a Shekel so to speak every time we daven; as we acknowledge the gifts He has given us, and He completes our tefilla, with His Half when he is Machazir Neshamos Lifgarim Maisim

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Birchat Hamazon

By: Machberes Avodas Hashem The Chafetz Chaim taught: "At the conclusion of the main portion of Grace after Meals we add a series of,' May the All Merciful.' We add numerous such petitions, indicating that a request to God after the performance of a mitzvah is especially acceptable before Him (Michtevei haRav Chafetz Chaim, page 45)." One of the primary issues of the Exile is, "You wrapped Yourself in a cloud that no prayer can pierce (Lamentations 3:44)." It is more difficult to pray during the Three Weeks than other times during the year because we experience this "cloud." With COVID unfortunately around, this year proves to be even more difficult because our time in shul has changed drastically, and we have never experienced the pain of the three weeks while in a situation similar to the present state of the world. We can use this strategy of the Chafetz Chaim, that of praying immediately after the performance of a mitzvah, so that we may feel t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Koneh Hakol

 In the first Blessing of the Amidah when it says Hashem is " Koneh Hakol " it does not mean Hashem bought it all, or He acquired it since He made it! The son of the Vilna Gaon quotes his father, as explaining  Koneh Hakol to mean He's Mitaken (fixing)  everything.  Therefore Hashem inserted in the creation the ability to fix everything! Which is what the Torah  refers to in the Parshas Lech Licha, in the verse about Avram Avinu being one that was a Mitaken , one who made things right, improved  ie. the of Heaven and Earth, וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖הוּ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר בָּר֤וּךְ אַבְרָם֙ לְאֵ֣ל עֶלְי֔וֹן קֹנֵ֖ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ  (Genesis, 14:19) He blessed him, saying, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. Concept shared by Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, n''y (Parshas Lech Licha -10-25-2020)
Post a Comment
Read more

Creation

 All was destroyed during the month of Av. Creation began on Elul, and, so it will again. We recite this prayer for the New Month focusing on Creation. “God created the world in order to do good to an other (Derech Hashem 1:2:1).” Creation was an expression of absolute love, the “other” had done nothing to earn it. This is why Elul, the month of Creation is also the month of intense love between God and Israel. I recite this prayer imaging myself participating in the final Heavenly planning meetings before Creation. I am not praying as one who has already existed and experienced success and failure, but as one who has the opportunity to see the world before Creation, and request in this moment of intense love all that I could possibly need and want. I use this prayer to prepare for all my Elul prayers until the 25th of the month when Creation began. For what shall I ask? What will I need to succeed? How will I define success? What do I hope to achieve? Rabbi Simcha Weinberg
Post a Comment
Read more