Ki Sisah Purim

The passuk says “The rich one shouldn’t add and the poor one shouldn’t lessen from the machatzis hashekel to give terumah to Hashem to atone for your nefesh.” The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh asks: why was only a half shekel given and not a whole shekel? Also, why couldn’t the rich and poor give as they wanted, each according to their desire?

The Ohr HaChaim answers that the machatzis hashekel was a kapparah for the making of the eigel hazahav. By creating the eigel we caused a separation and distance from the Shechina in each of the neshamos in Klal Yisroel. The half shekel was meant to remind us and make us recognize that we separated and are missing part of our closeness to Hashem. It was intended to bring back Yisroel to the Shechina and become complete with the full connection and closeness to Hashem. If everyone would give as they wanted it would defeat the purpose and idea of the chait and kapparah. Therefore, Hashem said specifically to give a half shekel, both rich and poor.

The Midrash brings that Hashem showed Moshe a coin of fire underneath the kisay hakavod. The Ohr HaChaim brings that our neshamos are rooted under the kisay hakavod as well. The coin of fire underneath the kisay hakavod was meant to express this idea; that by giving this coin, our neshamos will have a kesher and shleimus with the Shechina.

Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai taught his students that Klal Yisroel at the time of the Megilla was sentenced for destruction because they bowed down to the tzelem. Rashi explains that the bowing down was in the times of Nevuchadnetzar. Another Gemara brings that Haman made himself as avodah zarah and everyone in Shushan bowed down to him besides for Mordechai. If so, it would seem that this was the reason for the sentencing of the destruction of Klal Yisroel. The Maharsha answers that the bowing down to Haman in the times of Shushan was insufficient to make a decree to destroy all of Klal Yisroel, and therefore Rashbi’s reason is needed.

I’d like to explain based on the Ohr HaChaim the minhag to give machatzis hashekel before Purim. This is to remind us that by giving tzedakah we reconnect to the Shechina and overcome the estrangement between us and Hashem.

May Hashem help us return to the achdus and shleimus with the Shechina!