By Marco Del Monte
Shabbat Shekalim, Rosh Chodesh
In the Jewish tradition, the concept of coincidence does not exist: whenever particular encounters or events occur, one should reflect on the profound meaning of that tapestry of events.
This Shabbat we will read the parashah of Terumah, but also Parashat Shekalim and, just to make sure we miss nothing, it will also be Rosh Chodesh.
The question we might ask is: what could link these three parashot? I believe it is interesting to try to outline a common thread, starting from an extraordinary concept: the anticipation of good prior to the potential appearance of evil; in other words, preparing in advance all the resources that will allow us to face a probable crisis situation. One of the fundamental principles of Divine Hashgachah (Providence) is that Hashem always anticipates the cure to the illness (Megillah 13b). In the parashah of Terumah, Hashem commands the people to collect contributions to build the Mishkan. Some commentators, among them Ramban and Ibn Ezra, state that the construction of the Mishkan preceded the sin of the Golden Calf and was even considered a reparation for that sin. But how could that be so if the sin had not yet occurred? The Chachamim answer that Hashem had already prepared the means for teshuvah before the people sinned. And not only that, the Midrash tells us that the wood for the construction of the Mishkan had been planted and prepared for such use already by Avraham Avinu in Egypt, so that his descendants could use it at the appropriate time. Regarding the parashah of Shekalim, we find the same principle of anticipating good to counteract a potential future evil: The Midrash recounts that, when Haman decided to exterminate the Jews, he offered King Achashverosh 10,000 kikar of silver to decree the destruction of the people. But Hashem had already foreseen a solution before the problem arose: The shekels that were donated by the people of Israel preceded those of Haman. What does this mean? The mitzvah of giving the half-shekel for the Bet HaMikdash served as kapparah (atonement) for the Jewish people, and therefore had the consequence of neutralising the effect of Haman's corruption. It is well known that divine justice operates according to the principle of "Midah keneged midah" (measure for measure). The mitzvah of the half-shekel was not only an act of tzedakah, but an anticipation of the protection of Am Yisrael in the future. According to the Zohar, the moon represents the neshamah (soul), which darkens but then shines once again. Even before the soul descends into this world and faces the trials of life, Hashem gives it the spiritual strength necessary to overcome them (see the beginning of the Sefer HaTanya). Hashem grants spiritual illumination to the soul before it faces the challenges that will have to occur for its tikkun. Even if a person falls, the good has already been prepared so that they can rise again; moreover, in the tefillah of Rosh Chodesh, we pray and hope that the month beginning now will be the end of all our suffering, both past and future. It is no coincidence that in Kabbalah, the sefirah of Chesed (benevolence, goodness) precedes the sefirah of Gevurah (rigour). Hashem, therefore, always anticipates the cure to the illness, both in a physical and a spiritual sense. The Mishkan was prepared before the sin, the Machatzit HaShekel before Haman's threat, and even the soul receives its light before its descent into the world. When we face the challenges of life, we must remember that the solution already exists; we just need to discover it and activate it. Hashem has already prepared the good even before the difficulty can manifest itself, and it is not even certain that it will manifest, while the heritage of prepared good is maintained in any case. As Rabbi Nachman says: You are never given an obstacle that you are not able to overcome. As a popular Roman Jewish saying also goes: The Lord sends the cold according to the clothes!
Shabbat Shalom, Chodesh Tov, and may the merit of the Machatzit HaShekel always protect us!
Translated from the Italian with Google Gemini. The Italian text is the original.