In the months before Israel’s Declaration of Independence, war with the surrounding Arab states seemed inevitable, and obtaining funds to equip the Jewish army became critical. Golda Meir traveled to the U.S. to raise money urgently needed to purchase arms and defend the 700,000 Jews in Palestine threatened with imminent attack. Following an emotional speech in Chicago on January 2, 1948, that she remembered as “unscheduled, unrehearsed … and unannounced”, American Jews began to generously open their wallets. By the end of Golda’s fundraising tour, she had raised $50 million, twice the amount she hoped for. American Jews started to identify with the struggle of the Jews of Palestine, and offered donations, large and small, to help defend them.
This story resonates with the special reading from the Torah and Prophets, read on what is known as “Shabbat Shekalim.” The Talmud (Megilla 29b) teaches that on the Shabbat before the Hebrew month of Adar, we are to read from the Torah about the half-shekel (Exodus 30:11-16), as well as a special portion from the Prophets (II Kings 11:17-12:17).
The sages explain that this half-shekel tax was collected annually in the month of Adar, and the reading from the Torah before the month of Adar served as a reminder that it was time for people to start making their donations. Since the half-shekels were used for upkeep in the Temple, the complementary reading from the Prophets describes King Jehoash’s fundraising initiative to renovate the first Temple, which after a century since its construction, had fallen into disrepair.
From this reading, Jehoash appears to be a righteous leader, as it says:
Frustrated with the sad state of the Temple, Jehoash wanted to renovate it and restore it to its original grandeur:
Despite the brief snapshot provided by this reading from Prophets, other chapters in the Bible fill in details that paint King Jehoash in a very different light. As a baby and potential heir to the throne of Judah, Jehoash was targeted by Athaliah, a wicked queen who wished to eliminate any political opposition. Jehosheba, wife of Jehoiada the High Priest, saved baby Jehoash by hiding him in the Holy of Holies for six years, until he assumed the throne at age seven, making Jehoash the youngest of all kings.
While he followed Jehoiada when he was alive, once Jehoiada died the people claimed that Jehoash should be considered a god and worshipped – after all, anyone who enters the Holy of Holies is meant to die, and Jehoash survived there for six years. Jehoash accepted this argument, and the people abandoned God and began to worship Jehoash instead. Zechariah the son of Jehoiada rebuked the people for their idolatry, and in a brazen act of ingratitude, Jehoash ordered Zechariah son of Jehoiada to be killed in the Temple.
Why, then, do we seem to overlook the great and many sins of Jehoash on the Shabbat before the month of Adar, known as Shabbat Shekalim, and selectively read the favorable description about him? Perhaps the answer is that despite his shortcomings, Jehoash had successfully galvanized the Jewish people and inspired a national effort to renovate the Temple. He includes many priests in the fundraising effort, rather than relying solely upon wealthy benefactors.
This message, that God values contributions from everyone, no matter the amount, is the lesson of the half-shekel as well. According to Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, the purpose of the half-shekel is to emphasize the importance of widespread, national participation and partnership: “A small mitzvah (commandment) which Israel fulfills in unity is more beloved to God than a great mitzvah (commandment) fulfilled only by the wealthy as it says: ‘The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of the Lord’ (Exodus 30:15).”
The half-shekel tax was a requirement for all, with each person contributing an identical sum. Age, wealth, or social standing made no difference; irrespective of one’s identity or economic background, participation was universal and equal. This annual contribution fostered a sense of unity among the nation year after year.
Jehoash’s effort, inspiring the masses to come together and contribute to the Temple, was a tremendous merit and so, the reading from the Prophets skips over his other shortcomings. In a similar vein, David Ben Gurion later described the result of Golda Meir’s 1948 fundraising trip: “Someday when history will be written, it will be said that there was a Jewish woman who got the money which made the state possible.” Golda Meir was able to invoke the spirit of the half-shekel to achieve a sense of unity and purpose among Jews around the world at a time when the Jewish people needed it most.
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