This week as well as reading the “Parsha of the week”- Ki Tissa we also read Parshat Parah which comes from Bamidbar 19:1-22 (which is read later in the year as the start of Parshat Chukat)
This is one of the 4 special Parashiyot we read between Purim and Pesach:
Parshat Shekalim – This Shabbat takes place on the Shabbat before the 1st of the Hebrew calendar month of Adar, or on the 1st of Adar itself if it falls on Shabbat. This section details the giving of the half Shekel to the Tabernacle and later on in Temple times for communal funds. The Beis Din would announce that Jews bring the half Shekel at the start of Adar.
Parshat Zachor- Read the Shabbat prior to Purim that reminds us to never forget what Amalek did to the Jewish people when we came out of Egypt. This connects to Purim as Haman the archenemy of the Jews descends from Amalek.
Shabbat Parah (“Sabbath [of the] red heifer” שבת פרה) takes place on the Shabbat before Shabbat HaChodesh, in preparation for Passover. Numbers 19:1-22 describes the parah adumah (“red heifer”) in the Jewish temple as part of the manner in which the kohanim and the Jewish people purified themselves so that they would be ready (“pure”) to sacrifice the korban Pesach.
Shabbat HaChodesh (“Sabbath [of the] month” ) precedes the first of the Hebrew month of Nisan during which Pesach is celebrated. Exodus 12:1-20 and the laws of Passover. On the first day of Nisan, G-d presented the first commandment of how to “sanctify the new moon” (kiddush hachodesh) for the onset of Rosh Chodesh and thus Nisan becomes the first month of the Jewish year (counting by months.).
Connections
Parshat Shekalim and Zachor are related to Purim whereas Parshat Parah and Hachodesh are related to Pesach.
The connection between Zachor and Purim I mentioned above. Shekalim has an interesting connection. The Megillah relates that Haman offered 10000 Kikar(talents) of silver to pay for the annihilation of the Jewish people. Achashverosh rejected the offer and absorbed the cost.
Rabbi Yoel Sirkes (known as the Bach 1561-1640 Poland) has a fascinating comment. He notes that there is no coincidence in that Haman chose 10,000 talents of silver.
He explains that Haman chose this amount because it equals the total number of half-shekalim given by the men in the desert. This is reckoned as follows: there were 600000 men above the age of 20 counted by the Torah. Only men over 20 contributed the half shekel. The Torah’s “lifespan” is defined as 70 years so men from age 20-70 would contribute 50 half shekalim or 25 shekalim to the Tabernacle/Temple in their lifetime. 25x 600000 = 15000000 shekalim
An ordinary Kikar/talent of silver was 1500 Shekalim and so converting Shekalim to Kikarim we get
15000000 divided by 15000 = 10000 Kikar – The exact amount offered by Haman for his final solution!!
Of course this calculation assumes a lot of factors e.g. that everyone lived until 70 etc. Numbers in Judaism are not always taken literally but reflect deeper concepts.
In this case Haman in his self-aggrandisement and over inflated ego believed that he could overpower any merit accrued by the Jewish people through their donation to the Tabernacle by his own “free willed donation to cause their destruction”.
What the arch-anti-Semite did not realise is that in spiritual matters the whole is greater than the sum of the parts
The half shekel represented the unity of the entire Jewish people coming together to serve One God. The rich gave no more and the poor no less because the half shekel represents the quintessence of the Jewish soul which we all share no matter what ones spiritual or religious level may be.
From Purim to Pesach conceptually
The Talmud in Megillah 6b notes that when we have a leap year with two Adars, Purim is celebrated in the second Adar so that we can “bring one period of redemption close to another period of redemption” i.e. Purim to Pesach
We end one year (Adar being the last month) with Purim and move straight into the new year (Nissan is the first month of the year in terms of months as opposed to Rosh Hashana) celebrating Pesach.
The theme of Purim is seeing God’s hand in history behind the concealment of politics and society. It’s a festival we all can relate to. Whether we live in Israel or the diaspora we see how fragile society can be. Antisemitism has inexplicably risen its ugly head once more in particular in Europe. We thank God for the IDF and all its incredible resources that help protect us eg the iron dome. We thank Hashem for the liberal societies we live in that give us the freedom to express our Jewish identities.
In Megillat Esther God’s name is not mentioned once, not because God has left the scene. On the contrary God is ever present but He acts in a hidden fashion “behind the scenes”. Our current existence is in many ways a new chapter in the Megilah of Jewish life (Megilah relates to word Gilui revelation and Esther means concealment!)
But then we move on to Pesach where God’s presence is openly revealed to the world. God manifest Himself through miracles (tenb plagues splitting of the sea, manna, etc)
This is a harbinger to the days of Moshiach when please God we will see God’s hand openly revealed once again.
As the prophet Michah says “As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders.”
Shabbat Shalom!!!
