[Avodah] HALF A SHEKEL IS BETTER THAN NONE

[Cantor Wolberg]

As you know, this Shabbos is Shabbos Shekalim as well as Shabbos M'vorchim.  I'm reminded of the Hazzan who was chanting the Rosh Chodesh Bentching and was very careful not to repeat words.  But he had to fit the melody to the prayer so he sang ".....chayim she parnoso, chayim shel shekalim....."  At least the uninformed realized it was Shabbos Shekalim.

The Mishna Meg. 3:4 explains in the days of the monarchy, the shekel tax had become a permanent institution, and its proceeds together with other freewill offerings were used to maintain and repair the Temple (ll Kings 12:15-17; 22:3-7).
Since the shekel tax was due on the first of Nisan, the Rabbis ordained that this section (30:11-16) be read as an added Torah portion about a month before: on the Shabbos before the new moon of Adar or on Rosh Chodesh itself, if it fell on Shabbos. Because of this added reading the Sabbath has become known as Shabbos Shekalim. (There is also a talmudic treatise called Shekalim).  L’havdil, as a side, Christian Scriptures, Matthew 17:27, notes that Peter paid the tax for both himself and his master.
The Zionist movement at its first congress (1897) revived the shekel as a common expression of support for Eretz Yisroel. The number of shekel holders became an indication of the strength of political Zionism.  There were 165,000 in 1907 and in 1946 there were 2,160,000.

In Yalkut Me'am Lo'ez. Sh’mos, Vol.lll, pp. 1068-1069, the question is asked why the sum chosen for expiation was fixed at one-half shekel (30:15). The reason was because Joseph had been sold into Egypt by his brothers for twenty dinars, i.e. five shekels. There being ten brothers, this amounted to a profit of one-half shekel for each.

Another explanation:  It was expiation for the sin of the golden calf.
(Though this sin is told later, in chapter 32, the comment is based on the talmudic principle of Ein mukdam um'uchar baTorah.  This same issue is raised in Mishpatim because Ch.24 shifts from the laws, that have been the subject of the Sidrah, back to the Revelation at Sinai.  There is a machlokes among the m'forshim regarding when the events in this chapter took place.  According to Rashi, the events recorded in verses 1-11 occurred before the Ten Commandments were given.
Ramban, Ibn ezra, Rashbam, among others, maintain that these events took place after Israel had received the Ten Commandments and Moses had taught them the laws of the previous 3 chapters. 
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