Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life

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From our SPIRITUAL LEADER

March, 2023

 

Dear Coalition Community,

Purim arrives this month, and with it we also arrive at one of the most interesting customs in the Jewish

holiday cycle. It surrounds the zecher l’machatzit hashekel, the commemoration of the half shekel that was

given during Temple times. The original practice is named during a special Torah reading on Parshat

Shekalim, one of the four special readings that come during Adar and Nisan leading between Purim and

Passover. In the reading, a half shekel is given as a donation to the Temple treasury for the purchase of

items for the Temple service. Three half shekel are also given on account of the three times the word

Terumah- donation- is mentioned in connection with this mitzvah in the Torah (Shemot 30:11- 16).

The custom as it happens in the contemporary Jewish world is to give a half of the going currency in the

land in which one resides. In Israel, this would be a half N.I.S. for a total of 1.5 N.I.S. In the United States,

this would be a half dollar for a total of $1.50. Shekel simply means “weight” and relates to the weight of a

coin. Because of that, some people give the amount in the actual weight of silver, which would be

considerably more, closer to $8-$9.

 

There are several opinions as to who exactly is obligated to give this amount and when. The custom is to

give at least a half shekel (or half-dollar) for each member of one’s household (men, women, and

children). Even for a large family, this need not amount to more than a few dollars at a minimum. Or, you

can give each person the full half shekel weight and invite them to designate it to a charity of their

choosing. And although people can really give this tzedakah anytime during the holiday, it is customary to

do so right before the holiday begins – during the fast of Esther that occurs the day before Purim.

Not many people have silver half dollars or even half dollar coins readily available for this purpose. I

remember when I was a little kid my grandfather would often give me a half dollar coin. It was strange;

larger than the other coins I would have and it looked slightly different. It made it special. Now, you can

just make your donation using an online feature from any number of Jewish websites that offer you the

opportunity to perform the mitzvah of machatzit hashekel.

 

An observer of this custom might ask the question: why a half Shekel and not a whole one? Many

scholars offer that this teaches us that no Jew is complete on their own. We need one another. Now more

than ever, community is something that calls us in and helps us feel grounded and centered. If we are on

our own without any community, we are only “half” of what we could be. And in a world that is ever-more

siloed into our social media, news streams, and even our own truths – what could be a more important

lesson?

 

In the Bible, this story of the half Shekel brings with it a sense of everyone belonging to a community

through their small but meaningful contribution. Today, our commemoration of this practice carries with

it not only the practical financial assistance to others in need but also the symbolic gesture of a deep

desire to feel whole again in a world where we, at times, feel alone and broken.

 

May we rejoice together this Purim, as a community that is called to do the holy work of gathering, of

celebrating, and of offering our half Shekel as one half that makes us whole.

 

Kol Tuv (Be Well),

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Rabbi James

 

 

TZEDAKAH APPEAL:

During this desperate time for many, we think of and reach out to the many who are struggling.

HIAS : “Welcome the Stranger. Protect the Refugee” The oldest refugee agency in the world, established in 1902 as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. http://hias.org

American Jewish Committee: addressing challenges Jews are facing worldwide, defending Democratic values for all. ajc.org

 

YOUR ASSISTANCE, PLEASE:

The New Milford Historical Society & Museum  is beginning work on a new exhibit entitled The Jewish Experience in New Milford.  David Cohen, a trustee of the Museum and Coalition member, is spearheading this initiative. The team is also reaching out to those in surrounding towns as well.

If anyone would like to be interviewed or has any historical information, photos or other artifacts relevant to this project, please contact David on behalf of the team at: davidxxcohen@gmail.com or 917.902.0864

 

JEWISH News and Culture:

https://jewishinsider.com

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/

https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org

https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/language-literature-culture/the-shmooze

 

ENLIGHTENMENT and ENTERTAINMENT FROM YOUR SITE LIBRARY

Go to“Learn” tab, scroll down to “Jewish Resources” and click  “MY JEWISH LEARNING” (or go directly to MyJewishLearning.com).

Here you’ll find an aggregator that is regularly updated with a huge breadth of content and all sorts of goodies and surprises!

For example, the“Daily Guide to Zoom Events, Livestream and Other Online Resources.” Among the wide range of subjects, programs and activities you’ll see here are: “The Only Jewish Miss America” (Museum of Jewish Heritage), “Mindfulness Melodies” (Jewish Life in Maine), “Art as a Spiritual Practice,” A Midwives, Musicians, Soldiers and Rabbis: Whose Stories will Become History?,” “Bioethics During a Pandemic,” etc., etc.

And other treats too! Recipes for the holidays and everyday: “Potato Chip Schnitzel, Shwarma Chicken Kabobs, Roasted Butternut Squash with Orange Tahini, Briskett Tacos, Ethiopian Red Lentil Soup,” etc., etc…

Come visit and linger, you’ll be glad you did!

 

The Jewish Together MARKETPLACE OF EXPERIENCES

https://marketplace.jewishtogether.org

 

OTHER RECOMMENDED MEDIA

“The Swimmers,” on NETFLIX.

 

MEMBER PICKS…

FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE

A Pigeon and a Boy,” by Meir Shalev

Review: “A powerful novel of two love stories, separated by half a century but connected by one enchanting act of devotion — of how deeply we love, of what home is, and why we, like pigeons trained to fly in one direction only, must eventually return to it…”

 

My Russian Grandmother and her American Vacuum Cleaner,” also by Meir Shalev

Review: “A charming tale of family ties, over-the-top housekeeping, and the sport of storytelling in the small village of Nahalal…”

 

“The Baron, TYCOON Baron Maurice de Hirsch (1831-1896) by Matthias b. Lehmann

Review: “Philanthropy combines genuine compassion with the display of power”

In his lifetime, Hirsch was a giant of the “gilded age of Jewish philanthropy.” He was a German-born Jew who lived in a palace in Paris and kept his office in Vienna. He cut his biggest deal, a railway, with the Ottoman sultan.  (When Hercule Poirot took the Orient Express, his train ran on Hirsch’s tracks!)

Hirsch funded schools and vocational training for Jewish communities not only in the Ottoman cities, but the Russian Pale, the French colonies of North Africa and in large areas of Argentina. The Jewish Colonization Association, the vehicle for his Argentine settlements, was the largest charitable organization in the world at a time when philanthropy was the principal form of Jewish political action…”

 

Visit LINKS OF INTEREST (on this site under “For Members” tab) to read an excerpt of an essay on Baron de Hirsch, his vision and involvement with Jewish farming in Connecticut.

 

ACTIVITIES TO CONSIDER

The Great Courses,  learn a language, instrument or subject; create something new or master a skill… and more. www.TheGreatCourses.com 

jigsawplanet.com — Jigsaw puzzles. Be forewarned, (mildly) addictive!